Incidents at European amusement parks

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various European amusement parks, water parks, or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park owners, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.

The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, deaths that occur at a European park. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories:

• Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.
• The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.
• Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
• Act of God or a generic accident (e.g., slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.

Alton Towers

Alton Mouse

• In 1991, its last season of operation, a car stalled on the second big drop. The ride shut down as designed, with other cars held at various blocks before and after the stalled car. The ride operator restarted the ride thinking that the stalled car (which had valleyed) would also start and continue its journey. A second car collided with it. The report on the incident found that the staff member operating the ride had inadequate training. He also had access to keys that allowed him to override the block system, a procedure that should have been authorised by a more qualified person, such as a maintenance employee. Alton Towers was fined.^[1]

Forbidden Valley

• On March 29, 2015, a small fire occurred within the Fresh Fish and Chips catering unit within Forbidden Valley. All nearby rides were evacuated, including Nemesis, Air, The Blade, Ripsaw and the Sky Ride.^[2]

Sky Ride

• On June 29, 2004, due to a strong gust of wind, the Sky Ride cables became caught, jamming the ride. About 80 people were on the ride, and nine people had to be rescued by being abseiled down 200 ft cables.^[3]

• In 2007, a fire caused by a halogen lamp occurred at the Sky Ride Station in Forbidden Valley. No visitors were on the attraction at the time, and the station re-opened the following year.^[4]

Runaway Mine Train

• On 20 July 2006, when the train was entering the tunnel section of its course, two carriages uncoupled, the carriages comprising the front half continuing up the slope while the rear half of the train remained stuck in the tunnel. The front half failed to make it over the hill, rolled back and crashed into the rear half which had remained stuck in the tunnel. Six people were taken to hospital and 23 others were treated for cuts and bruises. Following the incident the Runaway Mine Train was closed for the rest of the season. The train was only returned to full length operation in June the following year.^[5]

Oblivion

• In May 2012, a young man climbed into the tunnel on Oblivion, to retrieve his wallet that had fallen in during his ride on Oblivion. He had told staff that he needed to retrieve his wallet due to his coach leaving soon. However, when staff told him they could not stop the ride till the end of the day, he took matters into his own hands. Climbing though the back of the tunnel where the ride leaves and climbing through to where his wallet had dropped. The man was seen by a young boy and his father as they looked into the tunnel at the rides decent, while the rest of their party was on the ride. The father told staff immediately and the ride was halted. The 'X Sector' was closed off and the man rescued. Quickly being taken to the nearby University Hospital North Staffordshire as a precaution for any injury he may have sustained. The man had a small concussion due to hitting his head on the ride's frame, but no major injuries.^[6]

The Smiler

• On 2 November 2013, a rider of The Smiler was injured when a rubber guide wheel casing fell off and hit the guest as the ride made a vertical incline. The injured was looked after by park staff and did not need treatment by the ambulance service.^[7]
• On 2 June 2015, a train with 16 passengers collided with a stationary test car on the track. Four passengers — two male, two female, aged between 17 and 27 — received serious leg injuries and were airlifted to hospital for treatment, one of the casualties had to have her left leg amputated due to her injuries while a second casualty had to have her right leg amputated due to the extent of her injuries. A fifth person with neck and abdominal injuries was also taken to hospital. The other 11 riders were believed to have only minor injuries and received medical treatment at the scene. This has been stated to be the biggest incident to ever occur at Alton Towers. The theme park was closed until 7 June 2015 pending the completion of the investigation. As of September, it had begun testing with both empty carriages and ones filled with test dummies. Ride staff operating The Smiler at the time of the incident were questioned, including the ride operator and engineer, after reports that it was manually restarted, in similar fashion to the Alton mouse during its incident in 1991.^[8] This accident also caused Sonic Spinball (roller coaster) and three other roller coasters at sister parks Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures to close until additional safety procedures were researched or put in place, these rides reopened shortly afterwards, once deemed safe to continue operating.^{[9][10][11][12][13]} The Smiler reopened on March 19, 2016.^[14] Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd was prosecuted at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 22 April 2016, in which the firm pleaded guilty,^[15][16][17] and were sentenced to a £5 million fine on 27 September 2016 after a two day hearing at Stafford Crown Court.^[18]

