The Smiler Victim Speaks After Girlfriend Looses Leg in Roller Coaster Accident
The owner of Alton Towers amusement park in Alton, England is facing a soaring multi-million dollar legal bill after admitting responsibility for the roller coaster crash that left four people with serious injuries.
The Smiler roller coaster, the newest ride at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England is the current Guinness World Record holder for most inversions on a roller coaster (14). Last Sunday the ride manufactured by Gerstlauer was carrying 16 people when two carriages crashed into each other sending “blood everywhere,” officials and witnesses said.
Below the two trains are seen together with the passengers still on board just after the accident had taken place.
The ride was said to have shut down for some kind of issue and the crew sent out an empty car first, and then followed it with the one loaded with 16 guests, unaware that the empty train had stalled or valleyed somewhere on the course. Normally all coasters have a series of sensors and blocking zones to prevent this kind of thing from happening, so somewhere in the system, the automated safety blocks must have failed.
Alton Towers victim Joe Pugh reveals the hell of waiting hours for rescue crews and how he comforted his girlfriend (Leah Washington) who lost a leg that ‘nothing would change between them.
Joe and girlfriend Leah, 17, were on ride when it crashed into another train that was sitting on the track.
Both suffered horrific injuries and Leah has had her leg amputated above knee. Joe, 18, smashed both his kneecaps and faces a long battle to walk again. Sunday, Joe spoke for first time telling horrendous details of the accident and its aftermath.
The couple took this selfie below on the day of the accident before entering the park.
The park says it will not make the victims sue them to receive a payout. They will offer a settlement without having to be proceed with suing them.
Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, said on Monday:
“We are deeply saddened by the news about Leah and all our thoughts are with her and her family. We cannot undo the events of last week but everyone in the company and at Alton Towers is determined to do all we can to provide appropriate support to those who were injured and their families.”
Leah’s attorney says she may be in line for a seven-figure payout.
Fellow passengers Vicky Balch, 20, and Daniel Thorpe, 27, also remain seriously injured, described as in “serious but stable” condition.
Joe has spoken out in a lengthy detail to Daily Mail UK about the accident. Read the Daily Mail UK story featuring Joe’s comments by Clicking Here.
Our thoughts and prayers our with everyone involved in the accident at Alton Towers. Even though this accident has occurred, we still plan to continue enjoying roller coasters around the world. A ride being stopped by it’s computerized safety system is normal in the amusement park industry. Often guests see this happen and think something terrible has happened, but in reality the ride has done it’s job keeping everyone safe. The chance of a fatal injury at a theme park is one in 1.5 billion [Source: CPSC]. By comparison, the chance of fatal injury in a car crash is almost 15 in 10,000 [Source: U.S. Department of Transportation]. You’re about twice as likely to suffer a shark attack as you are to sustain an injury at a theme park requiring a hospital stay. With that said, we still say theme park rides are incredibly safe.
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