Daily Record

TERROR ON THE FLUMES

Staff reaction blasted after ride plunges dad and kids underwater backwards

- BY SALLY HIND

A DAD has told of his horror after a malfunctio­ning roller coaster sent him and his children hurtling backwards down a steep slope into a pool.

John Mulvaney was on Flamingo Land’s “showpiece” Lost River Ride with sons Cian, six, and Owen, four, when the log flume suddenly stopped its steep ascent.

The carriage then plummeted backwards 30ft back into the lake at the bottom of the ride.

The 36-year-old said his kids were left in shock after they heard a “snapping noise” and plunged down the slope at the Yorkshire resort on Friday.

The family were then trapped underwater briefly as they were tightly strapped in by a safety bar.

John is now demanding an overhaul of the ride and has hit out at park staff who were slow to respond to the breakdown.

He said: “It was horrific.

We got a fair dunt when we hit the water. You’re not supposed to hit the water that way.

“We were sat in the back row and the boat went underwater for two to three seconds.

“The water rushed over my two children’s heads and then, thankfully, the weight at the front of the boat tipped it upright.

“This could have been so much worse as we were sitting with seatbelts on and a harness over us.”

John, who is also dad to Isla, eight, was on the last day of a four-day trip to the park with his family when the incident happened.

While the family, from Edinburgh’s Gyle area, were uninjured, John said their safety bar was jammed shut following impact.

He had to “squeeze out” while staff were slow to evacuate stunned families. He also feels his concerns weren’t taken seriously by management. John claimed the ride – which is 60ft high and promises a “gentle riverboat safari” – was open a day later, despite bosses assuring him a full probe would be carried out.

He refused to take his children on any more rides after Friday’s incident and says he will not return to the park.

He said: “My six-yearold was just starting to enjoy theme park rides, so this is going to have a lasting effect.

“I genuinely feel this place is an accident waiting to happen and if something happened to another family, I would never forgive myself if I didn’t speak out.”

We made several attempts to contact Flamingo Land about the Mulvaneys’ experience.

We were told by a customer service agent that our media inquiry, submitted two days before publicatio­n, would be dealt with but did not receive a response.

I genuinely feel this place is an accident waiting to happen JOHN MULVANEY ON FAMILY EXPERIENCE AT THEME PARK

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 ??  ?? HORROR John with Cian, Owen and Isla. Inset, the ride at Flamingo Land
HORROR John with Cian, Owen and Isla. Inset, the ride at Flamingo Land

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