Carriages Crash On Alton Towers 'Smiler' Ride

[Marcus.]

Four people have been seriously injured after two carriages on The Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers collided.

According to the West Midlands Ambulance Service, there were 16 people riding in one carriage on the attraction when the crash happened just after 2pm.

It is believed the passengers crashed into a stationary carriage which was empty at the time.

Danny Simm, who was at the Staffordshire theme park when the accident happened, tweeted: "People unconscious, knocked out. Blood everywhere. It really was shocking. Air ambulances landing now, people still stuck."

Lloyd Coller, who was visiting Alton Towers for the day, told Sky News: "I didn’t actually see it but I heard it. It sounded exactly like a car crash – just metal on metal."

Another witness, Tom Whelton, said that The Smiler had also broken down three hours earlier following technical difficulties.

An air ambulance has arrived at the scene with a trauma doctor on board, and everyone on board the ride is receiving triage.

Four road ambulances, accompanied by senior paramedic managers, have also arrived on the scene to cope with the potential casualties.

A spokeswoman added: "Ambulance staff and medics are working quickly with resort staff to gain access to the seriously injured."

In a statement, Alton Towers said: "There has been an incident on the Smiler this afternoon involving two carriages coming together on a low section of the track. One of the carriages was empty and the other had 16 guests in.

The resort’s fully qualified first responders were on the scene immediately to assist with the evacuation which is ongoing, and the area has been closed to allow for access to emergency services vehicles.

"To ensure the safe and timely evacuation of guests, a platform is being constructed. This will take a few minutes but will enable us to proceed more quickly.

"There will be a full investigation once we have recovered the guests, who are our priority."

According to the official website of The Smiler, the £18m ride is the world's first 14 looping rollercoaster.

It opened in May 2013 - and the ride was affected by two incidents within the space of just six months.

Two months after it opened, in July, a metal bolt fell off the ride - leaving a gap in the track. Some 48 people had to be rescued.

Then, in November 2013, passengers sat in the front seats of the ride were hit when several of the rollercoaster's wheels fell off.

The resort claims the ride features "a series of twisted psychological effects including optical illusions, blinding lights and near-misses designed to mess with your mind".

[Pete.]

Pray for them :worry:

[arista]

[Four people have been seriously injured after two carriages on the Smiler rollercoaster
at Alton Towers collided this afternoon.Four people have been seriously injured
after two carriages on the Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers collided this afternoon.]


A empty carriage just sitting there?
Who the feck is in charge?

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2015/6/2/396551/default/v1/10517196-1-1-480x360.jpg

http://news.sky.com/story/1494944/carriages-crash-on-alton-towers-smiler-ride

[LukeB]

:worry: hope they are ok!

[Marcus.]

yeah hope it not likes this at October

[Pete.]

Wowza it was going 55mph

[LukeB]

:omgno: i'm going soon and I want to ride the smiler but so many bad things happened to it

[Marcus.]

:omgno: i'm going soon and I want to ride the smiler but there's so many bad things happened on it

if i may when you going to alton towers

[Vanessa]

:omgno: i'm going soon and I want to ride the smiler but so many bad things happened to it

Don't go on it. Sounds dangerous. :worry:D:

[Kizzy]

:eek:

[Marcus.]

Don't go on it. Sounds dangerous. :worry:D:

all over the news channels ness

[LukeB]

if i may when you going to alton towers

September/October it's quiet around then

Don't go on it. Sounds dangerous. :worry:D:

They should get rid of it or make it safe :omgno:

[Marcus.]

September/October it's quiet around then

They should get rid of it or make it safe :omgno:

oh cool i am going for scarefest
people are saying it may close for a long time

[Jamesy]

Don't let this put you off. Incidents like this are extremely rare in the theme park industry, the last one I can recall was in 2004 in Germany.

