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Rollercoaster accident victim, 7, ‘improving’ and now breathing on his own after fall from Lightwater Valley ride
A ROLLERCOASTER victim that suffered horror facial injuries after plunging 20ft from a twister ride is now breathing without any aid. The seven-year-old boy was said to have been “fighting for his life” on Friday after the horrific ordeal which saw him dangling from the ride. The schoolboy’s injuries were first thought to be non-life […]
A ROLLERCOASTER victim that suffered horror facial injuries after plunging 20ft from a twister ride is now breathing without any aid.
The seven-year-old boy was said to have been “fighting for his life” on Friday after the horrific ordeal which saw him dangling from the ride.
The schoolboy’s injuries were first thought to be non-life threatening after falling between 15-20ft from the Twister rollercoaster.
However, North Yorkshire Police later confirmed that his injuries became more extreme and left him fighting for his life.
Police say the youngster’s condition “continues to improve”.
A joint investigation between North Yorkshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive is underway.
The theme park near Ripon in North Yorkshire has been open since the accident but the Twister ride remains closed.
Hero dad Jon Philo who rushed to help the boy feared the worst after finding him lying “motionless” after he fell from the Twister ride at Lightwater Valley theme park.
He said he won’t forget the “scary sight” after arriving first on the scene yesterday and seeing the boy’s injuries.
The dad was queuing for the ride with his own son when he saw the seven-year-old being thrown from the ride.
“Shocking scenes but I had no other thought than to jump over the fences and climb over the rollercoaster tracks with the coaster still in motion,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I was followed by an off duty police officer and we were shocked at what we saw.
TRAGEDIES AT FUN PARK
Emergency services on Friday rushed to Lightwater Valley after reports a young boy had fallen 20ft from a ride.
But the horror fall isn’t the first time authorities have been scrambled to the popular fun park.
The North Yorks park was opened in 1969, thanks to Robert Staveley and his wife Lynne.
But tragedy unfolded in June 1980, when two rowing boats containing young farmers from Scotland collided.
Six people swam to safety but 21-year-old Kenneth Baird was pulled from the water unconscious. He later died.
In 1989, a 17-year-old boy who had been working at the park became partly paralysed when he was crushed under a ride called the Swinging Gym.
Then in 1991, five people were taken to hospital with whiplash injuries after one of the trains on the world’s longest rollercoaster, Ultimate, collided with another.
The ride was again involved in a terrifying incident in 1994 when an axle broke as it was carrying 38 passengers at a speed of 68mph.
In another tragedy, 20-year-old Gemma Savage died when two carriages collided on the Treetop Twister in 2001.
An investigation later found faulty wiring had caused the malfunction, with a coroner ruling her death as by misadventure.
In 2012, a five-year-old girl’s leg became trapped while on a rollercoaster.
The attraction was fined £40,000 after Lucy Hibbert, from New Zealand, had her leg and foot became trapped between the platform edge and carriage on the Ladybird ride.
And in another incident, a man narrowly escaped death when the safety bar for his seat on a Black Pearl Ride sprang open in 2016.
The 55-year-old man, who has learning difficulties, only survived thanks to his carer holding onto his wrist.
Mr Philo waited with the boy for more than an hour and said his own son even helped the paramedic guide the air ambulance where to land.
He revealed the boy was “alert” when he arrived at hospital and did not suffer life threatening injuries.
Other shocked witness have recalled how the boy fell “face first” after sliding out from the rollercoaster carriage.
The boy’s mum is said to have “screamed hysterically” after seeing her seven-year-old son dangling from the rollercoaster before plunging to the ground.
Cops and the ambulance service rushed to the scene and the ride was shut down following the shocking incident during half term.
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The young boy was transported to Leeds General Infirmary and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Passengers are strapped into the ride by a lap bar and one witness said he saw the boy was outside of the restraints.
A police officer who went on the ride yesterday claimed he and his son were “given the option” to wear an extra safety belt.