Battersea Funfair

Big Dipper

• On 30 May 1972, one of the trains became detached from the lift chain and rolled back to the station (the anti-rollback mechanism having also failed), colliding with the other train. Five children were killed and thirteen others injured. The ride (the park's main attraction) was permanently closed, leading to the decline in the popularity of the funfair and its eventual closure at the end of the 1974 season.^[19]

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Big Dipper

• On August 11, 2009, two trains carrying a total of 32 guests collided, resulting in 21 guests requiring treatment at a nearby hospital for injuries ranging from whiplash and broken noses, to cuts and bruises.^[20]

Big One

• In July 1994, a week after the ride's opening, eight people were injured when the computer system failed to completely stop a train returning to the station. The result of this brake failure was a collision with a waiting train at the ride's station. The injuries were all only minor but the incident was widely publicised by the media.
• On August 31, 2000, 23 people were injured, when two ride vehicles collided due to a failure of the ride's braking system. Of those injured, 21 were taken to the hospital.^[21]
• On June 14, 2011, a ride train stopped abruptly, causing minor injuries to its occupants. One person was reported to be hospitalised with whiplash injury.^[22]

Avalanche

• In 1997, the Avalanche ride was involved in an accident when the first carriage's braking system automatically engaged, causing the following carriages to collide into one another in a rapid stop. 14 people were on the ride at the time. One of which, an 11-year-old boy, suffered bruised ribs. The ride was out of commission for 5 weeks of repairs.^[23]

Fun House

• On December 16, 1991, the Fun House attraction (first opened in 1934) was completely destroyed by a fire caused by vandals. Valhalla (opened in 2000) was built in its place.

Grand National

• On May 20, 2004, the Grand National’s station was destroyed by a fire that also damaged Alice’s Wonderland and Trauma Towers. The ride was repaired and re-opened five months later on October 28, 2004.
• In 2014, a 58-year-old man broke his neck whilst riding the Grand National. He was apparently suffering from spondylitis, an inflammation of the vertebrae in the back ignored safety warnings and rode the wooden roller coaster with his 13-year-old nephew. Upon returning to the station, he was found slumped in the carriage and was rushed to hospital. However, as a result of the accident, he was left paralyzed.^[24]

Space Invader 2

• On July 21, 2000, an 11-year-old boy died from head and body injuries after falling out of the carriage during the ride. The victim had reportedly fallen out of his cart because he had unfastened his seatbelt during the ride.^[25]

Grand Prix

• On October 29, 2016, two car rides stopped working and guests, who were on the rides, were rescued. Another car ride stopped working. People from the queue, who were waiting to go on the ride, waited for 40 minutes .

Bridlington Bayside Fun Park

Jungle River Log Flume

• On 29 August 2011, a woman sustained severe leg injuries when the Jungle River Log Flume stuck and jolted throwing her out of the cabin. She was riding with her four-year-old granddaughter when the accident happened. It is believed that the ride stalled as it didn't have enough water in it. The granddaughter was taken to hospital with minor bruising.^[26]

Botton's Amusement Park

Surf Rider

• On 30 August 2011 at 3:15pm, emergency services were called to the ride after reports that the arm had collapsed. Firefighters used ropes and ladders to rescue the 22 passengers who had become lodged at a 90 degree angle. Seven passengers were injured and taken to hospital, including one woman with life-threatening head injuries. It was reported that the ride had maintenance done in the previous few days.^[27]

Brighton Pier

Turbo Coaster

• In December 2002, eight riders were allowed to ride the coaster despite the fact that a 16 foot (4.9 m) section of track had been removed for maintenance. The ride operator stopped the train just before it hit the missing section. In 2004, Brighton Pier was fined £37,000 for failing to ensure people's safety.^[28]

Camelot

The Gauntlet

• On October 22, 2001, a 59-year-old employee was killed as he was struck by a train when he was performing maintenance on the ride. Prime Resorts Limited was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 costs, after a court decided the death was caused by fundamental management errors.^[29]

Excalibur II

• During August 2011 a young boy fell from the Fabbri-manufactured thrill ride. The visitor was taken to a local hospital, the incident was not life-threatening.^[30]

