Fury of Alton Towers girl who lost leg in rollercoaster horror as boss tells her: 'We've lost a lot of money'
Millionaire Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments, visited Vicky Balch
'They said they are not making as much money,' said a furious Vicky
Student was one of the four seriously injured young people on the ride
She had to have her right leg amputated following the horror crash in June
A student who lost her leg in the horrific Alton Towers Smiler crash said she was ‘insulted’ when the theme park’s boss told her they were losing ‘a lot of money’ – and that they would reopen the ride ‘as soon as possible’.
Millionaire Nick Varney, CEO of the park’s £4 billion parent company Merlin Entertainments, visited Vicky Balch, 20, at home this month.
‘They said they are not making as much money as they used to,’ said Vicky. ‘I feel upset and insulted.
‘This happened to me on their ride so why would they want to reopen it so quickly? It has changed my future – my independence has completely gone and I cry all the time.’
Vicky was one of the four seriously injured young people on the ride when their carriage slammed into an empty test vehicle at up to 50mph in June.
She had to have her right leg amputated. Fellow victim Leah Washington, 18, lost her left leg.
Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday, Vicky from Preston, Lancashire, revealed the moment she heard the news that the Smiler would be reopened if accident investigators lift a prohibition order.
Vicky added: ‘They weren’t asking our opinion, they were just informing us. I got upset. I knew they’d want to reopen it, but not so quickly. It’s disrespectful.’
Vicky’s mother Karen, 51, said: ‘I’d like to see them tear it down after what happened.
'For them to come and talk about lost profits when they’re looking at a 20-year-old girl who’s lost a leg and had her entire life changed forever is appalling.’
Vicky said Mr Varney and another senior executive told her their internal inquiry blamed ‘human error’ when two members of staff over-rode a safety mechanism preventing two carriages on the same section of track at once.
The Health and Safety Executive probe continues, and the company, which has seen more than £750 million wiped from its share value, has issued a £47 million profits warning.
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