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Drayton Manor Park - Splash Canyon Incident

The biggest issue Draytons Rapids used to have with school kids and this is from someone who is speaking from seeing it first hand many times. Was people jumping from boat to boat, in the widened channel wave pool section. I would guarantee this would be addressed if it were to re open, using the same thing Alton use in their wave pool sections, wooden guides to guide the boat.
 
Rob said:
To an extent, yes. But is it fair to assume, especially for a child, that standing up on a Rapids ride could lead to death? Especially when signs/annoucements do not make this clear? Alton Towers have danger of death signs all over the place for this reason, Drayton did not.
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I notice this was mentioned in the inquest by the H&S witness that Alton has Danger of Death signs where as Drayton didn't. I checked this out on my latest visit to Alton when riding the rapids for the fireworks weekend. I didn't not see any signs saying Danger of death on the actual rapids with regards to standing up, they just say, "Do not stand up and Hold on to the rail"

The only Danger of Death signs that I could see was "Danger of Death, Ride Area, Keep Out" and these are the same on all rides. But no mention of danger of death if standing up on the rapids

pj said:
I have never stood up and I am certain not a liar. I read signs and adhere to them
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Me too, I never stood up on the rapids as I always remember the Thorpe park rapid incident all those years ago, and it was reported that the boat turned upside down because the boy stood up (whether this was true or not), this has always stuck in my mind not to stand up on the rapids
 
That reminds me... In the nineties, as a lad, I once got stuck on a boat with my Dad in the wide channel before the conveyor return to the station. I think about two cycles worth of boats passed us before we made it back to the loading belt.
 
Plastic Person said:
That reminds me... In the nineties, as a lad, I once got stuck on a boat with my Dad in the wide channel before the conveyor return to the station. I think about two cycles worth of boats passed us before we made it back to the loading belt.
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Yep, that still happens a lot
 
A moderate number of years ago, I remember riding Splash and passing a boat that was stuck in the wide wave pool, caught in an swirling current and going nowhere. The people in it were laughing, but calling for help.
When I got off, I mentioned it to a platform host, and was dismissed with,
"Yeah, it's fine."
Before he turned away from me.

Make of that what you will.
 
Seriously, are people so dumb these days that the signs actually have to say "Danger of Death" to warn someone that if they did stand up on a ride, or wander in to a ride area, that actual harm may come to them??!!
 
RoyJess said:
The only Danger of Death signs that I could see was "Danger of Death, Ride Area, Keep Out" and these are the same on all rides. But no mention of danger of death if standing up on the rapids
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Yep even the updated sign about the under 18s need an adult that goes up during school trip season doesn't mention danger of death.

 
DiogoJ42 said:
A moderate number of years ago, I remember riding Splash and passing a boat that was stuck in the wide wave pool, caught in an swirling current and going nowhere. The people in it were laughing, but calling for help.
When I got off, I mentioned it to a platform host, and was dismissed with,
"Yeah, it's fine."
Before he turned away from me.

Make of that what you will.
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I know it’s off topic but that was important point regarding the smiler crash, the person at the entrance kept saying it’s fine after people told them about the stalled train.
 
The stalled train was fine though, it was the fact that someone reset the system to send the train on the lift hill into the back of it...
 
I can only assume that staff must get paniced members of the GP telling them about things that genuinely are "normal" on such a regular basis, that they've developed an instinctive response to just dismiss it without even listening.

Understandable, I'm sure any of us would do the same without even realising it. I've often had some kind of technical glitch at work, and in the heat of the moment sometimes got hung on on what I think is the cause, blinding me to other possibilities. A known problem with human brains, that in the past has lead to air crashes.
Good job I only make telly. The worst thing that could happen if I cock up is a presenter looks a funny colour.
 
pj said:
I have never stood up and I am certain not a liar. I read signs and adhere to them


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Me too. Safety announcements, signs and common sense always. I'm not a boring but it's safety. I do think Drayton had safety recovery issues but what do u guys want next... Every language on the safety sign, announcers in 6 different languages. After all it is near Birmingham!
 
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What the shit has happened to this forum? It's gone from a fun place to hang out and talk about roller coasters, making friends and forming relationships, to a shit hole filled with people I'd avoid in the pub.

Yeah, the girl should have been following the rules, but it's a bit of stretch to say she deserved to die because she didn't sit down. I think people need to pull their heads out of their arses and get some perspective, the park had woefully inadequate procedures to respond to this, regardless of whether or not she should have been standing. Water rescue equipment and rescue training should be a minimum on any water ride.

The park should have had a better CCTV system, with big enough screens so there could be no chance of missing rule breaking. She shouldn't have been stood up, but it was the park's responsibility to notice she wasn't and tell her to sit down and follow the rules. If the op couldn't properly see the images then it's a failing on the park's end, not the child's.

I'm really glad all the full grown adults on here know the consequences of not following the rules, and have the critical thinking skills to reason their way to that conclusion. Children can't do that. It's why they're not allowed to do things adults can, because they can't understand the long term implications of their actions.

On the plus side, if anybody from this forum's child were to have an incident on a ride and die, then they would be first on the picket saying their child should have known better and deserved to die.
 
When the rapids opened in 1993 I was a year older than Evha and I went on the rapids with my 10 year old sister as my mum brought us wristbands (feeling old now) while she had tickets as she only really liked the Pirate Adventure, Jungle Cruise and the Jungle Palladium show as she just sat and hold our stuff.
Anyway we sat on the ride with no problems and the same for the log flume.
This was a group of girls who planned to soak each other before they even had got on the ride. The teachers should have said no and sat in the last seat. It could have been worst and even more of them could have ended up in the water and even if they did get seen by CCTV nothing could have been done to they get back to the station. This accident could have easily happened at any of the uk parks.
 
I don't think that the park are wholly responsible, nor do I think the child is also wholly responsible. The failings are down to each and every individuals

1. The teachers are partly responsible as the child was in their care. The teachers had a duty of care to ensure that the child knew the rules and followed them, the child should not have been left to ride the ride on her own.

2. The Children themselves should have never been messing around on the ride.

3. The ride operator should have monitored the CCTC properly and ensure that if anyone was not obeying the rules, that an announcement is made or the culprits are ejected from the park.

4. Drayton Manor management should have ensured that the staff was properly trained with the adequate CCTV and life saving water equipment to hand.

I would never wish anyone to die or say anyone deserves to die because of there behaviour, but the bottom line is, if everyone took responsibility for their own part/action in the above, then this should have never happened.
 
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Dar said:
Yeah, the girl should have been following the rules, but it's a bit of stretch to say she deserved to die because she didn't sit down. I think people need to pull their heads out of their arses and get some perspective, the park had woefully inadequate procedures to respond to this, regardless of whether or not she should have been standing. Water rescue equipment and rescue training should be a minimum on any water ride.
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Don't think its really suggested she "deserved" to die, just that she was at fault.

I think the park was also at fault for not giving adequate warnings, but for not adhering to the existing warnings the guest is also at fault.
 
Evha was at fault in that she didn’t follow the rules, sadly she paid for that with her life.

Drayton Manor were also seemingly at fault as they did not have robust enough processes in place to spot and challenge rule breaking and did not have adequately trained staff or the correct equipment to deal with such a situation. They will likely pay for that with a fine in due course.
 
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Out of interest, has their ever been a case where guests have been kicked out for standing up on a rapids? At any park? Seems like the kind of action that is only ever taken if they need to call security for violent behaviour etc.
 
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