Chessington World of Adventures

Tomb Blaster

• On 7 June 2012, A 4-year-old girl fell from an elevated walkway used as the queue for the Tomb Blaster attraction.^[31] The girl suffered broken ribs, a cracked skull, and brain hemorrhage when she fell through a hole in the wooden fencing. On Friday 9 January 2015, Chessington plead guilty to the incident labeling it a result of improper maintenance. H&S investigators said the fall happened as a result of water from the roof dripping onto the paneling, rotting the wood. On Monday 12 January 2015, Chessington World of Adventures Operations Ltd. was fined £150,000 as a result of the fall. Operator Merlin Entertainments apologised and said that they had since spent millions on remedial work across the park to ensure something similar could never occur again. One improvement made involved adding a steel rail fence to the Tomb Blaster queue.^[32]

Creaky Cafe

• On 21 December 2013 a fire broke out at the Creaky Café, which was being used as Santa's grotto at the time. The park and zoo were closed at the time of the fire, but all staff and animals had to be evacuated. The fire destroyed the café entirely, and also did major damage to several facades in the Transylvania area. The fire also spread into the Bubbleworks dark ride show building, doing serious damage to the ride's finale scene. The fire was extinguished after two hours, and the zoo re-opened five days later. The cause of the fire was since revealed to have been Christmas decorations catching fire after being placed too close to an electric heater. The site of the fire was cleared in time for the launch of the following season. The Bubbleworks ride was repaired and so were the destroyed facades.^[33]

Coney Beach Pleasure Park, Porthcawl

On 1 April 1994, a 9-year-old boy was killed after being flung off the 58-year-old "Water Chute" ride when a steel hoop collapsed in wet and windy conditions and fell onto the open-topped carriage in which he was travelling.^[34]

Disneyland Paris

Flamingo Land

Magnum Force

• On June 1, 2004, a 32-year-old employee was injured by the Magnum Force roller coaster, allegedly due to him crossing through a restricted area under the coaster as a shortcut through the park.^[35]

Mumbo Jumbo

• On May 3, 2010, one of the carts got stuck midway through the ride due to a poncho blowing onto the tracks. Four passengers were trapped upside down for 20 minutes before being safely removed from the ride by park attendants.^[36][37]

Hero

• On May 22, 2015, a 15-year-old girl and a 26-year-old woman were injured after a foot-rail dislodged while in motion and landed in the queue for the ride. The 15-year-old girl was taken to Scarborough General Hospital where she received treatment for her head injuries, whereas the 26-year-old woman was treated at the scene. Although both have sustained head injuries, North Yorkshire Police released a statement claiming that neither was life-threatening. The ride has been taken out of operation in accordance with Flamingo Land's operational procedures, and is undergoing a full inspection in conjunction with the North Yorkshire Police Department and the HSE (Health and Safety Executive).^[38]

Gray's Amusement Park

• On June 2, 2000, a 12-year-old boy died as a result of injuries sustained at Gray's Amusement Park in Ingoldmells near Skegness. He was hit in the chest by a manual swing, known as The Swinging Gym. The incident was described as a tragic accident.^[39]

Gulliver's Land

• On May 17, 2006, a 56-year-old park employee was performing safety checks on the train when his head hit a bridge as the train dragged him through a tunnel, killing him.^[40][41]

Gulliver's World

Ferris Wheel

• On July 13, 2002, a 15-year-old girl fell 30 feet from a Ferris wheel. She was taken to hospital, and died two days later from her injuries.^[42] The park were fined a total of £80,000 for failing to ensure a person's safety, and not carrying out risk assessments.^[43]

Guillena Zoo

Flying Swinger

• Eighteen people were injured when a Flying Swinger ride collapsed at Guillena Zoo near Seville, Spain. The accident happened on April 9, 2005. Of the 18 injured, fifteen were children. Four people were seriously injured, including an 11-year-old girl and a woman, who were airlifted to a Hospital in Seville, after sustaining serious head and leg injuries. Witnesses said that the attraction's main support snapped in two, trapping victims under the debris. The ride, built in 2001, had just passed all of its required safety inspections.^[44]

