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Incident on The Smiler 02/06/2015
- Thread starter spinba11
- Start date
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Just to let you guys know the reason Rita has been closed for the second part of the day today is because the there was a 'swarm of bees' around one of the rides supports. No joke. To be honest though it was a pretty poor day today almost all the rides had some sort of downtime.
Or...
COMPO River Rapids - family claim of ride TRAUMA after witnessing malfunction
"In the latest scandal to hit Alton Towers, yet another ride evacuated after claims that a potentially dangerous malfunction occurred during operation. A family of four claimed that they witnessed a serious defect which left them traumatised and unable to carry on with normal life. Dave, father of two CHILDREN told us: "the ride started normally enough, but then suddenly, pieces of water started falling off the river and INTO our boat! To make it even worse, we came inches away from certain death when we went through some kind of a canyon where whole CHUNKS of water were falling off the sides and hitting our boat." Our reporters spoke to one of the children who alleged that "well, yeh, like, it woz..hang on, just got to post this selfie.."
Several other families are also alleged to be seeking compensation for the trauma, even though they were abroad on holiday at the time."
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Disclaimer: I am not trying to belittle or make light of the actual serious incident that occurred recently, but just poke fun at the ridiculous obsession by one certain gutter tabloid in trying to smear the extremely good name and safety record that Alton Towers have maintained over the years.
COMPO River Rapids - family claim of ride TRAUMA after witnessing malfunction
"In the latest scandal to hit Alton Towers, yet another ride evacuated after claims that a potentially dangerous malfunction occurred during operation. A family of four claimed that they witnessed a serious defect which left them traumatised and unable to carry on with normal life. Dave, father of two CHILDREN told us: "the ride started normally enough, but then suddenly, pieces of water started falling off the river and INTO our boat! To make it even worse, we came inches away from certain death when we went through some kind of a canyon where whole CHUNKS of water were falling off the sides and hitting our boat." Our reporters spoke to one of the children who alleged that "well, yeh, like, it woz..hang on, just got to post this selfie.."
Several other families are also alleged to be seeking compensation for the trauma, even though they were abroad on holiday at the time."
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Disclaimer: I am not trying to belittle or make light of the actual serious incident that occurred recently, but just poke fun at the ridiculous obsession by one certain gutter tabloid in trying to smear the extremely good name and safety record that Alton Towers have maintained over the years.
XXBENNXX
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Spider-Man IOA
Look, as a guy who used to be a skater, freerunner and all around fitness nut, i am in a position to know one accident can cripple you for life, it is an awful thing to know that you will never be the same again, i take 21 prescription painkillers a day, am on a walking stick and use a wheelchair about a third of the time, i spent a long time coming to terms with things, i studied business all my life and honestly thought life was over.
Now i am married, have a son, and own my own business, life has never been better but the best part a out being disabled is the ability to make fun of myself.
This incident is terrible, but those affected will move on, eventually.
The media now are just asking for us to poke fun at THEM as i am sure even the victims of this horrible accident will poke fun themselves for how stupid the media coverage of the park is becoming.
The Mirror need to grow up. Of course we are going to poke fun at them.
Now i am married, have a son, and own my own business, life has never been better but the best part a out being disabled is the ability to make fun of myself.
This incident is terrible, but those affected will move on, eventually.
The media now are just asking for us to poke fun at THEM as i am sure even the victims of this horrible accident will poke fun themselves for how stupid the media coverage of the park is becoming.
The Mirror need to grow up. Of course we are going to poke fun at them.
Burbs
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I'm not sure how much the leg amputees got as compensation, I don't know if it's been announced yet as I haven't been following this thread as much as I could do, but what shocked me today was people saying:
"Oh that girl who had her leg amputated got £2,000,000. I'd have my leg cut off for 2 million."
No words.
"Oh that girl who had her leg amputated got £2,000,000. I'd have my leg cut off for 2 million."
No words.
bluesonichd
TS Member
AirFAN
TS Member
Looks like the press are all over the ride downtime today, for example, another example of tripe from the Mirror.
*sigh*
Didn't realise Air's track was 84m's long
. Are these closures from the park a bit OTT? And (if even true) are they perpetuating the problem? I find it bizarre that someone who found a metal clip would take photos of a ride op holding it? Why do that? (Unless you work for the Mirror).
LordOfDarkness
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Didn't realise Air's track was 84m's long
I find it bizarre that someone who found a metal clip would take photos of a ride op holding it? Why do that? (Unless you work for the Mirror).
Both rides re-opened, it was just standard technical difficulties that happen every single day, but the mirror likes to beef it up and make it sound like the whole park is dropping to bits.
XXBENNXX
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Spider-Man IOA
I wondered if this was a Mirror Fabrication also, it makes no sense that it is a picture of a ride op holding it AND that it is unbelievably blurry.
If i were a ride op at Towers right now, 9 days after the crash, i would not be holding a piece of metal apparently found under ride track, almost on display for a photo op.
Bizarre.
If i were a ride op at Towers right now, 9 days after the crash, i would not be holding a piece of metal apparently found under ride track, almost on display for a photo op.
Bizarre.
Croftybaby
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
That would probably be a still from a video that's why it's so poor and also how they got the perfect pose.
