Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Six UK thrill rides shut after theme park death
SIX theme park rides have been shut after an identical one broke apart in the US, killing a teenager.
Student Tyler Jarrell, 18, was catapulted from a KMG Afterburner spinning pendulum ride called the Fire Ball at Ohio State Fair in Columbus last Wednesday.
The Health and Safety Executive re-inspected the machines in use here in the wake of the horror – in which seven people were also injured, some critically.
Temporary prohibition orders were issued at Pleasurewood Hills in Suffolk; Coney Beach Fair in Porthcawl, South Wales; Brean Theme Park in Somerset; Ryan Crow Amusements in the North East; and a ride owned by a Joseph Manning in Hertfordshire.
Lightwater Valley, North Yorks, decided to shut its Eagle’s Claw ride itself. It told visitors: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, this ride is closed.”
A HSE spokeswoman said: “There are six machines of this version in the UK which were all thoroughly inspected within the last 12 months. There is no verified information regarding the cause of the US accident.
“Following the incident, HSE initiated a re-inspection. An enforcement notice was served on five machines, which are now to be taken out of use until the notices have been complied with. The sixth was immediately taken out of use following the incident. This was a decision taken independently by the operator.”
The HSE said it understood a letter had been sent to operators of similar machines and some owners may have closed rides “as a precautionary measure”.