Holiday Park

Expedition GeForce

• On April 29, 2010, the Intamin coaster Expedition GeForce stopped 65-feet in the air when the first car derailed after completing the car's first drop. No one was seriously injured, although all 26 riders had to be evacuated. It was reported a broken axle caused the accident.^[45]

Spinning Barrels

• On August 15, 2014, an 11-year-old girl was killed after getting run over by several gondolas. She entered the ride via an unlocked door. When an employee turned on the ride and didn't notice that the girl wasn't inside the gondola, the girl tripped and fell. Three employees of the park were charged with involuntary manslaughter.^[46]

Legoland Billund

The Xtreme Racer

• On April 29, 2007, a 21-year-old park employee was killed by a ride vehicle on The Xtreme Racer, a roller coaster at the Billund, Denmark park, as she climbed over a security fence to retrieve a guest's wallet.^[47]

Lightwater Valley

Treetop Twister

• On June 21, 2001, a 20-year-old woman died while on the ride after two carriages collided.^[48] Police decided not to prosecute a maintenance worker, who claimed that he had only received an hour's training on that ride and had not seen its manual.^[49] Faulty wiring had also caused a malfunction on the ride.^[50] In October 2004, the deputy coroner ruled death by misadventure. On November 14, 2006, the park was charged with failing to ensure the health and safety of riders, and the ride operator was charged with failing to ensure safety through his work. Both pleaded guilty.^[51] The ride manufacturer, Reverchon Industries SA, was convicted of two charges of failing to ensure the ride's safe design and construction.^[52]
• On July 28, 2015, teenager Sasha Higgins was left 'traumatized' after the ride was started 'as a joke' by a senior member of staff. Another ride attendant nearby deactivated the ride before any injuries could occur. She was dragged 42 ft and spun into the air. The senior employee who activated the ride was immediately fired and Lightwater Valley released a statement stressing that they will not tolerate any health and safety risks to staff or visitors.^[53][54]

Black Pearl

In Summer 2016 a man (with disabilities) was riding it when his restraints came off while the ride was going upside-down. His carer grabbed his wrists and saved him until the ride came to a stop.

Liseberg

• In 1985, two empty rollercoaster trains collided at Liseberg, causing injuries to staff members.^[55]
• In 2005, a power failure affected western Sweden, causing all the attractions at Liseberg to stop, leaving people stranded in various positions but causing no injuries.^[55]
• On September 2, 2006, a man received injuries to his head and neck after being hit when a flagpole fell down.^[55][56]

Lisebergbanan

• On July 15, 2006, 21 people were injured at Liseberg when two roller coaster trains, on the rollercoaster Lisebergbanan, collided. The crash happened when the chain that pulls trains up the initial climb malfunctioned, causing a fully loaded train to roll backward into the loading platform, hitting another train that was unloading riders. Since only part of the train was on the lift, the anti-rollback mechanism had not fully engaged and broke. The steel roller coaster was built in 1987 and is one of Sweden's largest, reaching speeds up to 80 km/h.^[57] Since the accident the roller coaster has opened again, after a technical adjustment.

Flumeride

• On October 8, 2006, a woman in her thirties was seriously injured on the log boat ride "Flumeride". At the second and final drop, a 14-meter (46 ft) slope, the woman apparently panicked, and tried to keep the log boat from travelling down the slope by holding onto the railings. She was ejected from the boat into the water and slid down the slope, where she was hit in the head by at least one of the two following log boats. Since she had managed to temporarily keep the log boat from dropping down the slope, the following two log boats passed the last safety gate, and couldn't be stopped from falling down the last slope where the woman was located. The event was witnessed by the staff who stopped the ride, but were unable to prevent two of the log boats from continuing. The woman, who was travelling together with her 11-year-old daughter and another woman, was taken to Sahlgrenska University Hospital, where she was reported to be in critical but stable condition. An investigation has been initiated by the authorities, and Liseberg has also initiated an internal inquiry.^[56][58][59] She eventually recovered fully.

