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Incident on The Smiler 02/06/2015

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GaryH said:
They are probably testing the new safety features they have been installing.

It wont reopen until the HSE report has been made public . It wouldnt surprise me if Towers contact the press themselves, tell them the findings of the report and what they have done to address them before they open the ride.
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I disagree the HSE report could be years away. I think the next week or 2 and they are all laughing at the geeks getting excited
 
I am still struggling how they can open a ride which has had an accident with the most intense media coverage of any UK park accident / incident, before the HSE report is released, especially IF there are criminal charges coming.

The ride will always have that reputation. Yes it may fade over time, but as time goes by the accident will mutate into something else just like all urban legends and become even worse than the horror it was.

I bet that there have been some serious meetings about what to do with it. The easiest although not the cheapest option would be to move it to another Merlin park......

Of course they could move it to somewhere which has just recently closed a ride which surprisingly has almost the exact same footprint as The Smiler and install it in 2017. ;)
 
PeteA said:
I am still struggling how they can open a ride which has had an accident with the most intense media coverage of any UK park accident / incident, before the HSE report is released, especially IF there are criminal charges coming.

The ride will always have that reputation. Yes it may fade over time, but as time goes by the accident will mutate into something else just like all urban legends and become even worse than the horror it was.

I bet that there have been some serious meetings about what to do with it. The easiest although not the cheapest option would be to move it to another Merlin park......

Of course they could move it to somewhere which has just recently closed a ride which surprisingly has almost the exact same footprint as The Smiler and install it in 2017. ;)
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This won't happen
 
The HSE report will never be 'made public' you would need a foi to get it and it will be in about 2 years. The fact that the prohibition notice has been lifted would be enough
 
Only time will tell. But any incident on the Smiler when (and if) it re-opens will result in a media and public frenzy.

Jeez look at the recent spate of simple lift halts on other coasters making headlines where people were trapped for 10minutes. The Smiler crash will not be left to fade into the memory. mark my words.
 
PeteA said:
I am still struggling how they can open a ride which has had an accident with the most intense media coverage of any UK park accident / incident, before the HSE report is released, especially IF there are criminal charges coming.

The ride will always have that reputation. Yes it may fade over time, but as time goes by the accident will mutate into something else just like all urban legends and become even worse than the horror it was.

I bet that there have been some serious meetings about what to do with it. The easiest although not the cheapest option would be to move it to another Merlin park......

Of course they could move it to somewhere which has just recently closed a ride which surprisingly has almost the exact same footprint as The Smiler and install it in 2017. ;)
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They will not remove the smiler. Yes the accident will be remembered but I don't think it will deter people as much as you might think.
Remember when The Big One crashed, and someone died? I bet most people on here would have to rack their brains to remember that and we're all coaster geeks, so most of the GP will have forgotten all about that, just as they will with this in time. Yes I realise that the media, and social media wasn't what it is now, but still.
The Big One is still popular and so will The Smiler be.
 
This incident will likely result in a prosecution and Crown Court case. The outcome of any HSE findings will not be known until at least then, likely 2017 or later. I find it extremely unlikely that they will leave it closed until then and reopen it immediately afterwards. Something is going to happen before then, personally I would expect an announcement or clearer picture next year.
 
Exactly my point. No one has died on the Big One.. ever. Its now turned into an Urban Legend. !!! Point made lol... ;)
 
If Merlin are waiting for the court case to be over with we would be at the stage they could announce it as SW9 and testing in front lf the public must been something. Potential re-opening in the next couple of weeks or bait to attract the media. I think that if we see an opening this season their will be no theme and just the raw coaster with a theme launch next season.
 
Isn't the Smiler still under a prohibition notice and would still be until it was demonstrated that adequate measure had been carried out?

I mean the two prohibition notices are still being shown on the HSE site? So in order to open it, they have to demonstrate that the issues have been resolved, then HSE have to lift the notice.

From the HSE site
14. The requirement that an activity should not be carried on until specified matters have been remedied may either take effect immediately or be deferred until the end of a specified period.
 
Whether the HSE report will be out or not, Alton will not open it without some sort of statement. The public and press will want to know what has been done safety wise and to have some idea of what the cause was. If they dont get this, unfortunately it could make the public's perception of the park worse and put people off going to visit even more, particularly if Alton are seen to be opening a ride for which they would appear not to know the cause of the accident, or what they have done to make it safer.

They will HAVE to make a statement of some sort prior to it reopening.
 
Would a prohibition notice still be in place 3 months after the crash especially considering the testing done a couple of weeks after. The testing will mean something no one apart from execs at Merlin and Towers know but I expect it to become clearer towards the end of this month or before.
 
dazza4783 said:
Not sure why but I always thought someone had died when two trains collided on the MCBR. I guess the point about crashes becoming urban legends was absolutely right :)
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People were defiantly injured and Wikipedia (reliable source) does not mention fatalities.
 
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