Drayton Manor Park - Splash Canyon Incident

[Tim]

Viking River Splash at Legoland has already been retro fitted with doors. I wouldn't be surprised if it is the first Rapids to reopen for this reason. However the doors are not a great solution because due to their weight they did change the ride dynamic. A sturdy net like those used at Universal seems to be the best idea.

Failing that Velcro belts that wouldn't hold if the boats cappsised but would discourage people from standing. The issue there is that each belt would need to be checked, harming capacity.

 

[chilli2]

if we are talking about restraints, I vaguely remember going on a rapids ride which featured lap belts of the same type found on an aircraft, this may well have been at the American Adventure sometime around the early 1990's late 1980's ( showing my age)

If the tragic accident was a result of standing up, then what can you do to prevent it? You can install restraints belts and so on, but on that type of ride there would be further risks.
Adult supervision? could be an answer, but is it practical? you cant wrap kids up in cotton wool
young people need to go out and explore their world 10 years and above is old enough ( for most) to be able to go round an environment such as a theme park with a group of friends. The Adult supervision aspect would fall down to the Teachers/youth workers/Scout leaders/Guide leaders knowing the young people, and as a result they usually have an idea on those who would not be suitable to go to a theme park, usually as a result of behavior and the maturity/sensibleness of an individual.

If horseplay is an issue then the parks need/must take a hard line on it, no please sit down, you Must sit down, and if anyone causes issues they should be removed from the park

As a youngster i was lucky enough to go to several theme parks including American adventure, thorpe park, alton towers legoland (Denmark - before merlin) Gulivers kingsdom (Matlock) Alton towers Farup sommerland (Denmark) and others, all in the format of go round as a group of friends, with teachers/Leaders being scattered around should we need them, the only key rule being behave, and be back in time for the coach back - which was usually at a ridiculously early time.

Now i find myself as a Scout leader booking Scouts into places such as Alton towers, yes they are allowed out and about in groups mostly unsupervised, and yes, we have stopped a few from attending Alton towers camp however there are a few key differences between then ( when i was a Scout/school kid) and now, instead of sitting in a cafe drinking tea all day, or mooching round the gardens we ( as leaders) are also out and about on all the rides , nothing like starting your day by cleaning your teeth in warm water in the toilet block in the corporate hospitality suite toilet block, then a few laps on Nemesis first thing. and as for the ridiculously early pick up time forcing you out of the park before its shut ( and having to bail out of queues ) the pick up time is a good 45 minutes to an hour after the park has shut - so now the Scouts get what I didnt and thats a full day in the park until it shuts

Below is a sample of a little info sheet the Scouts get

Stay together in a group, if you want to change groups then there should be no problem as long as no one is left alone

Always follow the instructions of the ride operators/staff and any signs. if in doubt ask, if you are not sure about something ask, if something doesnt look right ask or inform someone

Agree and decide upon a meeting place in case the group gets split up
if you need to use the toilet facilities tell people in your group, likewise if someone in your group need to use the toilet wait for them outside - beware some have ore than one entrance use the same entrance exit

If someone in your group doesn't want to, or can not go on a ride then decide on a meet up point/place ( a good meet point is usually a ride shop/exit, one of the cable car stations or the main corporate hospitality suite near Spinball
in an emergency you can call (list of phone numbers removed for the purposes of posting on here) and/or head towards the corporate hospitality suite

Anyway all being well should be back camping on the lawn at the bottom of towers street with the lake and the old Towers behind me soon

Regardless of the above all of this is posted as a Young girl has lost her life in what appears to be a tragic accident, family, friends, school teachers, and the immediate staff at Drayton mannor that dealt with the accident from the ride ops who witnessed it, to those who pulled her out of the water and gave first aid - hopefully they are all getting the support and respect they deserve at this tragic time. while time may heal, the loss of someone is a sharp pain that never ever goes away.

 

[Rick]

The problem with restraints like seatbelts that can be opened is that .... they can be opened.

See Space Invader.

 

[Croftybaby]

Now the papers are reporting that The Smiler victims are paying tribute to the young girl.

Sigh.


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Whats wrong with that?

 

[TheBolt]

None of this armchair engineering will achieve anything. There will doubtless be a safety review, and a report by theme park engineeers may make recommendations.