Rainbow

• On July 15, 2008, 30 people were injured when the ride collapsed. The park manager stated that he believes a ball bearing on the ride failed.^[60] The ride was dismantled on July 17, 2008. Investigators then confirmed on July 19, 2008 that they had discovered a faulty drive shaft during their inspection. They believed that one of the axles that is designed to hold the passenger carriage horizontal failed. The drive shaft had been replaced by Huss Maschinefabrik, the ride's manufacturer, in 2003.^[61]

Hangover

• In 1997, 25 young people were trapped for three hours when the ride "Hangover" at Liseberg malfunctioned.^[55]

Kållerado

• In 2001, a 14-year-old boy was pinned between a raft and a landing on the ride "Kållerado" at Liseberg.^[55]

Little Frogs

• In 2002, six small children received minor injuries when a safety latch failed on the attraction "the little frogs" (Swedish: Små grodorna) at Liseberg.^[55]

Loudoun Castle

Rat

• On July 16, 2007, an 18-year-old park worker died after falling 80 feet (24 m) from the Rat ride at the Scottish Park. He was on a day off on July 15, 2007 when it is believed he saw one of the carriages stuck on the ride. He climbed up to attempt to fix the ride; however when it started to move he was dragged to the highest point, when he lost his grip and fell.

The park voluntarily closed the ride even after it passed inspection.^[62]

Luna Park (St Brieuc)

• On August 10, 2015, a woman broke her leg after one of the bungee lines snapped on a slingshot-style bungee ride, causing the carriage to hit one of the supporting poles.^[63]

M&D's

Tornado

• In June 2009, six people were stranded on the park's Tornado roller coaster when high winds caused safety systems to activate.^[64]
• In March 2016, eight people had to be rescued from the Tornado roller coaster after it became stuck 20 ft (6.09m) above the ground at the theme park.^[65]

Tsunami

• On 4 July 2011, nine people, ranging in age from 9 to 49, had to be rescued from the Tsunami roller coaster, after a mechanical failure on the ride left them stranded 60 ft (18.2m) above the ground for up to eight hours.^[64]
• On 26 June 2016, the roller coaster Tsunami derailed, falling into the crowd below, injuring seven children and two adults. On the way down it hit the main structure and came to rest on a toddlers' ride. Ten park guests were taken to local hospitals for treatment. The park was evacuated following the incident.^[66][67][68]

White Water Log Flume

• Around 2013 there was an incident on the White Water Log Flume in which a teenage girl's leg was trapped between a barrier and a splashback on the ride's structure, causing a serious injury.^[69]
• In August 2015, three people were injured when the White Water Log Flume slipped on its track,^[70] and later the same month a 58-year-old woman and three teenagers were forced to walk down from the top of the ride after it stuck at the highest point.^[71]

Mirabilandia

Katun

• In 2007, a man was killed at the Mirabilandia theme park in Ravenna, Italy, when he was hit in the head by the leg of a female rider on the Katun inverted coaster. The girl whose leg struck the man was injured. The man was in a restricted area when he was struck, however the ride was still closed so officials could investigate.^[72]

Naudières

Roller Coaster

• On August 13, 2011, a 24-year-old ride operator was crushed by two trains at the Naudières theme park in Sautron, France. The man left the control booth of the ride whilst it was in motion. He slipped trapping his legs beneath the track and then was hit by a train, trapping him between two cars, crushing him beneath the ride's structure. Doctors amputated his legs at the scene, but he later died of his injuries. The park closed the next day due to 'very bad weather'.^[73]

Nigloland

Bat Coaster

• On April 4, 2005, the former golf coaster, was stopped by a gust while going into a curve that would naturally slow down the ride. The technician called managed to make the ride work again but it ended colliding with the technician's machine, hurting several rider's legs, one seriously. The attraction was closed down and removed from the park afterwards.^[74]

Oakwood

Drenched (Hydro)

