Lightwater Valley theme park: Boy, six, 'falls from rollercoaster after hanging from back of carriage'

Ella Wills30 May 2019

Witnesses have spoken of their horror after a six-year-old boy allegedly fell from a rollercoaster at a theme park in North Yorkshire today.

Bystanders claimed the boy was left hanging from the back of a moving carriage at Lightwater Valley theme park, with his mother screaming beside him.

His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The boy was rushed to hospital following the incident
Simon Moran/Getty Images

Onlookers said the boy plunged up to 15ft from the Twister ride at the theme park, with one saying they heard loud screams before seeing a child on the ground.

Mark Charnley, 46, who was visiting from Cumbria with his family today, said the boy was hanging from the back of the ride.

He told MailOnline: "Me and my eldest daughter were in the queue for the Twister ride, which is like a rollercoaster but with individual spinning carriages.

"We were about ten minutes from the front of the queue when we saw the little lad hanging out of the back of his carriage.

"His head was well behind the back of it and he was out of his restraints. He was in the carriage with his mum, who was screaming hysterically."

An air ambulance helicopter near Lightwater Valley theme park
PA

Lara-Susan James, who had just joined the queue for the rollercoaster with her children, said a group were shouting at the operator to stop the ride.

She said: "It was at that moment I realised something was wrong.

"I saw the operator apply the emergency stop.

"My husband pointed to the fallen kid on the ground, saying they had fallen out.

"When the ride stopped, the family jumped the barriers and went to the kid.

"I ushered our kids away as I don't want them to hear or see any more."

Images on social media show an air ambulance and emergency staff at the site, which police attended at around 11.30am on Thursday.

Health and Safety Executive staff are now at the park carrying out assessments, a Lightwater Valley spokeswoman said.

She added: "We take the health and safety of our visitors very seriously and are committed to providing support to the affected family.

"The ride concerned will remain closed until a full investigation has taken place."

The park bills itself as the "ultimate family adventure" on its website.

The Twister is described as a "spinning rollercoaster" which "gives an awesome, fun-packed experience for all the family".

"The track is full of seriously tight turns, giving riders the impression that they might not make it around the next corner, with the threat of plummeting into the treetops being a constant source of tension for parents (and amusement for the kids)!" the Lightwater Valley websites says.

Riders must be taller than 4ft 11in (1.5m) unaccompanied or more than 4ft (1.2m) if accompanied by an adult, it adds.

Durham University student Gemma Savage died when two cars collided on the park's Treetop Twister ride in 2001.

Paris-based Reverchon Industries SA, which manufactured and supplied the ride, was found guilty at Leeds Crown Court of two charges of failing to ensure its safe design and construction, and failing to give information necessary to ensure the ride was safe when open to the public.

Additional reporting by Press Association.

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