• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Incident on The Smiler 02/06/2015

Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Feels to me like they're working towards a point where all the bases are covered as much as is humanly and sensibly possible before signaling HSE that everything has been done and proving it. I can wait for everything to be done properly, and it is nice seeing cars go round the track again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tom
Whilet i have every sympathy for the victims of The Smiler incident and the terrible injuries they have suffered, I do not understand this concept of closing The Smiler out of respect.

People die every day, in cars, crossing the road, on public transport, in planes, incidents caused by alcohol, etc, but I'm sure thsee people will continue to engage in these statistically far more dangerous pursuits. Should the relatives of a person badly injured in a car accident be offended that the roads remain open and the masses continue to use them?

Members of our armed forces face danger everyday and have suffered the most horrific injuries, but any compensation and support that they receive is a pittance compared to what Merlin will be paying towards their rehabilitation following The Smiler incident.

Though the incident is one too many, it is true that hundreds of millions of guests have safely enjoyed theme park attractions around the world.

Merlin in general and Nick Varney in particular have behaved impeccably and done all they can to support the victims.

Giving Merlin a constant hard time in the press, despite their best efforts to do the right thing sends out the message that any company likely to be involved in litigation in the future, may as well go down the Thompson route instead, minimising their involvement as they will be damned if they do and damned if they don't.

If Merlin don't make good on their promises to learn from the incident, improve safety and look after the victims it should rightly be reported... But whilst they continue to do the right thing, just give them an opportunity to run their business and protect thousands of jobs.
 
Altonadvocate1 said:
Whilet i have every sympathy for the victims of The Smiler incident and the terrible injuries they have suffered, I do not understand this concept of closing The Smiler out of respect.

People die every day, in cars, crossing the road, on public transport, in planes, incidents caused by alcohol, etc, but I'm sure thsee people will continue to engage in these statistically far more dangerous pursuits. Should the relatives of a person badly injured in a car accident be offended that the roads remain open and the masses continue to use them?

Members of our armed forces face danger everyday and have suffered the most horrific injuries, but any compensation and support that they receive is a pittance compared to what Merlin will be paying towards their rehabilitation following The Smiler incident.

Though the incident is one too many, it is true that hundreds of millions of guests have safely enjoyed theme park attractions around the world.

Merlin in general and Nick Varney in particular have behaved impeccably and done all they can to support the victims.

Giving Merlin a constant hard time in the press, despite their best efforts to do the right thing sends out the message that any company likely to be involved in litigation in the future, may as well go down the Thompson route instead, minimising their involvement as they will be damned if they do and damned if they don't.

If Merlin don't make good on their promises to learn from the incident, improve safety and look after the victims it should rightly be reported... But whilst they continue to do the right thing, just give them an opportunity to run their business and protect thousands of jobs.
Click to expand...

Best post I've read right here...
 
Just seen this on another forum.
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=2313896&postcount=119 said:
I can totally understand and sympathise with two of the victims of this event. While investigations continue into the causes of the incident rumble on, I'd like to put forward my perspective.

The after effects for the victims will probably last a lifetime. Firstly there's the recovery from surgery, the six weeks it takes to heal the stump area, the intense physio to build up muscles and strength again. Then there's the pam aid walking, which is a metal framed leg device with an inflatable internal cushion with which the stump sits. This enables an amputee to practice walking before one gets a prosthetic.

At around eight weeks post amputation you'll be fitted with the prosthetic, this is where the hard work starts and in my case where realisation hit. It feels odd, it's painful, you can't feel what you stand on, you have no control over it. You have to learn how to put the prosthetic on, take it off and how to adjust your stump sock wear to fit correctly.

Learning to put on a shoe is frustrating, there's a nack to it and you need a shoe horn handy at all times. The first thing you do in a morning is out the leg on, the last thing at night is take it off. In the early days you'll forget your limb isn't there any more and you'll fall more than once. The phantom pain is horrific and confuses you completely.

Once you're up and walking (eventually) you'll suffer hip and back pain because your posture and gate have altered so much. Your balance will be effected and you'll sometimes walk like you're drunk. You'll carry spare limb, stump socks, and sleeves that hold the leg on everywhere you go. I call it my leg bag.

Standing in the shower is difficult, climbing the stairs is difficult, just walking across a room to turn on the light becomes such an effort.