The Smiler is the newest ride at Alton Towers and it has extremely sophisticated technology to ensure it stays safe for the public. This incident will of course come as a complete shock to Alton Towers and the theme park industry as a whole. This will be down to a major error on the computer system that gives clearance for trains to go through sections of the ride. On The Smiler there are a multitude of sensors that separate 'sections' of the ride, the sensors work with the rides computer system to ensure only one train is in one section at a time. So this certainly points towards a major computer error which is very rare for a modern ride.

Usually with incidents like this the ride is closed for months when a full investigation is underway. So expect the same with this.

I have a feeling they might try open it for Scarefest though depending how lengthy the investigation process is.

Just to stress this is an extremely rare case. Just like airplanes, coasters like this are the safest form of rides in the entire world. So while this being in the news is alarming, it's not commonplace. Alton Towers is well known to be one of the best theme parks in the world when it comes to health and safety.

[T*]

I don't get why this thread has been abandoned, this is huge news, it's ****ing horrible omg
Hope all will be okay

[T*]

There's live pics of the rescue on bbc news rn

[Pete.]

There's live pics of the rescue on bbc news rn
nnn let the people live

[T*]

nnn let the people live


It's good we're actually getting updates because Alton towers were being quiet about it

[Pete.]

It's good we're actually getting updates because Alton towers were being quiet about it
I think they should let the injured be attended to without media interference.

[Pete.]

But yh Alton Towers should be saying more, I think they've set up a hotline

[arista]

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2015/6/2/396554/default/v3/injured-boy-on-ride-2-800x600.jpg
Boy Injured

[arista]

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2015/6/2/396552/default/v1/credit-mark-james-1-800x600.jpg

Helicopters taking away injured

[RichardG]

:( hope everyone is ok... being involved in a rollercoaster crash must be really really horrible, you go on them for fun, you don't expect this stuff to happen.

Don't let this put you off. Incidents like this are extremely rare in the theme park industry. Just to stress this is an extremely rare case. Just like airplanes, coasters like this are the safest form of rides in the entire world.

Yeah I always read you were significantly more likely to get involved in a car crash on the way to the theme park than on an actual ride within the park... though I'm sure that's no consolation to those involved in the accident today!!

[T*]

Someone is rumoured dead D:

[Denver]

Someone is rumoured dead D:

This is a real life accident not a soap opera :facepalm:

[StephenPullen]

I've been on The Smiler a few times and I can say that the ride almost injures you without it crashing. I've been on lots of rollercoasters and been to a lot of parks in my life: all of Thorpe Park, a few Six Flags parks in the US and Disney, and I must say it's pretty intense for a rollercoaster.

[Jamesy]

Yeah I always read you were significantly more likely to get involved in a car crash on the way to the theme park than on an actual ride within the park... though I'm sure that's no consolation to those involved in the accident today!!

Yeah it's something like 1 in 6,700 chance of dying in a car crash, 1 in 300 million chance of dying on a roller coaster.

Of course no consolation to those involved today, although maybe something for people to realise who thinks this accident means all rides are death traps.

[Jamesy]

No ones dead as far as anyone's aware. Nothing officially confirmed, a few people are just spreading that on Twitter and telling the media for attention.

So far 4 people with major injuries. They've got 4 people off the coaster so far, 12 are still trapped on the coaster while emergency services try to get them out.

Sky News were showing some pretty eye opening aerial pictures not too long ago:

http://i.imgur.com/wCrtMMD.png

[Z]

Smashing

[arista]

52miles an hour
no other ride like it.

Maybe its time to stop that ride

[Kizzy]

I hope there are no serious injuries, the lawyers at alton towers won't be smiling that's for sure.

[Gypsy]

here is a video just after the crash, lots of swearing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVvVI9PLoOc

yVvVI9PLoOc

[Marsh.]

THAT'S why I don't like fairgrounds. :worry:

[Marcus.]

Alton Towers Resort ‏@altontowers 8m8 minutes ago
3of3: We will be posting regular updates on the theme park closure on both our website and social media channels

Alton Towers Resort
2of3: Guests with pre-booked tickets & those arriving at the theme park will have the choice of a full refund or an alternative dated ticket


Alton Towers Resort
1of3: The decision has been taken that Alton Towers theme park will not open tomorrow 3/6/15 following the dreadful incident on The Smiler

[Marcus.]