• On April 16, 2004, a 16-year-old girl from Pontypool, was killed after falling approximately 30 m (100 ft) from the top of the Hydro (now called Drenched) ride.^[75] During a trial brought by the victim's family against Oakwood, a jury returned a narrative verdict stating that the victim died due to not being properly restrained.^[76] In February 2008, Oakwood was charged by the Health and Safety Executive for park staff not ensuring that guests were properly and safely restrained.^[77] On May 22, 2008, magistrates in Haverfordwest magistrates court rejected Oakwood Leisure Limited's request for an adjournment and directed that the hearing should proceed on the assumption of a not guilty plea. The magistrates declined jurisdiction and adjourned the case which was committed for crown court trial in Swansea Crown Court on July 7, 2008.^[78] The magistrates' court was limited to fining the company £20,000, the crown court can impose an unlimited fine.^[79] On July 8, 2008, Oakwood plead guilty under the Health and Safety Act 1974 for failing to conduct its business such to ensure that its guests were not exposed to risks.^[80] In December 2008 the company was fined £250,000 plus £80,000 in costs.^[81]

Phantasialand

Gebirgsbahn & Grand Canyon Achterbahn

• On May 1, 2001, a fire broke out at the Phantasialand theme park in Brühl, near Cologne, Germany. 54 people were injured during the fire, however no one was seriously hurt. The fire broke out on the powered roller coaster "Grand Canyon Achterbahn" which was located inside the structure of the bigger roller coaster "Gebirgsbahn" on a day when the park was filled with 20,000 visitors. The park's founder said a cable fire was most likely the cause of the blaze. There were 150 passengers on the 2 rides when the fire broke out. Some passengers of the "Gebirgsbahn" were only able to exit the cars using a 60-foot ladder. The mostly polystyrene facade was coated with a fire resistant film, however it had lost its effect after years of operation and caught fire. The 2 roller coasters and the nearby "Tanagra Theater" were completely destroyed and demolished shortly after. After this accident, the park improved the safety standards on many of its attractions. This resulted in some compromises. Some of the effects on the park's rides had to be removed, the upper floor of the IMAX simulator "Galaxy" (later: "Race For Atlantis") was permanently closed and the track of the "Gondelbahn 1001-Nacht" darkride was shortened to make room for a rescue passage for firetrucks. The park also installed new sprinkler systems in some of the rides like the "Silbermine" darkride. Today the rapid river "River Quest" is located on the site of the 2 roller coasters. The "Tanagra Theater" was replaced with the Vekoma madhouse "Feng Ju Palace".^[82]

Black Mamba

• On May 14, 2011, a 48-year-old man died while riding Black Mamba, an inverted roller coaster. According to German safety inspectors the roller coaster and all safety features were sound and passed extensive testings by the TÜV. Autopsy showed that the death was caused by a heart attack.^[83]

Parc Astérix

• On July 5, 2006, a 6-year-old Belgian boy drowned as he was dragged underwater by the current.^{[84][85][86][87]}

PortAventura

Tomahawk

• On May 18, 2009, a 55-year-old park employee died after being run over by a coaster train as he was performing maintenance.^[88]

Other

• On September 21, 2016 the park had to be evacuated in the evening when the electricity went off due to a short circuit. Nearly all the rides at Port Aventura ground to a halt just before 17.00, and automatically rolled down to the exit point so fairground users could get off. But some, including the Tutuki Splash and Dragon Khan, remained stuck mid-air and theme park staff had to evacuate the riders by ladder. The entire operation took around 20 minutes and everyone was said to have been brought safely down to terra firma without incident, although a few were very frightened. An inquiry has been launched into the cause of the shutdown, although it is believed to have been the result of a sudden drop in voltage meaning insufficient power was flowing to keep all the attractions running.

Pleasureland Southport

Sky Ride

• On August 25, 2004, a 59-year-old employee was killed after he became trapped.^[89] The park was fined £95,000 for breaching health and safety laws, and were also ordered to pay £50,000 in costs.

Prater

Extasy

• On April 5, 2010, a Viennese man died after trying to jump onto a high-speed carousel ride at Vienna's Prater amusement park. The 34-year-old was drunk when he attempted to get back on the ride after it had started by hurling himself at the spinning carousel. He died soon after from multiple life-threatening injuries.^[90]

Volare

• Three people were injured on the Volare roller coaster on October 22, 2010, when a crane crashed against the ride. The 'wagon' steered into the crane's hoist, set close to the ride. A 21-year-old Macedonian man sustained serious head injuries when he fell 8 metres to the ground from the platform supported by the crane. One tourist sustained a broken arm while her friend suffered cuts and bruises. The official accident report says the employee operating the roller coaster was unaware the worker was busy on the scaffolding when he started up the ride. Newspapers, however, report that the attraction has been in operation many times while the painters were busy.^[91]

