Video shows California bungee jumper almost pass out after being left dangling from crane

A thrill-seeker says he almost passed out after being left hanging upside down from a crane when a bungee jump ride malfunctioned.

Firefighters were called to the Ventura County Fair in California on Wednesday night (2 August) to rescue the man, along with two other people also stranded on the ride.

Videos posted on social media show one of the three fairgoers dangling from the crane with a bungee cord attached to his legs.

He was left upside down for 40 minutes before firefighters could mount a rescue with a ladder truck.

He was not reported to be injured or in any medical distress, ABC7 News reported.

But after he was brought down by rescue workers he told witnesses he was about to lose consciousness.

"I was only on the verge of passing out and he told me to go down slowly. He had me hooked onto him for a while," he told fairgoers of the rescue, giving only the name of Roger.

The two other people were rescued after more than an hour of being stuck in a steel cage attached to the crane.

They were individually attached to harnesses and were able to safely rappel down to the ground on a rope-and-pulley system.

The cause of the bungee jump malfunction is not known.

Hanging upside down for long periods of time can be dangerous as the heart struggles to pump blood around the body due to the change in gravity direction.

As blood and fluids pool in the head and lungs, it can cause the person to lose consciousness, have a stroke or even die.