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| Alton Towers Smiler crash: 999 call made 11 minutes afterwards | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Emergency services were not called until 11 minutes after the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash, it has emerged. | Emergency services were not called until 11 minutes after the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash, it has emerged. |
| Theme park bosses were informed of the accident on Tuesday at 13:57 BST but ambulance crews said the 999 call was not made until 14:08. | |
| Alton Towers said one of its first responders was soon on the scene and security staff would have called 999 as soon as an assessment had been made. | |
| Sixteen people were hurt, four seriously, when the Smiler crashed. | |
| Crews from the West Midlands Ambulance Service arrived on the scene at 1435 and they called the fire service at 14:41. | Crews from the West Midlands Ambulance Service arrived on the scene at 1435 and they called the fire service at 14:41. |
| People trapped | |
| Fire crews were not initially requested by Alton Towers but the park's staff did put their own call in requesting their assistance at 14:45. | Fire crews were not initially requested by Alton Towers but the park's staff did put their own call in requesting their assistance at 14:45. |
| In a statement, Alton Towers said: "Our community first responders, based on site at Alton Towers, are trained by West Midlands Ambulance Service and form part of our security and medical teams. | In a statement, Alton Towers said: "Our community first responders, based on site at Alton Towers, are trained by West Midlands Ambulance Service and form part of our security and medical teams. |
| "Once the incident occurred, a member of the ride staff would have called our first responders who arrived at the scene within minutes. | "Once the incident occurred, a member of the ride staff would have called our first responders who arrived at the scene within minutes. |
| "After instant assessment they call our security department who then call 999 straight away." | "After instant assessment they call our security department who then call 999 straight away." |
| The crash saw two carriages collide on the £18m ride, leaving people trapped 25ft (7.6m up) at an angle of 45 degrees for up to four-and-a-half hours. | The crash saw two carriages collide on the £18m ride, leaving people trapped 25ft (7.6m up) at an angle of 45 degrees for up to four-and-a-half hours. |
| Alton Towers said its staff built a platform to reach the injured people. | |
| Joe Pugh, 18, and his girlfriend Leah Washington, 17, both from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, suffered "significant leg injuries" in the crash. | |
| Daniel Thorpe, 27, from Buxton in Derbyshire, and 19-year-old Vicky Balch, who is believed to be from Leyland in Lancashire, were also seriously injured. | |
| Mr Thorpe is being treated in hospital in Coventry while the other three victims are being treated at Royal Stoke University Hospital. | |
| Shares in Merlin Entertainments, which owns the theme park, have fallen just over 2.6% since the accident, wiping about £100m off its stock market value. | |
| One analyst has estimated the park could be losing £500,000 for every day it stays closed. | |
| Earlier, Alton Towers said it would remain shut on Friday while the Health and Safety Executive continues its investigation. |