Rotunda Amusement Park

Mini-Dragon

• On September 11, 1999, an 8-year-old girl died after falling from the coaster and hitting her head on a steel support. On February 19, 2003, Dreamland Leisure was found guilty of negligence in ensuring guest safety. The company was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay £15,000 in compensation to the victim's mother.^[92]

Terra Mitica

Inferno

• On July 7, 2014, a teenager was killed after his harness sprung open on Inferno, a ZacSpin coaster at Terra Mítica in Benidorm, Spain.^[93] All other ZacSpins across the world ceased operations pending investigation findings from Terra Mictica and later reopened.^[94][95][96]

Thorpe Park

Rumba Rapids

• In the ride's opening year of 1986, 11-year-old Jonathan White was thrown from a boat and lost an ear. The news was broken by Children's BBC TV news programme, Newsround.^[97]

X

• On 31 August 2000, an 11-year-old boy broke both his legs and was left with slurred speech after suffering a brain injury (left vertebral artery dissection) on the ride caused by falling out of the car.^[97]

Zodiac

• In September 2001, two teenagers were left dangling from a gondola on the Zodiac Enterprise ride. The two pupils from an East Sussex school, Gemma Clark and Scott Reeves, were on the ride when a support holding the gondola snapped, leaving it hanging by a single support. When the operator tried to halt the ride, the gondola repeatedly hit decking at the bottom before coming to a stop. Minor injuries were sustained. In 2004, Tussauds Theme Park, then owner of Thorpe Park, were fined £65,000 for violations of health and safety law in connection with the incident.^[98]

Rush

• On May 29, 2008, a 4-foot (1.2 m) piece of metal fell from the top of the Rush ride, hitting one of the swings and landing on a nearby pathway. No one was injured.^[99]

Saw, The Ride

• On 11 March 2009, the ride was scheduled to be launched by a group of invited celebrities, including the director of Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV, Darren Lynn Bousman, who posted an account of his experience on his Facebook profile. The ride experienced a delay, a barrier shut-down and a subsequent stop, blamed by park officials on a computer programming error. An ambulance was called when one woman suffered a panic attack.^[100]
• Following an incident on The Smiler at Alton Towers on 2 June 2015 that resulted in its closure, Merlin Entertainment announced on 5 June 2015 that they were closing Saw – The Ride and two other roller coasters at Chessington World of Adventures for the "foreseeable future" while safety protocols and procedures are being evaluated. The ride eventually reopened on 9 July 2015.^[101][102]

Guest altercations

• On July 6, 2014 a 25-year-old man's jaw was broken during a fight between two parties at the park's Ministry of Sound Club Nights. Police believed that the fight began in the Bar 360 but got more serious later. Five people, including the man with the broken jaw were sent to St Peter's Hospital by ambulance.^[103]

Tibidabo Amusement Park

Pèndol

• On July 10, 2010 a 15-year-old girl died and three other teenagers were injured when the mechanical arm of the Pèndol (Pendulum) broke and the basket carrying the four teens fell onto a nearby ride. It's the first and only accident that has happened in the park, one of the oldest in the world.^[104][105]

Tivoli Friheden

Cobra

• On July 4, 2008, four unidentified people were injured while riding the Cobra coaster. The ride vehicle broke in two, with the front part of the train falling to the ground.^[106] Tivoli Gardens Denmark 2015-10-25 5 year old Dutch boy falls out of attraction Nautilus http://www.tv2lorry.dk/node/20667

Tramore Amusement Park

Slingshot

• On August 5, 2002, a 16-year-old male employee of the park was struck and killed by the ride while it was in operation.^[107]

Ghost Train

• On August 26, 2006, a 22-year-old man died in an accident after he drunkenly stood up in the ghost train car, fell out over the side, and snapped his neck against the wall.^[108]

Wonderland Pleasure Park

Astroslide

• On September 5, 2004, a seven-year-old girl died after sustaining severe head injuries after falling to the ground while exiting the ride.^[109]

See also

• Amusement park accidents

References