Alton Towers closed after Smiler rollercoaster crash
Alton Towers has been closed while an investigation continues into a “dreadful” rollercoaster accident that left four people with serious injuries.
Two carriages crashed on the Smiler ride at the Staffordshire theme park on Tuesday, leaving some passengers trapped for four-and-a-half hours.
Two men, aged 27 and 18, a woman aged 19 and a girl, 17, suffered serious leg injuries in the crash.
One patient has since been discharged from hospital.
BBC correspondent Danny Savage said it was understood of them had sustained “life-changing injuries”.
Another 12 people – six men and six women – required medical treatment as a result of the accident.
They included a man in his 20s, who suffered neck and abdominal injuries.
The four people who suffered serious injuries were airlifted to major trauma centres after the 16 occupants were rescued from 25ft (7.6m) up in the air at an angle of about 45 degrees.
The ordeal for some of the occupants lasted more than four hours, with the evacuation not complete until 18:35 – more than four hours after the accident.
Visitors to Alton Towers reported on social media that the ride had broken down earlier in the day.
‘Should not have happened’
Asked whether human error could have been a factor in what happened, Nick Varney, chief executive of the park’s owners Merlin Entertainments, said it was too early to tell.
“Our business is about giving people memorable experiences with the emphasis on safety and yesterday something dreadful happened,” he said.
“Those two cars should not have been on the same piece of track. Technically that should not have happened.
“There are braking locks that should stop two cars being on the same section of track and somehow that didn’t work the way it was meant to.”
Earlier he said: “I would like to express my sincerest regret and apology to everyone who suffered injury and distress and to their families.
“The safety of our visitors is our primary concern. The park will remain closed until we understand better the cause of this dreadful incident.”
He praised “outstanding” emergency services for their “swift and effective response” to the crash, which happened at about 14:00 when two carriages collided on a low section of track.
Mr Varney said a full investigation was under way and Alton Towers was continuing to work with the emergency services and the Health and Safety Executive.
People at the theme park reported hearing “a loud crash” when the collision happened.
Speaking about those who suffered the worst injuries, a West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “All four were given advanced trauma care, pain relief and immobilisation and were each carefully extricated from the ride and on to the platform before being lowered to the ground.
“The 27-year-old male was then airlifted to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire whilst the others were flown to Royal Stoke University Hospital for further emergency treatment.”
She said the remaining 12 occupants were released one at a time over four hours and lowered to the ground in order for a further assessment of their condition.
“One of the 12, a male in his 20s was treated for neck and abdominal injury and was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital by land ambulance for further assessment and treatment,” she said.
The £18m rollercoaster, which boasts a world record 14 loops, has been closed on two occasions because of safety concerns since opening two years ago.
History of problems
- A group of 16 journalists were left dangling on the Smiler at a steep angleas they tried out the rollercoaster before it opened to the public
- The ride shut for four days in July 2013 after a piece fell off the track, and 48 people had to be rescued
- It closed again in August 2013 for five days due to a “technical issue”
- In November 2013, it closed for five days after wheels fell off and hit four people in the front carriage. The injured people were looked after by park staff and did not need treatment by the ambulance service, a spokeswoman said at the time
- Riders were also left stranded in the air when the ride ground to a halt at the top of a near vertical section 14 months ago
Asked about previous problems with the ride, Mr Varney said he thought there was “an awful lot of misreporting going on about that”.
“Guest safety on those sorts of incidents is not really a major issue in the sense that when you are on a rollercoaster car, the car can’t come off the track. When you have a glitch and the ride stops, it’s not really an issue of safety to the riders,” he said.
Customers with tickets for Wednesday can change them to another day or request a refund through the website.
Asked about the closure, Mr Varney said the park would take “a more measured view of what’s going on and whether it was specific to just the Smiler and then take a view about opening Alton Towers.”
Following the accident, Merlin Entertainments was the biggest faller on the FTSE 100, with its shares down 3%.
The firm, based in Poole, Dorset, has run Alton Towers since buying out previous owner the Tussauds Group in May 2007.
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