• 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.

Media Coverage of Alton Towers

They kick and scream all they want, but the industry must move on. I'm not gonna say people in car accidents don't complain blah blah. Because some good has come out of people being injured, things get alot safer after real world accidents. Fact of life. Roads are safer with more crossings, slower speeds. Cars are better, safer the when I was a young slug.

Of course they don't want it reopen. I think I would be same if incident had me involved.

The mirror is a dying rag. Apart from Brian reade I wouldn't waste my time with it.

Glad we can finally go back to Alton. You know despite the gate price. Chopping of rides, bizarre signs. Rita tunnel, air tunnel, the chavs. Its still laugh and a good day out. I'm sure when I sit on the smiler for that first ride the nervous will hit me. Lightning could strike twice. But then again I always feel that's the risk when I sit on all rides.
 
The Daily Star has to have my favourite headline for this: "Alton Towers to re-open Smiler after horror smash despite victim's plea". I'm sorry but hahaha! I wonder whether the people that write these things actually read it back to themselves.

At least this news is out the way. All Towers have to put up with next are the inevitable news stories about The Smiler breaking down (aka 'Smiler ride comes seconds to killing less than one year since horror smash'). No doubt some news sites will try and drag out other ride breakdowns too.
 
Horribly ghoulish this tabloid behaviour of making victims relive their experiences so they can get a quote to spin generate some outrage to prop up their rapidly declining readership. Like people are meant to be surprised someone who lost a leg doesn't want it reopening and form their opinions off that.
 
I'd like to see where Towers admit to themselves they can't win and don't bother editing, sadly won't happen. :(
 
Out of the 16 people on the ride that were involved in the incident only 1 is kicking off.
I wish her all the best, she's getting huge support from the business, family etc etc but she needs to stop milking it and accept its opening.
Sorry but it's getting rather annoying.
 
Out of the 16 people on the ride that were involved in the incident only 1 is kicking off.
I wish her all the best, she's getting huge support from the business, family etc etc but she needs to stop milking it and accept its opening.
Sorry but it's getting rather annoying.

To be fair im sure she has always accepted it would at some point re-open, its the tabloids twisting what she says for a sensational headline as usual!
 
I agree about her starting to grate a bit. The others have been superb in the way they have dealt with it and I applaud them for doing so, but this girl just seems to want media attention all the time. Of course, who am I to say given that I have not been in her situation, but I think she needs to look at reality here.... she wants the ride ripped down, so does that mean she will never fly again, or never get in a car again, or go on a road, or bus, because these are more risky and have killed and injured far more people than any theme park rides.
 
I disagree with some of the posts here. Yes, she is milking it, and no, I don't like reading it as much as anyone else, but I think media sensationalism has far exadurated what she has said, and I think she is getting unfair criticism for "quotes" that have been twisted by the tabloids.
 
Last edited:
If she wants to "milk" it after life changing injuries that will leave her with horrifying mental & physical scars for the rest of her life, after a FEW MONTHS only have passed, and she's found out the ride that's completely altered the course of her life that she rode in good faith that it was safe, (as the majority of people will expect - it's meant to be thrilling, not ACTUALLY dangerous), then I have no beef with that.

I think those that do could do with backing off a bit and getting some perspective.

Yes, the PAPERS are using her to gain sensationalist headlines, but actually, the incident itself was rather hideous and one of the worst I've ever seen on a coaster - it's up there with the most grim.

And, if she's making some coin from them, good for her.

Long after this incident has been forgotten in 20/30 years time, and The Smiler is scrap, she will STILL be left with the scars and affects from this ride.

Get some damn perspective.

Pretty appalled by some of the comments I'm reading here!
 
At the end of the day the papers will pick up on whenever it opened back anything to cash in. I even saw an article on the MAP Facebook group where radio Stoke asked merlin if they were still going to sell the merch they replied yes.

I for one can't wait to get back on the smiler and shall be using our first £5 off fast track voucher to do so :)
 
I agree about her starting to grate a bit. The others have been superb in the way they have dealt with it and I applaud them for doing so, but this girl just seems to want media attention all the time. Of course, who am I to say given that I have not been in her situation, but I think she needs to look at reality here.... she wants the ride ripped down, so does that mean she will never fly again, or never get in a car again, or go on a road, or bus, because these are more risky and have killed and injured far more people than any theme park rides.

Didn't you read...? She went to New York the other week, and when she put the seat belt on she had flash backs. Rolls eyes.
 
Whether she's milking it or not (I think she is but hey, who can blame her) the media is doing its usual thing of twisting words around to grab some attention. Naturally the victims will not want the ride reopen, I don't find that news at all, its expected they wouldn't want to see the ride that has changed their lives continue to operate. The media's spin on comments to turn it into 'GIRL WANTS HORROR RIDE DESTROYED' I find laughable really, given the coverage since the crash (bolts under Air, riders stuck upside down for HOURS, Spinball cars SMASHING into one another) is anyone really surprised to see the latest news going around saying it needs to be destroyed?

The only reason this drivel keeps going is because idiots like us click on the links, visit the websites, comment on social media news feeds etc...

Saying that, by now it doesn't really matter what is reported in the media. The people who have decided they are never visiting Towers again decided months ago, everyone has already made their minds up. All these articles serve now is for the media to continue to get the clicks/sales they need, and for keyboard warriors to have a go at one another.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ay I know the media sensationalism is bad and we have to take the side of the park we like and the ride we want to open, but some of the things being said about the girl are sly. She's suffered a life changing disability through no fault of her own, still not even a year ago, so turn it in, yeah?