From what we have heard, it may be a tragic case of mis-adventure. The most likely outcome in that situation would be tightening procedures for organised parties of children, rather than changes to the ride setup.

 

[D4n]

The cynic in me worries that they are jumping on it to save operating costs but can play the PR card to look good publicly. If the safety of these rides is in question they need to be ALL closed indefinitely across UK , Europe and the whole world or is it just the UK that want to investigate further?

Agreed.

The giveaway will be whether Merlin have closed their Rapids ride at Heide Park, for example. This will confirm whether Merlin are genuinely concerned about the safety of this attraction type, or are merely saving money / seeking positive publicity.

 

[CSLKenny]

Agreed.

The giveaway will be whether Merlin have closed their Rapids ride at Heide Park, for example. This will confirm whether Merlin are genuinely concerned about the safety of this attraction type, or are merely saving money / seeking positive publicity.

Heide Park have also closed their rapids after the Drayton accident.

 

[Croftybaby]

The answer to this problem is just make crappy rapids rides that look good but don't actually rock the boat (excuse the punn)
Look at towers you could go down it on an inflatable lilo and you'd probably be fine.

 

[IanSR]

if we are talking about restraints, I vaguely remember going on a rapids ride which featured lap belts of the same type found on an aircraft, this may well have been at the American Adventure sometime around the early 1990's late 1980's ( showing my age)

If the tragic accident was a result of standing up, then what can you do to prevent it? You can install restraints belts and so on, but on that type of ride there would be further risks.
Adult supervision? could be an answer, but is it practical? you cant wrap kids up in cotton wool
young people need to go out and explore their world 10 years and above is old enough ( for most) to be able to go round an environment such as a theme park with a group of friends. The Adult supervision aspect would fall down to the Teachers/youth workers/Scout leaders/Guide leaders knowing the young people, and as a result they usually have an idea on those who would not be suitable to go to a theme park, usually as a result of behavior and the maturity/sensibleness of an individual.

If horseplay is an issue then the parks need/must take a hard line on it, no please sit down, you Must sit down, and if anyone causes issues they should be removed from the park

As a youngster i was lucky enough to go to several theme parks including American adventure, thorpe park, alton towers legoland (Denmark - before merlin) Gulivers kingsdom (Matlock) Alton towers Farup sommerland (Denmark) and others, all in the format of go round as a group of friends, with teachers/Leaders being scattered around should we need them, the only key rule being behave, and be back in time for the coach back - which was usually at a ridiculously early time.

Now i find myself as a Scout leader booking Scouts into places such as Alton towers, yes they are allowed out and about in groups mostly unsupervised, and yes, we have stopped a few from attending Alton towers camp however there are a few key differences between then ( when i was a Scout/school kid) and now, instead of sitting in a cafe drinking tea all day, or mooching round the gardens we ( as leaders) are also out and about on all the rides , nothing like starting your day by cleaning your teeth in warm water in the toilet block in the corporate hospitality suite toilet block, then a few laps on Nemesis first thing. and as for the ridiculously early pick up time forcing you out of the park before its shut ( and having to bail out of queues ) the pick up time is a good 45 minutes to an hour after the park has shut - so now the Scouts get what I didnt and thats a full day in the park until it shuts

Below is a sample of a little info sheet the Scouts get



Anyway all being well should be back camping on the lawn at the bottom of towers street with the lake and the old Towers behind me soon

Regardless of the above all of this is posted as a Young girl has lost her life in what appears to be a tragic accident, family, friends, school teachers, and the immediate staff at Drayton mannor that dealt with the accident from the ride ops who witnessed it, to those who pulled her out of the water and gave first aid - hopefully they are all getting the support and respect they deserve at this tragic time. while time may heal, the loss of someone is a sharp pain that never ever goes away.

Excuse me for going OT for a sec but that camping at the Towers looks so awesome. Even though we only camp a mile or so away when we go, it's just not the same.

 

[andeyhart]

They definitely won't have closed the Rapids as a smokescreen for cost cutting. It is clearly a safety precaution.

 

[James]

I bet Merlin are loving the cost saving though...

The simplest solution seems to be to make restrictions on who can ride rapids, either raise the height limit, limit it to over 16s only, or make it under 16s can only ride with an adult over 18. Then add more signage and do what Towers do with "please remain seated" played around the ride.

