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Drayton Manor Park - Splash Canyon Incident

DiogoJ42 said:
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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I’ve known it happen on a few occasions


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And every school trip season in Blackpool on Valhalla.
Jump out of the boat and run along the side, or jump in and swim behind the boat.
Every year.
Ride usually stops in a couple of seconds, floodlights on, very loud message over the p.a.
Restart takes about five minutes...if you are lucky.
Then the kid gets escorted to security and the teachers, to wait by the information desk usually.
 
I think part of the problem is that the public (especially kids on school trips) seem to feel invincible at theme parks, as if there is no way any harm could come to them.

Thus all the principles of common sense fly out the window and there's a sort of "anything goes" mentality.

Parks are there to give the safest and most fun experience possible and endeavour to keep their patrons from coming to any harm, but ultimately we are all responsible for our own actions and their consequences
 
rob666 said:
And every school trip season in Blackpool on Valhalla.
Jump out of the boat and run along the side, or jump in and swim behind the boat.
Every year.
Ride usually stops in a couple of seconds, floodlights on, very loud message over the p.a.
Restart takes about five minutes...if you are lucky.
Then the kid gets escorted to security and the teachers, to wait by the information desk usually.
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My god.
That's a whole extra level of stupid far beyond just standing up!
 
Maybe it's a generation thing. Look at the numbers who die with selfie sticks. On many ofy filming trips to Iceland you often get idiots standing in places they should not... (Or beyond the safety rope next to a boiling water hole that's over 100!) And yes a few do end In them and end up as boiled. Look at that selfie couple who died getting that waterfall pic last year. They avoided the signs.

I'm saying there were a number of faults but this all seems to be more blame culture than anything else. In the 90s and 00s our school could quite happily dump us at the gates of cwoa or at and never did an issue every year.
 
Islander said:
I’ve known it happen on a few occasions


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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AT are hot on this - seen it happen twice

one years a group of lads actually fell in and got rescued and ejected - another year a group of girl were for standing up taking photos

incidentally when the guys jumped in AT were very prepared. A lot of lifeguards there within seconds. And the ride was drained immediately to a sensible and workable water level although this did take a long time given the volume of water. Easiest thing to do on this is build a plastic barrier around the rim of the boat. Only about a foot or so high. That should stop any risk of falling out providing the user is rising properly and obeying the safety signs
 
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www..../coroner-sends-report-theme-parks-3592265.amp

The addressed theme parks have until January 8 2020 to respond.

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She says the response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the timetable of action.

If no action is proposed then the recipients of the report are required to explain why.
 
The HSE issued a safety notice on water rides way back in May 2017 covering very similar ground:
https://www.lockyers.co.uk/safety-at-water-rides/

One section in particular stands out in relation to the current state of the rapids at towers:
any theming or participatory items such as water cannons or similar items whether on the boat or the bank, should not encourage riders to adopt unsafe positions
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John said:
The HSE issued a safety notice on water rides way back in May 2017 covering very similar ground:
https://www.lockyers.co.uk/safety-at-water-rides/

One section in particular stands out in relation to the current state of the rapids at towers:

any theming or participatory items such as water cannons or similar items whether on the boat or the bank, should not encourage riders to adopt unsafe positions
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So we have completely lost all hope of the waterfalls and wave machines ever being turned back on in the foreseeable future :(
 
Rumba did used to have more waterfalls, there was one over the entrance to the tunnel which got riders (depending on whether you were lucky/unlucky) and there was also a rockwork one further up the channel before the tunnel - though if I recall, that missed riders.

There was also the shower at the end of the ride.
 
Coaster said:
Rumba did used to have more waterfalls, there was one over the entrance to the tunnel which got riders (depending on whether you were lucky/unlucky) and there was also a rockwork one further up the channel before the tunnel - though if I recall, that missed riders.

There was also the shower at the end of the ride.
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I think i last saw the rocky waterfall in 2011 ish, it was leftover (not used) from Thunder River and then that year they turned it back on—apparently few weeks later it collapsed after being unmaintained so long!

I dont think it makes sense that the tunnel waterfalls create the flow (that would be the pumps) but it’s true they are the fill for the channel, so luckily they’re saved.

Edit
Apparently the waterfalls ARE also relied on to drive the water too because the ride was supposed to have an extra pump in that area but it was decommissioned —unusual!
 
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TakeYourMedicine said:
Edit
Apparently the waterfalls ARE also relied on to drive the water too because the ride was supposed to have an extra pump in that area but it was decommissioned —unusual!
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It's more that the waterfalls actually drive the boats away from the wall, creating a buffer for the corner. Without them boats hit the trough edge in the dark.
 
So the coroner has written to other parks in the UK to say there is risk another rapids incident could happen if thing don’t change.

For once Merlin had already improved safety after the Dreamworld incident in 2016

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/there-risk-future-deaths-alton-3629191

Mrs Jones added: "In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken."

Identifying six 'matters of concern', she said it was 'not possible to adequately monitor CCTV' on the ride that day because staff had other tasks to complete, and also highlighted the fact only half the ride's route was covered by cameras.

She added there had been no safety warnings given to guests boarding the ride's boats, warning signs were incomplete, and in some cases were illegible due to wear and tear.

The coroner said no water rescue equipment was available to staff and they had not been trained in such rescues.
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