Alton Towers to be prosecuted for Smiler crash
Alton Towers is to be prosecuted over the Smiler rollercoaster crash with left five people with life-changing injuries.
Two women suffered leg amputations and three others were seriously hurt when their carriage slammed into a stationary carriage on the same track last year.
The Health and Safety Executive said that, following a ‘thorough investigation’ it considered there was sufficient evidence and that it was in the public interest to bring a prosecution.
Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd, the owner of Alton Towers, will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on April 22 to face a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The theme park held its own investigation into the crash and concluded that it was caused by human error.
It said a staff member misunderstood a message and wrongly restarted the ride, without following the appropriate safety protocols.
No technical or mechanical faults were found with the ride itself.
The four people sitting in the front carriage were the most seriously injured. Vicky Balch, 20, and Leah Washington, 17, suffered leg amputations; Leah’s boyfriend Joe Pugh shattered his knees and Daniel Thorpe, 27, suffered a collapsed lung and lower leg injuries.
A fifth person, Chanda Chauhan, 49, had sugery for internal injuries and 11 others suffered less serious injuries.
Alton Towers saw visitor numbers fall sharply following the accident last June, when the theme park was closed for four days, leading to it axing almost 200 staff, but it said profits have since started to rise.
Parent Merlin Attractions also owns Legoland and the London Eye.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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