According to AT, the whole article was false and the rides had no such problem:
https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/609031535384215553
In which case their lawyers ought to be jumping up and down at the potential damage caused by blatantly inaccurate information.
https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/609031535384215553
In which case their lawyers ought to be jumping up and down at the potential damage caused by blatantly inaccurate information.
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
If a story has been fabricated or very falsely reported then Merlin's lawyers will most certainly be getting involved. Heck they've threatened fan site before for saying various things that were nowhere near as bad as this. Also one of the tabloids just so happened to have a picture of the couple who 'found' the 'clip' by Air. Hmmmmmmm.
Croftybaby
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
ASturge21
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Anything but Thirteen
If this was not a week after the crash would this be reported? No.
Tarquin
TS Member
If a story has been fabricated or very falsely reported then Merlin's lawyers will most certainly be getting involved. Heck they've threatened fan site before for saying various things that were nowhere near as bad as this. Also one of the tabloids just so happened to have a picture of the couple who 'found' the 'clip' by Air. Hmmmmmmm.
I really hope they don't set their lawyers on the Mirror newspaper as I genuinely think that would be the worst thing they could do right now. The only way that this story will die down is if Merlin make very little noise at this point and issuing a lawsuit against one of the biggest newspapers in the UK (which appears to have some sort of personal vendetta against the park) is hardly going to help that. Also how are they actually going to disprove any of the Mirror's claims - unless someone recorded the phone call where the Alton Towers boss reportedly phoned this guy (after all, they're reporting that the guy is claiming it, not themselves). Plus, imagine how easy it would be to spin this into a story about how Merlin has attempted to silence anyone who has any safety concerns about their rides! It'd be so easy to do - in fact, the Mirror have already started, as in that article.
I really hope Merlin don't take the bait. I know it's rubbish that we're getting these nonsense articles but I really fear that Merlin responding to them with lawsuits isn't going to help the situation overall. So far, their response to the situation has been received so well and it would be such a shame to throw that all away.
MichelinMan
TS Member
I just hope these silly stories continue, and frighten away lots of people going to the park so it is nice and empty when we go in a few weeks.
I just wish they would run even more stories about Chessington and Legoland too, seeing as we are off there the same week!
I just wish they would run even more stories about Chessington and Legoland too, seeing as we are off there the same week!
James
TS Founding Member
As silly as Merlin's lawyers can get what with threatening fan sites without consultation... I'm sure even they realize these news articles are trivial things and don't affect them in any way.
Can't help but laugh how standard ride closures are deemed as newsworthy, shows how trashy the UK media has become. Luckily again 90% of comments on social media are positive against this, with only a few unintelligent people reading it, believing it and thinking Towers is a death trap. But ah well, it won't affect Towers in the long term, anyone with a brain will know how important health and safety is in the UK and will know Towers is probably one of the safest theme parks around.
Can't help but laugh how standard ride closures are deemed as newsworthy, shows how trashy the UK media has become. Luckily again 90% of comments on social media are positive against this, with only a few unintelligent people reading it, believing it and thinking Towers is a death trap. But ah well, it won't affect Towers in the long term, anyone with a brain will know how important health and safety is in the UK and will know Towers is probably one of the safest theme parks around.
XXBENNXX
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Spider-Man IOA
I believe this is a fabrication whole heartedly.
Towers would not deny this incident at a time like this, they are being very cautious indeed with every step, case and point, keeping octonauts closed today as a precautionary measure when in reality there was more than likely, no need to do so.
Park bosses would also not deny calling the guy unless they were confident they did not do so.
This is both careless and shameless reporting, and if Merlin were to take legal action it would be justified, as creating stories like this will directly hurt business. Towers say it did not happen and i for one have no reason to doubt their position, there are ways to prove it did, phone records etc.
Towers would not deny this incident at a time like this, they are being very cautious indeed with every step, case and point, keeping octonauts closed today as a precautionary measure when in reality there was more than likely, no need to do so.
Park bosses would also not deny calling the guy unless they were confident they did not do so.
This is both careless and shameless reporting, and if Merlin were to take legal action it would be justified, as creating stories like this will directly hurt business. Towers say it did not happen and i for one have no reason to doubt their position, there are ways to prove it did, phone records etc.
Tarquin
TS Member
I certainly hope so.
On a different note, I was wondering about the trains of the Smiler... Seeing as we could be seeing two new trains coming in and some alterations made to the safety procedures of the ride, I was wondering whether the ride may be given a crumple zone at the front/rear of each train. Although they'd have to go through rigorous testing before operation, I'd imagine that fitting a modified row before and after the train (just without any seats on obviously) would have helped prevent some of the crush injuries we've seen. It'd certainly reassure the public that physical changes have been made as well - not just technical/procedural ones. While it shouldn't happen again, it shouldn't have happened the first time so surely there's no harm in preparing for the eventuality occurring again?
EDIT: XXBENNXX, I just want to make clear that I completely agree that it's almost certainly fabricated - I'm not denying that in the slightest. It would be justified if they took legal action in the respect that it's not true but by saying that it'll hurt business so they should sue is ignoring the fact that last week, five people were seriously injured on their ride and that is going to be effecting their business much more than any of these silly news articles. I still think it would be better keeping quiet than having a long-drawn out court case that will remind the public of the crash everytime it's in the news. Also: I'm not sure that Merlin would be willing to base an expensive court case on the phone records of a gentleman whose name they probably don't even know.
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