Alton Towers Resort ‏@altontowers 8m8 minutes ago
3of3: We will be posting regular updates on the theme park closure on both our website and social media channels
9 retweets 7 favorites
Reply Retweet9 Favorite7
More
Alton Towers Resort ‏@altontowers 8m8 minutes ago
2of3: Guests with pre-booked tickets & those arriving at the theme park will have the choice of a full refund or an alternative dated ticket
11 retweets 8 favorites
Reply Retweet11 Favorite8
More
Alton Towers Resort ‏@altontowers 8m8 minutes ago
1of3: The decision has been taken that Alton Towers theme park will not open tomorrow 3/6/15 following the dreadful incident on The Smiler

[arista]

I sent a Mess to a Irish Mod
to merge mine( in the correct section) with yours
and then move yours to the correct section.


I assume it can be done?

[arista]

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2015/6/2/396623/default/v1/star-1-720x960.jpg

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2015/6/2/396637/default/v1/sun-1-720x960.jpg

[Livia]

Tragic accident... but LOL @ the Sun and the Star. Not like them to go overboard with the "SHOCK/HORROR" headlines.

(Love the Star's "Blatter on a platter" though).

[M X]

This is awful.

I went on The Smiler last July when I was there, I can't imagine how terrified those people must have been, especially being trapped there for over four hours. I hope that they recover!

[RichardG]

I went on the smiler once and it was really rough, one loop in particular was quite painful if anything. I gather that this particular accident was not really a structural problem with the layout (?) but still, smaller problems have been going wrong with this ride for a while now, I've regularly heard people saying it was closed for maintenance because of some issue or another. I honestly don't think it was the best idea sticking that many loops on such a small patch of land. I hope maybe in the future Alton Towers can just focus on building good fun rides appropriate to the land available rather than trying to break a new world record with each new build, I reckon they might struggle to attract new people if/when this reopens.

[Kizzy]

My son went last month :/ just glad it wasn't worse, they're already attempting to blame the operative. Surely modern rollercoasters can't be manually operated?

[arista]

The Boss said that had a Fail Safe
to stop this going on.

But it Failed


Its all done by computers

They Fecked up

Its Closed today

Merlin Shares have gone down

Sign Of The Times

[arista]

My son went last month :/ just glad it wasn't worse, they're already attempting to blame the operative. Surely modern rollercoasters can't be manually operated?


Yes some parts


But that empty carriage
sneaked on - due to a Computer Error

[Cherie]

Life changing injuries is never a good thing to hear

[arista]

Life changing injuries is never a good thing to hear



Yes they trusted the Tech bloke
to do the master program
that let a Empty Carriage get in the way.



I would not hire him


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/06/02/23/294ED19C00000578-3107569-image-m-96_1433285570483.jpg

[arista]

4 badly injured

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3108873/Alton-Towers-staff-did-not-crushed-rollercoaster-car-10-minutes.html#ixzz3c0DcvTO0

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/06/02/17/294CFD5900000578-3107569-image-a-17_1433264176152.jpg

[Jamesy]

The rider that has lost a leg is speculation at the moment.

Rumours also around that a woman could be paralyzed from the waist down, and that another rider has lost a finger.

All speculation though until any emergency services, Alton Towers or Merlin Entertainments confirm anything to the press. Since the press would also making up yesterday that someone had died, I'm not believing anything until it comes from someone official.

[Jamesy]

My son went last month :/ just glad it wasn't worse, they're already attempting to blame the operative. Surely modern rollercoasters can't be manually operated?

They can, but in simple no.

The ride cannot run on manual at all when there are guests on the ride. Even when the ride is run on manual engineers have to be on site and The Smiler also sounds a constant alarm with a warning prompt before every manual action is taken. In this case though it wouldn't have been run on manual because it cannot and isn't run on manual when the park is open to the public.

