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Incident on The Smiler 02/06/2015

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Ash123uk said:
Just found this article:

http://www.looopings.nl/weblog/4351/Gaat-horrorachtbaan-The-Smiler-weer-open.html

Ran it through the translator:

Beginning horror rollercoaster The Smiler reopen?

Who still dares in roller coaster The Smiler? The rollercoaster, notorious for a dramatic accident in June, will soon be open again. Around the attraction in the English Alton Towers have been spotted in the last days remarkable work.

Employees are busy inspecting track sections, shown in pictures of fansite Towers Street. Moreover, new control panels are installed. Officially still to controls for an investigation into the cause of the crash, which killed sixteen wounded. Fans, however, think that The Smiler this autumn or next spring will get a second life.

As far as known, the accident was caused by human error. Employees would have ignored warnings in the computer system, allowing two carts could crash on top of each other. Two passengers had after a leg amputated.

Earlier associations asked to break down the roller coaster. "Closing the rollercoaster at Alton Towers is the only way to maintain credibility," wrote a columnist.
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You'd think that if they'd read this, they would know actual facts.

I've seen smiler merch in the air shop recently. It was one of the models of the Staffordshire knot. Not sure if it was there on purpose.
 
Most (or all?) of The Smiler merch is pretty inoffensive so I don't see any reason why they shouldn't go back to selling it. Obviously if there's any merch that mentions being corrected or anything medical related (like the syringe pens) then that can be kept away. Although the usual mugs, clothes and novelty gifts will be fine to be back on sale.
 
I've seen a few people on some sites state it's just to check the ride is structurally sound, so they don't have to do this work at closed season... They do have to do track inspection at closed season, usually a few days or weeks before re opening, and now has been the length of a closed season, and adding the control panels and the blue things in the track, which look like sensors was done in a few hours, so if they weren't planning a re opening, why would they waste a few hours doing it now, in full view of the public? As well as the ride could have been testing after park close, the ride testing in progress is by the staff road, presumably meant to be telling the staff so they know. I could be completed wrong though :)
 
Why would a German newspaper be reading an english fansite probaly something to say about the ride since this is the only website w/ the smiler updates
 
Other than some inconclusive photographs and reports of people on the track (did anyone consider actually photographing what they are doing with their hands etc), I see no updates here, only speculation and desperate hope.
 
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Hobo joe said:
Why would a German newspaper be reading an english fansite probaly something to say about the ride since this is the only website w/ the smiler updates
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It's a Dutch coaster enthusiast website from the looks of it, not a newspaper. I'm sure enthusiasts from around the world are still paying attention to this story, it's one of the highest profile incidents that has happened in a while.
 
If I think it will reopen next year and it happens like that no problem but if it will reopen this year and it doesn't I will be very disappointing, when it does reopen I will run like a mad man to it the first time I go.
 
If they are so desperate to get it open that theyre testing during the day, then im sure it will be open this year provided they don't have any problems whilst testing
 
Leah said:
If they are so desperate to get it open that theyre testing during the day, then im sure it will be open this year provided they don't have any problems whilst testing
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My thoughts exactly, surely they'd leave it until Winter if they weren't planning to open the ride until next season?
 
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