Several folks harm as ‘gravity-defying’ theme park trip collapses
Several people have been injured after a ‘gravity-defying’ theme park ride ‘fell to the floor’ without stopping.
Bounce, a ‘drop tower’ attraction at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire, Wales, experienced a ‘scheduled emergency stop’ while in midair.
Some 20 thrill-seekers – which is believed to have included a number of children – were on the ride when it ‘fell to the floor’ without stopping yesterday.
Witnesses reported hearing riders screaming and crying as the 147ft-tall ride malfunctioned, sending the lift plummeting ‘quickly’ to the ground from ‘about halfway up’,
An investigation is now under way into what happened on Bounce, which re-opened at the park two years ago following a £400,000 refurbishment.
The Bounce ride (pictured, centre) at Oakwood Theme Park in Canaston Bridge, Pembrokeshire, experienced what has been described as a ‘scheduled emergency stop’
About 20 people are thought to have been injured following the incident on the ‘drop tower’ ride (pictured)
The 147ft attraction is described on Oakwood’s website as ‘a gravity-defying, stomach-lurching shot ‘n’ drop tower ride’.
‘Straight up, straight down – with lots of screams in between,’ it added.
Bounce re-opened in 2022 after being closed since 2016. It is a drop tower-style ride which takes guests up into the air before dropping them back down again and ‘bouncing back up’.
The park, the biggest in Wales, opened in 1987 on a family farm before being taken over by Spanish entertainment company Aspro Parks.
Some 20 people were reportedly on the ride at the time and many were described as ‘school-age’. A visitor on board the ride when the incident happened said it ‘fell to the floor without slowing down’.
They said children were ‘screaming and crying’ as the ride ‘went up and down a few times’ before it ‘fell quickly to the ground from about halfway up the tower’.
The guest, who did not want to be named, claimed around eight people received first aid treatment on site while four others visited hospital for further treatment.
Describing the incident, the park guest claimed the way the incident was handled was ‘awful’, and claimed they only stopped and helped people who ‘complained of pain or anything wrong’.
They added: ‘There have been no apologies from the park, they only gave information for guest relations because we asked for it to take it further after the fact we were told no management was available.’
Pictured is the bottom of the Bounce ride which suffered a malfunction yesterday
Oakwood Theme Park is the biggest in Wales. It opened in 1987 on a family farm before being taken over by Spanish entertainment company Aspro Parks
A spokesperson for Oakwood Theme Park said: ‘During operation on Wednesday, our drop tower ride Bounce experienced a programmed Emergency Stop Procedure in response to the ride drop height during a guest cycle.
‘The stoppage which resulted in the passenger gondola stopping in the ride brakes was attended to by our park team and the ride was lowered to the ground where guests were able to disembark.
‘A number of guests reported minor lower back pain immediately after the occurrence and were attended to by our onsite team of First Aiders, where assistance was provided. One group sought additional treatment locally, whilst others continued their day at the park. Bounce will remain closed whilst we consult with the ride manufacturer.’