You feel ugly, you almost grieve for your limb, it took me a long time to pluck up the courage to go to a swimming pool and wear a swimsuit. Even now showing my scars is difficult. As you get older your mobility gets worse, your remaining limb becomes tired as it compensates weight wise for the other, it bloody hurts...and still the phantom pain is there.

It's an impossible struggle some days....I now only drive automatics, and I've had my leg fall off in public. However, you get used to it, you develop a dark sense of humour and you survive, life becomes bearable and fulfilling again.

You have a disability, and you go through massive changes, but you do get your life back, when the anger clears you realise how lucky you are and you become determined to get on with it.

Suddenly you develop a routine and you no longer think I can't do that. Instead you think how can I do this in a different way, you problem solve.

Life changes totally, but life goes on. It's the same for anyone who suffers life changing injuries or disability. No one should go anywhere and come back maimed, whether that be on a theme park ride or simply walking down the road.

Any compensation received in cases like this goes towards giving the person in question a better or manageable life, it truly helped me.

I send my best wishes to all involved and wish them a speedy recovery, and I hope they get the answers they'll need to get closure on it all. Closure.....it does eventually come and when it does live and love life. You made it through, you survived, get on with it! It gets better!
icon_smile.gif
Click to expand...
 
We've had this HSE notice conversation so many times in this thread already.

There is not some HSE official standing there all day everyday with a clipboard waiting to lift the notice. Alton Towers are preparing the ride to be fully operational and ready to open. Once Alton Towers are ready, they will invite HSE to do their inspections, and the notice will be lifted if they are satisfied. The ride will then likely shortly reopen.

The ride is being prepared by Alton Towers, staff are being trained by Alton Towers, Alton Towers are doing all the work and getting the ride ready and fit to pass an inspection.

It's really not difficult to grasp.
 
I was on Park yesterday. It was very quiet on the park and in the morning I saw workmen working on the Smiler what look like the transfer track from the servicing area to the main track.

I also witness the testing of the Smiler towards the end of the day and it was nice to see it in action again and to hear the roar of the cars flying around the track.

I'm not going to mention any names or exactly what was said by some of the members of the staff, but I got the feeling that Alton are trying to get the ride reopen as soon as possible. But there is one hurdle in the way and that is to get the prohibition order removed. What I could understand that Alton are putting extra safeguards in place on the Smiler (and this might also explain why the extra safety features have been place around the park) plus also getting the ride up to a decent standard, so that when the HSE do come to examine the ride, hopefully it will give more weight with the persuading of the removal of the prohibitive order.

Again this is just how I personally took it as, and all is in the hands of the HSE, so we could still be a week or two off from it opening again or it could also go the other way and not be allowed to reopen again this year.

Fingers cross.
 
Last edited:
not any noticeable changes today. Didn't spend much time in x sector today so can't say if there was cars going round. Fingers crossed for October 21st
 
I see no personal jibes or snipes here, only generic sweeping statements applicable to several posters who are aggrieved that - in their heads - the injured are delaying the ride's reopening unnecessarily.
 
To be honest, once it re opens, hopefully it should be better for everyone's sake, for the people who want it to open, for the endless will it, will it not to end, for the newspapers getting tired and leaving it after it has re opened (hopefully over closed season) and of course, for the victims, must be horrible for when the news comes on, on the front of the newspapers to see the ride which changed their lives all around. Obviously it will be seen in places, but how some of the news companies handled it was disgraceful.. The companies go on, and on about how horrible it was and no one should go through that, which is a fair point, then they get Joe in for an interview, and he talks about how when he sees it, he relives it, and they play the clip in front of him. That is what I hate the most, I get they need to make money, but to make money out of people being hurt, is just horrible.

On a side note, http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west...h-survivor-joe-10162914#ICID=FB-Examiner-main
 
Is it just me who doesn't really like them being called "survivors", sounds like there was fatalities. Also, there was 13 other people in that crash, two of which were also seriously injured. Why do we never see them? Oh wait I forgot that they are all fully mobile and so didn't really suffer.
 
Leah said:
Is it just me who doesn't really like them being called "survivors", sounds like there was fatalities.
Click to expand...
I agree, calling them survivors means that there were deaths, surely? The correct word would be victims, but then wouldn't everyone on that train be victims...
 
Tom.B said:
I agree, calling them survivors means that there were deaths, surely? The correct word would be victims, but then wouldn't everyone on that train be victims...
Click to expand...
but isn't everyone on the train a survivor too. I think its just the media carefully choosing their words to make the crash seem even worse.
 
Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Top