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| Alton Towers Smiler ride crash due to 'human error' | Alton Towers Smiler ride crash due to 'human error' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Human error caused the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash in June that seriously injured five people, the Staffordshire theme park has said. | Human error caused the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash in June that seriously injured five people, the Staffordshire theme park has said. |
| Two women - Victoria Balch and Leah Washington - had legs amputated after the Smiler ride hit an empty carriage on 2 June. | |
| Staff misunderstood a shutdown message and wrongly restarted the ride, an investigation by the park confirmed. | Staff misunderstood a shutdown message and wrongly restarted the ride, an investigation by the park confirmed. |
| No technical or mechanical issues were found with the ride itself. | No technical or mechanical issues were found with the ride itself. |
| The ride, which has been closed since the crash, will reopen next year with improved safety measures. | The ride, which has been closed since the crash, will reopen next year with improved safety measures. |
| For updates on this and more stories from Stoke and Staffordshire | For updates on this and more stories from Stoke and Staffordshire |
| "A ride shutdown message was misunderstood by staff at the ride," an Alton Towers spokeswoman said. | "A ride shutdown message was misunderstood by staff at the ride," an Alton Towers spokeswoman said. |
| "This led to a decision to manually restart the ride, overriding the control system without appropriate safety protocols being followed correctly." | "This led to a decision to manually restart the ride, overriding the control system without appropriate safety protocols being followed correctly." |
| A total of 16 people were injured when the carriage they were in collided with an empty one that had come to a halt ahead of them. | A total of 16 people were injured when the carriage they were in collided with an empty one that had come to a halt ahead of them. |
| Merlin Entertainment, which owns Alton Towers, previously said all 16 would receive compensation. | Merlin Entertainment, which owns Alton Towers, previously said all 16 would receive compensation. |
| Crash errors | Crash errors |
| Four people sitting in the front row were among those most seriously hurt. | Four people sitting in the front row were among those most seriously hurt. |
| Ms Balch, 20, from Lancashire, had six rounds of surgery in a bid to save her leg before needing an amputation. | Ms Balch, 20, from Lancashire, had six rounds of surgery in a bid to save her leg before needing an amputation. |
| Ms Washington, 17, from Barnsley, also had one of her legs amputated and her 18-year-old boyfriend Joe Pugh shattered his knees. | Ms Washington, 17, from Barnsley, also had one of her legs amputated and her 18-year-old boyfriend Joe Pugh shattered his knees. |
| Daniel Thorpe, 27, from Buxton in Derbyshire, was treated for a collapsed lung and lower leg injuries. | Daniel Thorpe, 27, from Buxton in Derbyshire, was treated for a collapsed lung and lower leg injuries. |
| Another passenger Chanda Chauhan, 49, from Wednesbury, had surgery after suffering internal injuries. | Another passenger Chanda Chauhan, 49, from Wednesbury, had surgery after suffering internal injuries. |
| The Health and Safety Executive said its own investigation was "still ongoing". | The Health and Safety Executive said its own investigation was "still ongoing". |
| Alton Towers said it had followed "standard HR procedures and taken the appropriate action" when dealing with the staff whose errors caused the crash. | Alton Towers said it had followed "standard HR procedures and taken the appropriate action" when dealing with the staff whose errors caused the crash. |
| A spokeswoman said: "The outcome of this however remains a private matter between us and any individual concerned." | A spokeswoman said: "The outcome of this however remains a private matter between us and any individual concerned." |
| Merlin Entertainments said significantly lower numbers of visitors to Alton Towers over the summer had prompted a restructuring of the business which could see 190 job losses following an 11.4% fall in revenues. | Merlin Entertainments said significantly lower numbers of visitors to Alton Towers over the summer had prompted a restructuring of the business which could see 190 job losses following an 11.4% fall in revenues. |
| When the Smiler reopens next year, it will feature an additional level of authorisation so no manual override can happen without a senior member of staff, the theme park said. | When the Smiler reopens next year, it will feature an additional level of authorisation so no manual override can happen without a senior member of staff, the theme park said. |
| "We are confident that lessons have been learned and that appropriate action has been taken to address all the issues raised by our investigation." | "We are confident that lessons have been learned and that appropriate action has been taken to address all the issues raised by our investigation." |
| Were you in Alton Towers on the day of the accident? Does the news change how you view theme park rides? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories. | Were you in Alton Towers on the day of the accident? Does the news change how you view theme park rides? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or please use the form below: | Or please use the form below: |