Witnesses describe passengers screaming for help from carriage suspended in mid-air after collision on theme park’s Smiler attraction

Four people suffered serious leg injuries and were left suspended eight metres off the ground for several hours after a collision between two carriages on a rollercoaster at Alton Towers amusement park.

Witnesses described hearing a “huge sound, like a car crash” when the carriages came together on the Smiler attraction on Tuesday afternoon.

The victims screamed for help as they were left suspended in mid-air on the ride, which can reach speeds of up to 50mph, for several hours.

Emergency services eventually rescued 16 people trapped on the rollercoaster at a 45-degree angle. The accident occurred just after 2pm and the evacuation of the ride was completed at 6.35pm, according to an Alton Towers spokeswoman.

Four of those rescued had “significant lower-limb injuries” that were not life threatening and were treated at the scene by trauma doctors, after what was described as the most serious accident at Alton Towers since the popular theme park opened in 1980.

Two women were transferred to the Royal Stoke University hospital and two men were taken to hospitals in Coventry and Warwickshire.

The collision on the two-year-old attraction occurred when one carriage containing 16 visitors collided with an empty one on a low section of the track.



Danny Simm, a radio presenter on 96.5 Bolton FM who appears to have been at the amusement park, tweeted: “People unconscious, knocked out. Blood everywhere. It really was shocking. Air ambulances landing now, people still stuck.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Aerial footage from the scene of a rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers amusement park.

Four ambulances and four air ambulances attended the scene – among 40 emergency vehicles in total – after receiving a 999 call at 2.09pm. Emergency services were still attempting to free the last of the trapped passengers four hours after the incident, using a specially constructed platform to reach the carriage. The four most seriously injured were rescued first.

The Alton Towers spokeswoman said a full investigation would take place into the accident.

Ian Crabbe, Alton Towers’ divisional director, said in a statement: “May I first say that my colleagues and I are devastated by what has happened here today, and our only priority at this time is to work with the emergency services to get the 16 people affected off the ride safely, and most importantly those who are injured are being cared for.

“Our concern is with and for them and for their safety, and all our thoughts and efforts are focused on them.”

Alton Towers’ owner, Merlin Entertainments, saw its share price plunge when it emerged the Smiler had been involved in a collision. Stock in the FTSE-100 firm dropped 3.46% to 444.3p a share after opening this morning at 462.6p a share.

The £18m Smiler ride, described as “the world’s first 14-looping rollercoaster” on its official website, opened in May 2013. The website reads: “Not for the faint-hearted, this new ride at Alton Towers features a series of twisted psychological effects including optical illusions, blinding lights and near misses designed to mess with your mind.”

It has been closed twice before because of technical issues. Some people said they had experienced problems on the ride just hours before the crash.

Witnesses posted pictures of the aftermath of the collision as people were evacuated from the rollercoaster.

Helen Critchley (@princesshelen15) @altontowers not what I expected to see today.. 2 carriage crashed into each other on the Smiler!!! #notgood! pic.twitter.com/aX8mBDaX7K

Tom Whelton, who was on the Smiler hours before the crash, said his carriage got stuck on the rollercoaster’s first hill. “They sent a test car down behind us anyway, which I thought was a bit strange, but I guess that’s just procedure for them to do that,” he said.

“We went halfway across the park and then we heard a big bang. After that, we didn’t really know what it was, then it started filtering through that something bad had happened. Then we were queueing up for another rollercoaster and an air ambulance flew over and news started filtering through and all the Alton Towers staff were evacuating the area.”

Ben Richardson, who posted pictures on Twitter of the crashed rollercoaster, told the BBC the collision sounded “like car crash – it was very full on”.

He said there appeared to have been problems with the ride on Tuesday morning. “When we went on, when we were queuing, it said: ‘We’ve got a couple of technical difficulties’ and then probably 10 or 15 minutes later the ride carried on. Later in the day we ate lunch and that was when the incident occurred.”

Richardson said the first responders appeared to be more concerned with clearing people away from the ride than reaching the injured passengers.

Leigh Curtis, who was sitting in a nearby bar when the accident happened, described “quite an eerie feel” in the aftermath of the collision. “There’s not a lot of people talking,” he said. “People just standing around in bewilderment really.”

Another Twitter user posted a video appearing to show a third air ambulance arriving at the amusement park.

Lauren (@Laurenletitia13) #altontowers For saying it's only technical issues, this is the third air ambulance to land.. Oh dear Alton Towers. pic.twitter.com/6torYa0DzW

There has been a series of incidents on the ride since it opened in May 2013. Sixteen people had to be rescued after it broke down during a press launch in its opening month. In July 2013, 48 people were evacuated after witnesses saw a metal bar break away from the ride before landing near them, exposing a gap in the track and forcing another shutdown. In November 2013, guide wheels fell off the ride and hit four people in the front carriage, once again forcing it to close.

