An additional three rollercoasters have been closed at two other theme parks owned Merlin Entertainments, who also owns Alton Towers, following the crash on Tuesday that seriously injured four people.
The ride ‘Saw’ at Thorpe Park in Surrey has been closed for the ‘foreseeable future’, until a thorough appraisal of the safety processes have been completed, Merlin Entertainments said.
Dragon’s Fury and Rattlesnake, two rollercoasters at Chessington World of Adventures, in Surrey, which is also owned by Merlin, have been shut down.
The Smiler ride at Alton Towers remains closed following the crash on Tuesday, which left 16 people requiring medical treatment.
Merlin’s chief executive, Nick Varney, said: “It is an accident that should not have happened, and we are determined that it will never happen again.
“Whilst the investigation into the causes is continuing, we have identified a series of additional safety protocols that we are implementing immediately across our multi-car rollercoasters.”
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The CEO has been on all of the main broadcast channels for most of today and refuting some of the early assertions and claims. His approach came across as more of PR management and less of genuine contrition. Maybe this was due to the press briefing he received from more knowledgeable members of his management and legal team. His background is in marketing and it is clear that he does not have an understanding of the broad technical and operational aspects of the ride in question. Otherwise he would not have described the catalogue of previous failures as just “teething problems” adding that all rides of this nature have problems.
Without prejudging the investigation, it is clear that this ride is complex and entails mechanical, hydraulic, ECI and software systems. The Health & Safety Executive should definitely review their emergency arrangements for rescuing potentially trapped occupants or their coordination arrangements with emergency services. It is inexcusable that despite the previous failures it still takes hours for occupants to be released and brought down safely.