From what I've heard and from what I understand about how The Smiler is operated, it mainly seems to be computer error at the moment, although I believe there could be a certain degree of human error. None of that will be confirmed though until the investigation has completed.

[arista]

Merlin Entertainments, now closes other rides on other parks

Must be the same Computer Program


http://news.sky.com/story/1496893/alton-towers-and-thorpe-park-close-major-rides


http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2015/6/5/397342/default/v1/thei-1-720x960.jpg

[arista]

[Alton Towers will remain closed for a fifth day after a crash
on a rollercoaster left four people with serious injuries.
The amusement park in north Staffordshire will not reopen on Sunday due
to the ongoing investigation into the cause of the accident, officials have confirmed.]


http://news.sky.com/story/1497387/alton-towers-to-remain-closed-for-fifth-day

[JoshBB]

I've only ever been on one roller coaster, that was in Thorpe Park and it was horrible and I will never go on one again, this makes me even more unlikely to ever ride one again as well.

[arista]

Alton Towers opens again Tomorrow

The Deadly Ride no longer to be used

[Jamesy]

The Smiler will probably remain closed until 2016. It takes months and months for an investigation to conclude, then they need to implement any changes before reopening the ride to the public.

[arista]

The Smiler will probably remain closed until 2016. It takes months and months for an investigation to conclude, then they need to implement any changes before reopening the ride to the public.


It may never open
They may change the Ride
thats a far better move

[Jamesy]

It may never open
They may change the Ride
thats a far better move
It will reopen one day

They will not remove a £18 million coaster

The whole ride being scrapped stories from the papers is a load of sensationalist rubbish

[Pete.]

Just go on Oblivion

[Jamesy]

Oblivion's closed for the foreseeable future too :worry:

[arista]

It will reopen one day

They will not remove a £18 million coaster

The whole ride being scrapped stories from the papers is a load of sensationalist rubbish


Lets see what the Full Injurys are, soon
first


And One Injured wants nothing to do with Merlin

[Denver]

Has the full injuries been release yet? I heard the one of the dads has apparently said there son has a collapsed lung and fractured leg

[Jamesy]

Nothing confirmed apart from one woman on the train has nearly lost both legs although it was confirmed today by her lawyers that surgeons have managed to save her legs

A few people have now left hospital I think including one or two of the 'critically injured' people on the train

Alton Towers/Merlin's legal team will have a lot of work to deal with these next few months that's for sure...

[Pete.]

Oblivion's closed for the foreseeable future too :worry:
oop flop

[Jamesy]

They're extremely lucky no one died mind

[Kizzy]

'Teenage girl injured in Alton Towers accident has leg amputated
Leah Washington, from Barnsley, has suffered an amputation above the left knee and a fractured left hand. University of North Midlands NHS Trust says she is in a serious but stable condition.
Joe Pugh, who was also injured, is in a serious condition and has suffered two broken knees and extensive hand injuries, the Trust says.
Last updated Mon 8 Jun 2015'




http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2015-06-08/teenage-girl-injured-in-alton-towers-accident-has-leg-amputated/

[T*]

Oblivion's closed for the foreseeable future too :worry:


The whole of x sector is

[T*]

'Teenage girl injured in Alton Towers accident has leg amputated
Leah Washington, from Barnsley, has suffered an amputation above the left knee and a fractured left hand. University of North Midlands NHS Trust says she is in a serious but stable condition.
Joe Pugh, who was also injured, is in a serious condition and has suffered two broken knees and extensive hand injuries, the Trust says.
Last updated Mon 8 Jun 2015'




http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2015-06-08/teenage-girl-injured-in-alton-towers-accident-has-leg-amputated/


Poor girl :sad:

[arista]

Yes sadly
her leg had to be Curt off

I think thats the family not talking
to Merlin Ent.

