This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/alton-towers-crash-smiler-collision-could-have-been-caused-by-human-error-10468408.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Alton Towers crash: Smiler collision 'could have been caused by human error' | Alton Towers crash: Smiler collision 'could have been caused by human error' |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Human error may have caused the Smiler crash at Alton Towers, which forced two women to have leg amputations, according to reports. | Human error may have caused the Smiler crash at Alton Towers, which forced two women to have leg amputations, according to reports. |
| Student Leah Washington, 18, had her left leg amputated, while Vicky Balch, 20, a dancer, had her right leg amputated below the knee after the carriage they were onboard crashed into an empty vessel already on the Smiler track. | Student Leah Washington, 18, had her left leg amputated, while Vicky Balch, 20, a dancer, had her right leg amputated below the knee after the carriage they were onboard crashed into an empty vessel already on the Smiler track. |
| Joe Pugh, Washington’s boyfriend, also 18, endured both of his knees being smashed during the collision. Daniel Thorpe, 27, meanwhile, suffered a broken leg and a punctured lung. | Joe Pugh, Washington’s boyfriend, also 18, endured both of his knees being smashed during the collision. Daniel Thorpe, 27, meanwhile, suffered a broken leg and a punctured lung. |
| Before the incident, an engineer is alleged to have overridden an automatic safety lock on the ride, allowing a ride operator to send a carriage full of passengers onto the track despite, the Mail on Sunday reported. | |
| The vital locking mechanism on the ride is designed to trigger braking devices, meaning two carriages should not be on the same section of the track at one time. | The vital locking mechanism on the ride is designed to trigger braking devices, meaning two carriages should not be on the same section of the track at one time. |
| It is understood the members of staff who are being facing a criminal investigation by the Government's health and safety regulator are still working at the park, but in different roles. | It is understood the members of staff who are being facing a criminal investigation by the Government's health and safety regulator are still working at the park, but in different roles. |
| Washington recently spoke out about the devastating incident for the first time, and said it has led her to take a “different path and a different life” and made her feel “nervous for the future”. | Washington recently spoke out about the devastating incident for the first time, and said it has led her to take a “different path and a different life” and made her feel “nervous for the future”. |
| "My life is on hold while my friends are moving forward, having their own cars and leaving home," she told the Mail on Sunday earlier in August. | "My life is on hold while my friends are moving forward, having their own cars and leaving home," she told the Mail on Sunday earlier in August. |
| Pugh spoke of similar anguish in his first interview after the crash. | Pugh spoke of similar anguish in his first interview after the crash. |
| Speaking on ITV’s This Morning, he recalled the physical and mental pain he felt as he screamed at people to stop taking photographs of him and the other victims. | Speaking on ITV’s This Morning, he recalled the physical and mental pain he felt as he screamed at people to stop taking photographs of him and the other victims. |
| He went on to say he was “determined” to prove wrong doctors who have said he will always struggle with stairs and will travel for longer than 40 minutes with difficulty. | He went on to say he was “determined” to prove wrong doctors who have said he will always struggle with stairs and will travel for longer than 40 minutes with difficulty. |
| Alton Towers is now attempting to attract guests to the park, after it revealed that the tragedy could cost its owner Merlin Entertainment up to £47million. | Alton Towers is now attempting to attract guests to the park, after it revealed that the tragedy could cost its owner Merlin Entertainment up to £47million. |
| The accident, the subsequent closure of the park and suspension of marketing activities had “significantly reduced” volumes at Alton Towers, the company told shareholders in late July. | The accident, the subsequent closure of the park and suspension of marketing activities had “significantly reduced” volumes at Alton Towers, the company told shareholders in late July. |