Concerns Raised Over Attraction Safety Standards

An expert at Irwin Mitchell has called on fairground operators and authorities to work together to address safety standards on the sites, following the latest accident in which people have been injured on a ride.

A woman who suffered serious head injuries was among seven people hurt after the Surf Rider swing attraction at Skegness Pleasure Beach failed yesterday afternoon (August 30th), leaving all 22 people on board stranded on board in a vertical position.

Emergency services freed everyone affected by the incident, while the seven injured people were to hospital in Boston.

The fairground has been closed as investigations by the Health and Safety Executive get underway.

David Urpeth, head of the public liability team at Irwin Mitchell which acts for both children and adults injured in incidents at fairgrounds and theme parks, said news of yet another serious failure at such a site was a major cause for concern.

He outlined: “Our work on cases like this, including one involving a youngster hurt at a theme park in Motherwell, has shown that such incidents can cause both physical and psychological trauma that people of all ages struggle to recover from.

“What is particularly worrying about this incident is that it has come at a time when similar cases have been seen at other theme parks, including one at Camelot Theme Park in Chorley and one on Bridlington sea front.

“These problems have clearly raised concerns over the safety of rides at fairgrounds and we hope that the HSE can work quickly to determine why we have seen this worrying trend develop.

“Fairground ride operators and owners have a duty to put the safety of their customers first, so it is vital that lessons are learnt which will ensure that this is a fundamental priority in the future.”