The tricker solution would be to add nets around the gaps and a net door, bit more expensive but would work well.

I can definitely see one of these happening when Draytons rapids reopen, it will be interesting to see if Merlin do anything to their rides.

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[IanSR]

If Drayton make changes then Merlin will pretty much be forced to as they are guilty by association, the fearporn peddlers have already set the ball rolling with the 'Merlin closes it's rapids after it emerged their versions are made by the same manufacturer as Drayton Manors killer ride' story footnotes. Because of this decision Merlin are effectively acknowledging problems exist, whether they do or not.

Think it was the Mirror I saw that one in and despite what we as fans think or know, there's an aweful lot of people who believe every letter printed in a newspaper, or as evident in this thread earlier in the week, interpret something differently to that which the author intended.

 

[Rob]

Merlin's rapids rides are expected to re-open today, we'll see if they do and if any immediate changes have been made. I'd imagine they have carried out a review of procedures and ensured plenty of warnings/signage is in place.

 

[Spark]

Personally i dont think any changes should be made. The ride is entirely safe (else H&S wouldnt allow it to operate) this accident happened due to someone not following the correct procedure.

Unfortunately the person died, the person before did not, but both times the person has ended up in the water is when they have not followed the correct procedure that is to stay seated at all times.

 

[delta79]

I think the only immediate change will be a reminder from staff to stay seated once you are in the boat.

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[Rick]

Personally i dont think any changes should be made. The ride is entirely safe (else H&S wouldnt allow it to operate) this accident happened due to someone not following the correct procedure..

Your approach is too simplistic. The ratio of accidents/no accidents whilst riding these rides is tiny - but now that this has happened, you have to choose whether to react or not (it might be that you're not forced to do so).

Someone didn't follow the correct procedure, but you have no means of ensuring that future riders will follow the procedure going forward. It's all about risk minimisation.

Merlin's rapids rides are expected to re-open today, we'll see if they do and if any immediate changes have been made. I'd imagine they have carried out a review of procedures and ensured plenty of warnings/signage is in place.

Nothing thus far, I believe Storm Surge has been closed too. Hard to tell with Thorpe, it could be closed or it could be broken

 

[Spark]

Your approach is too simplistic. The ratio of accidents/no accidents whilst riding these rides is tiny - but now that this has happened, you have to choose whether to react or not (it might be that you're not forced to do so).

Someone didn't follow the correct procedure, but you have no means of ensuring that future riders will follow the procedure going forward. It's all about risk minimisation.


Nothing thus far, I believe Storm Surge has been closed too. Hard to tell with Thorpe, it could be closed or it could be broken

Oh i know, Its a shame that the actions of one have an effect on all. But why should we be pandering to added H&S because the individual didnt follow Simple rules

 

[Rob]

Nothing thus far, I believe Storm Surge has been closed too. Hard to tell with Thorpe, it could be closed or it could be broken

Congo River Rapids is showing as closed on Ride Times however Towers have said on Twitter that "after conducting a further detailed review of our safety measures, we are able to open the rapids rides at the resort from today." So you'd imagine they will open at some point.

 

[Error]

What's life without a little risk though? Yes what happened was tragic but you can't make everything 100% safe.

At my work we were told before we started not to lift anything that was too heavy and are told everytime we get trained. If I injure myself through lifting at work then it would be deemed my fault because I was told not to. The same applies here. Everyone is told not to stand up so when someone goes against that then they don't have a leg to stand on.

Yet everyone seems to think theme parks are this blissful oasis in a mystical land where it is impossible to get hurt to the point where Merlin felt it necessary to fence off some rocks to stop people climbing incase they hurt themselves! Think about that let it sink in how ridiculous that is.

We need to stop heading towards (if we're not already there) the American sueing culture. People need to take some responsibility for there actions.

Have my like because that's exactly how I feel. River rapid rides have been around for donkeys, basically how they are now. I personally can't see them doing anything that would warrant "safe." If they put seat belts, what if the boat capsizes?
They have automated speakers saying "stay the frig down" I personally think that and personal responsibility is enough.
This is tragic and my thoughts go out to all involved obviously.

 

[Rick]

Oh i know, Its a shame that the actions of one have an effect on all. But why should we be pandering to added H&S because the individual didnt follow Simple rules

Because the parks are businesses, basically.