‘Strange noise then ride fell off track’
An eye-witness who was in the queue for the Tsunami at M&DS as it plummeted to the ground has described how quickly the events unfolded.
Denise Martin (26), from Motherwell, was waiting in line with her mother when the accident happened, injuring ten people.
The mum-of-one described how one minute she was watching the ride take off. And the next she was rushing to help those trapped in the carriages.
She said: “We were looking up watching the rollercoaster and heard a strange noise coming from it, and then all of a sudden it fell from the track.
“It seemed to be going fast and when it first fell it made a horrible thud as it hit the ground and then there was a split second of silence.”
She then described how she panicked at that point and ran over to her son Xander (6), who was standing with his gran.
Denise said: “After that people were screaming, crying and running to assist those who had been hurt.
“I managed to squeeze my way through the crowd of people, trying to help, and was talking to a young boy around the age of 12 or 13 years.
“I was just trying to keep him calm and was asking him what his favourite football team was to take his mind off of it.” Denise said that she is still really shaken by what happened.
She added: “I didn’t get his name but I really wish I had. I haven’t stopped thinking about him since, he seemed to have a bad head injury and was partially upside down with his face pressed against part of the structure.”
Denise continued to chat to the injured boy until the emergency services arrived. She said: “It seemed like forever before the emergency services arrived but I’m sure it must have been quick. In that situation a minute feels like an hour.
“There were a lot of first aiders trying to help out the best they could. A lot of people were trying to hold the riders and reassure them.”
The Tsunami ride was closed on Saturday, June 25, due to a minor electrical fault. It was “fully operational” when the park opened at 11am the next day, say M&D’S.
Douglas Taylor, director of M&D’S, said: “Our thoughts are with the people who have been injured and their families. We hope everyone makes a full recovery.
“We’re co-operating fully with the joint HSE and Police Scotland investigation. It would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the accident until the investigation is complete.
“Each and every ride within the theme park is safety checked on a daily basis and undergoes a thorough independent inspection every 12 months. Tsunami had its annual independent safety inspection in early June 2016.
“My brother Matthew and I have been in business together for 50 years and this is the first incident of this type that we’ve ever been involved in. We are devastated as both a family and a business, and our heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by the accident.
“I would like to pay tribute to everyone who was on the scene, from our own staff to members of the public and, of course, the emergency services.”