by Sofia Lotto Persio
A ROLLER coaster crash at Alton Towers that left five people with life-changing injuries was “ultimately” the responsibility of operator Merlin, Stafford Crown Court heard yesterday.
Merlin faces a fine that could top £10 million for the Smiler ride crash that injured 16 people.
Barrister Bernard Thorogood, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive, blamed senior management for “manifestly inadequate” arrangements for technical staff, who did not have clear procedures to follow in the event of technical failures on the track.
The engineers had reset the ride and overridden a computer system “block-stop” believing it was an error, sending a full roller coaster car into an empty test carriage which had stopped on the track out of sight.
The static car had likely halted due to strong winds, which were blowing at 46mph on the day, way above the recommended 34mph limit for operating the ride.
The resulting crash was similar to a car colliding at 90mph.
Mr Thorogood stated: “A number of errors were made.
“The defendant is ultimately responsible for these errors though they were made by individuals.
“The staff had come to distrust at that stage the fault signal on occasions and hence they thought that the one that was showing was an error.
“There was nobody, no individual who had to sign off and take responsibility for that event.”
Merlin pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act in April and was told to “expect a very large fine” at the sentencing hearing that concludes today.
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