Countdown to prosecution

May 2013 – The Smiler rollercoaster opens.

June 2, 2015, 1.51pm – A carriage carrying 16 riders collides with a stationary one. 2.08pm – Four people are said to be seriously hurt. The park closes.

June 8, 2015 – The resort reopens but The Smiler stays shut.

June 8, 2015 – It is revealed that one of the victims (Leah Washington, aged 17) had to have her leg amputated above the knee. Vicky Balch, then 19, also loses a leg, with several others injured.

November 24, 2015 – Merlin Entertainments says the crash was caused by “human error”.

February 25, 2016 – The Health and Safety Executive announces the operator is to be prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

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