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Media Coverage of Alton Towers

What a strange story, if it is true - then it's a strange turn of events. That said, it doesn't really reflect on the park - not in the same way the other ones have done!

There was a period where all the tabloids seem to latch on to Bronson, but I thought that had faded away. Perhaps not!
 
We're in the silly season when the tabloids have nothing to report on, more chance for them to report on Loch Ness Monster and UFO sightings at this time of the year had the Smiler incident not happened.:rolleyes:
 
QTXAdsy said:
We're in the silly season when the tabloids have nothing to report on, more chance for them to report on Loch Ness Monster and UFO sightings at this time of the year had the Smiler incident not happened.:rolleyes:
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Really, nothing to report...

At least that fifa thing happened about the same time as the smiler as the news was reporting fifa instead.
 
QTXAdsy said:
We're in the silly season when the tabloids have nothing to report on, more chance for them to report on Loch Ness Monster and UFO sightings at this time of the year had the Smiler incident not happened.:rolleyes:
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Or something to do with someones cat/ dog doing something stupid on video
 
Rick said:
I agree 100% if the bump was in the station area, but from what I understood, it wasn't
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So come on, what is the source of your understanding? You make out you know something that we don't. I have witnessed this exact event whilst on a Spinball car that bumped into the car infront. Others on here have also witnessed it. It is also what Alton Towers are saying. That's quite a lot of evidence. Please do share your reliable information!
Rick said:
Is the red in front of the rear car the righting mechanism or the sensor bar?

Is it A or B? If it's B, that's not normal as has been described?
gTpMSP4.png
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It is A. You can tell this from looking at the red bar and its shape, the fact that the cars are aligned and not at an angle, and the positioning of the queue behind the ride.

You seem desperate to make out that the ride has done something terribly wrong. It's not convincing I'm afriad.

:)
 
The collision had to have been uncontrolled and unexpected for the recommendation to attend the medical centre. They will not make such a recommendation without good reason, given the negative PR that may ensue, particularly in the current climate.
 
Tom said:
The collision had to have been uncontrolled and unexpected for the recommendation to attend the medical centre. They will not make such a recommendation without good reason, given the negative PR that may ensue, particularly in the current climate.
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True but in my opinion in light of the recent events they were only doing so to cover their back. To dismiss their 'injuries' would leave the media to report them being cold and uncaring.
 
They can't win in these situatuions. Send them to the medical centre, get accussed of it being more a major incident than it was. Don't send them and let them get on with their day, get accussed of showing no duty of care towards guests so soon after The Smiler incident. They did the right thing.

:)
 
Tom said:
The collision had to have been uncontrolled and unexpected for the recommendation to attend the medical centre. They will not make such a recommendation without good reason, given the negative PR that may ensue, particularly in the current climate.
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Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the bump they will have been sent to the medical centre as a PR caution after the Smiler incident.
 
@Rob - you seem to be hellbent on defending what you think happened, as am I - it's the exact same thing. I understand the desire to defend the park come what may, I get that, but it's a little grating.

Alton said the cars collided at walking pace. I wouldn't suggest that is insignificant, that's all. I'm not arguing and I'm not being spoken to like a child, you just won't convince me I'm afraid :)
 
Just because guests are sent to the medical centre doesn't automatically mean it was a severe incident. It would just be a precaution, say if the guests on board complained for they felt light headed they would be sent to the medical centre for a check, even if that feeling is pretty normal for many guests on a boiling hot summers day on a coaster that has fast movements.

I've been on and watched Spinball off-ride since it opened and the bump as described by Towers is something I've seen and experienced countless times. Maybe it was worse but who cares, the ride is safe and guests are safe to ride it from now until the day it leaves the park.
 
James said:
I've been on and watched Spinball off-ride since it opened and the bump as described by Towers is something I've seen and experienced countless times. Maybe it was worse but who cares, the ride is safe and guests are safe to ride it from now until the day it leaves the park.
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Agree 100%

James said:
I've been on and watched Spinball off-ride since it opened and the bump as described by Towers is something I've seen and experienced countless times. Maybe it was worse but who cares, the ride is safe and guests are safe to ride it from now until the day it leaves the park.
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Well, that is quite a concerning statement and is my exact reason for frustration about this topic. Everyone assumes they have experienced what occurred but no one knows exactly what happened. A collision at a speed slightly higher than those described by members of this forum could change the dynamics of a shunt. Think about a collision in a dodgem car, three the same and then one that really hurts.

Maybe it wasn't a big deal, but people's willingness to automatically throw out any suggestion that there was an issue on the basis of bias and misinformation is wrong and it's particularly interesting when members who complain about bias and misinformation from the press do a complete 180 and take the same tact from the exact opposite viewpoint.
 
Rick said:
@Rob - you seem to be hellbent on defending what you think happened, as am I - it's the exact same thing. I understand the desire to defend the park come what may, I get that, but it's a little grating.

Alton said the cars collided at walking pace. I wouldn't suggest that is insignificant, that's all. I'm not arguing and I'm not being spoken to like a child, you just won't convince me I'm afraid :)
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Yes I am, because I am extremely frustrated (as are many others) with how the media have handled everything at Alton Towers since The Smiler incident.

Why would I believe a bystander who has responded to a media request a couple of days after the bump over Alton Towers and experience? This made the news because a Mirror journalist was trawling through Twitter, probably looking at all Tweets with a mention of Alton Towers, and asked someone who had posted about it if they could follow him back so he could send them a DM. The next thing you know it's in paper as a massive deal.

If there was an inury, and any hospital visit was not just a precautionary measure, then Alton Towers will have to have submitted a RIDDOR report to the HSE. An FOI request would show whether this happened although I do not beleive anyone was taken directly to hospital from Atlon Towers so I'd expect the FOI to return nothing.

One last point, you say that car colliding at walking pace is not significant. Does that mean that everyone who rides a log flume has a 'significant' collision as one boat bumps into the another on return to the station. This occurs at a very similar speed and you have no restraints at all, and no support of a seat.

I am not speaking to you like a child. I just don't get why you believe this is such a big deal like the papers made out.

:)
 
I think the fact the HSE isn't interested in the bump is the most compelling evidence that the bump wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Also the fact the ride opened the same day.
 
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Oh the flip side people are assuming it was a strange/major incident.

There's a lot of assuming going on and it's a bit silly we're all debating something we have no knowledge of really.

I guess it's a matter of opinions and people will have to agree to disagree in this case. :)
 
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