Out of the 16 people on the ride that were involved in the incident only 1 is kicking off.
I wish her all the best, she's getting huge support from the business, family etc etc but she needs to stop milking it and accept its opening.
Sorry but it's getting rather annoying.
16 people didn't lose a leg. The media naturally will want a single voice; the worst case. Especially when victim it a young, pretty female. The media wanted her opinion, she gave it, that's not milking it, and if you read the article, you'd see she accepts they will open it, she simply states she, personally, would like it removed, which given what happened, is pretty understandable. She may have been paid for it too, which again, you can't blame her for, unless you know exactly what price you'd put on giving up one of your legs, I think we'd all want as much as we could get. Same for this idea of 'milking it', apart from being naive of how the media works, is there supposed to be an acceptable time frame for someone who's lost a leg to just forget about it?

Ishe wants the ride ripped down, so does that mean she will never fly again, or never get in a car again, or go on a road, or bus, because these are more risky and have killed and injured far more people than any theme park rides.
No, because she didn't lose her leg in a car, or a plane, or a bus, she lost it on The Smiler, so doesn't want to ride The Smiler or see it opening again. Just like if you lost your leg in a plane crash you'd probably not want to fly again, and would definitely not want the plane flying again no matter how well they repaired it.

Didn't you read...? She went to New York the other week, and when she put the seat belt on she had flash backs. Rolls eyes.
Wow. What a disgustingly callous, ignorant and unnecessary comment. Considering people who've never been in a crash get anxiety flying, and people can get flash backs for all sorts of things, I think we can understand someone who lost a limb in a crash feeling uncomfortable on a flight less than a year later.

I don't know if it's because it's Alton Towers, or not realising how serious it is, or whatever, but I really think people need some perspective, some empathy, some maturity, and generally to think their comments through a bit more. It is perfectly possible to criticise the media and their practices without taking shots at a young girl who lost her leg. I doubt we'd be much different to her if it was us, or someone we knew, that was involved. I'm glad The Smiler is reopening, I can't wait to ride it again, I'm a bigger fan of it than most on here I think. But I'm not going to let that cloud what happened. Let's act like the adults we're supposed to be, yeah?
 
Actually, just been thinking about this, and whilst we all know that she's milking it (not in debate here about opinions on this), but is she really milking it as much as she's given credit for? Read through a couple of articles regarding "her opinions", and lots of her quotes have been used several times in different circumstances. In one article, she "didn't want the smiler to open" just after she was visited by varney. In another, she was "disappointed they plan to open it". And now it's "demanding it's torn down“. Yet all of these just seem to use the same quotes, so I doubt she is selling her story as much as it appears. I'm purely blaming the media for making her look worse here.
 
Ay I know the media sensationalism is bad and we have to take the side of the park we like and the ride we want to open, but some of the things being said about the girl are sly. She's suffered a life changing disability through no fault of her own, still not even a year ago, so turn it in, yeah?


16 people didn't lose a leg. The media naturally will want a single voice; the worst case. Especially when victim it a young, pretty female. The media wanted her opinion, she gave it, that's not milking it, and if you read the article, you'd see she accepts they will open it, she simply states she, personally, would like it removed, which given what happened, is pretty understandable. She may have been paid for it too, which again, you can't blame her for, unless you know exactly what price you'd put on giving up one of your legs, I think we'd all want as much as we could get. Same for this idea of 'milking it', apart from being naive of how the media works, is there supposed to be an acceptable time frame for someone who's lost a leg to just forget about it?


No, because she didn't lose her leg in a car, or a plane, or a bus, she lost it on The Smiler, so doesn't want to ride The Smiler or see it opening again. Just like if you lost your leg in a plane crash you'd probably not want to fly again, and would definitely not want the plane flying again no matter how well they repaired it.


Wow. What a disgustingly callous, ignorant and unnecessary comment. Considering people who've never been in a crash get anxiety flying, and people can get flash backs for all sorts of things, I think we can understand someone who lost a limb in a crash feeling uncomfortable on a flight less than a year later.

I don't know if it's because it's Alton Towers, or not realising how serious it is, or whatever, but I really think people need some perspective, some empathy, some maturity, and generally to think their comments through a bit more. It is perfectly possible to criticise the media and their practices without taking shots at a young girl who lost her leg. I doubt we'd be much different to her if it was us, or someone we knew, that was involved. I'm glad The Smiler is reopening, I can't wait to ride it again, I'm a bigger fan of it than most on here I think. But I'm not going to let that cloud what happened. Let's act like the adults we're supposed to be, yeah?

Lol
 
Nah you're right chief, let's all judge and condemn the opinions of a young person who's lost a limb. That's clearly the right thing to do.
 
Actually, just been thinking about this, and whilst we all know that she's milking it (not in debate here about opinions on this), but is she really milking it as much as she's given credit for? Read through a couple of articles regarding "her opinions", and lots of her quotes have been used several times in different circumstances. In one article, she "didn't want the smiler to open" just after she was visited by varney. In another, she was "disappointed they plan to open it". And now it's "demanding it's torn down“. Yet all of these just seem to use the same quotes, so I doubt she is selling her story as much as it appears. I'm purely blaming the media for making her look worse here.
I think you're definitely on to something there, Leah.
 
Nah you're right chief, let's all judge and condemn the opinions of a young person who's lost a limb. That's clearly the right thing to do.

Wasn't condemning anything. Let's get the facts right.

What I was getting at was.... Only has flashbacks getting on a plane? Not in the transport she takes everyday or the transport to the airport.

Never once have I taken away from the victims and the trauma they have suffered.

Stop being so self righteous.
 
Top