[arista]

Has the full injuries been release yet? I heard the one of the dads has apparently said there son has a collapsed lung and fractured leg


But Now Confirmed on all Media
Leah had her Leg Cut Off
shocking.

[Ammi]

...awww I read last night that surgeons has saved both of her legs...

[Pete.]

I've only ever been on one roller coaster, that was in Thorpe Park and it was horrible and I will never go on one again, this makes me even more unlikely to ever ride one again as well.
Which one?

[T*]

Which one?


The Caterpillar

[arista]

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2015/6/8/397751/default/v1/leahwashington-2-762x428.jpg
Sad Leah aged 17
one leg cut off - they had no choice


http://news.sky.com/story/1498207/alton-towers-crash-victim-has-leg-amputated

[Alton Towers rollercoaster crash victim Leah Washington has
had her left leg amputated above the knee, it has been confirmed.]

[Kizzy]

The Caterpillar

http://www.amusementsofamerica.com/aoa/midway/images/105L.jpg

:hee:

[Ammi]

Gawping park visitors stood filming the injured passengers on their smartphones as they screamed for help – but not one thought to use their phone to summon the emergency services




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3123056/Our-agony-Smiler-Alton-Towers-victim-reveals-hell-waiting-hours-rescue-comforted-girlfriend-lost-leg-change-them.html

[Kizzy]

They were stuck for 20 mins before the crash? I would have thought that they would have stopped the ride then :/ I think I would've got off.

[Z]

I feel so so sorry for that girl

[MTVN]

They were stuck for 20 mins before the crash? I would have thought that they would have stopped the ride then :/ I think I would've got off.

They were at the top of the ride at that point though

[Jamesy]

It was actually 10 or 11 minutes. Not quite sure why the media have inflated the number.

They were stuck at the top of the lift hill. Although from that point they *should* have been evacuated, which is usually what happens in this case. I'd assume that's what the investigation team are looking at though.

[Kizzy]

They were at the top of the ride at that point though

And? there will have been an evacuation procedure and stairs, it should have been obvious at that point there had been a computer error.

I feel all Kay Burley :hee:

[MTVN]

True but that relies on Alton Towers actually putting that procedure into action, can't see them being able to get off otherwise

[Kizzy]

I would've thought the ride malfunctioning for x amount of mins would prompt that response and the riders walked down before a test run, better safe than sorry?

[Jamesy]

The Smiler's lift hill can actually move the trains backwards down the lift hill to ground level, so guests can get off at ground level without the need of harnesses and walking down steep stairs (which is the usual procedure for all coasters).

This technology is new to roller coasters so some people have theorized whether staff initiated the procedure for the lift hill to go backwards and instead it went forwards, sending the train on a path to crashing into the stalled train.

[Kizzy]

:(


A 20-year-old woman injured in the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash has had her leg amputated, her lawyer says.
Vicky Balch, from Lancashire, had her right leg amputated below the knee following seven rounds of surgery.
She was injured when the theme park's Smiler ride crashed into an empty carriage in front of it on 2 June.
Days after the crash, it emerged that Leah Washington, 17, had to have a leg amputated above the knee. Other riders sustained serious leg injuries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-33296533

[arista]

Sad News

Thats 2 ladys

[arista]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/04/13/article-3149324-2A3A447E00000578-586_964x433.jpg
Teenager whose leg was amputated after Alton Towers rollercoaster crash posts inspirational picture surrounded by her family and friends

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3149324/Teen-lost-leg-Alton-Towers-crash-posts-inspirational-picture.html#ixzz3evaTOUgZ

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/02/07/2A03A0B300000578-3146816-image-a-1_1435820358511.jpg
[Miss Balch has previously told of how she waited four hours
in agony for emergency services to rescue her from the ride,
saying how she 'just wanted to die' during the ordeal. Above, the ride on the day of the crash]

[arista]

We find out Today it was The Human Error
Not the on board Computer.

Staff not knowing what to push (button wise)


Pathetic


http://news.sky.com/story/1593483/alton-towers-crash-caused-by-human-error