Alton Towers is to remain closed over one of the hottest weekends of the year as investigations continue into the Smiler rollercoaster crash that caused serious injuries to four people.
They were taken to hospital on Tuesday with serious leg injuries after a carriage full of passengers collided at speed with a test car that had stopped on the ride.
Alton Towers is reportedly losing around £500,000 a day until the park reopens, and confirmed on Saturday it would remain shut until at least next week.
“Due to the ongoing investigation into the incident on the Smiler earlier this week, Alton Towers theme park will remain closed tomorrow,” the park said in a statement, adding that all guests with pre-booked tickets could return on another date or get a refund.
The 14-loop Smiler is subject to a prohibition notice – a legally enforced ban – until action is taken to deal with the cause of the crash.
The Saw ride at Thorpe Park in Surrey, and the Dragon’s Fury and Rattlesnake rollercoasters at Chessington World of Adventures, also in Surrey, have also been shut down by Merlin Entertainments, which owns all three parks.
Vicky Balch, 20, from Leyland, Lancashire, is still undergoing surgery after suffering “significant leg injuries” but her condition is not life threatening, according to solicitors representing her family.
Stewarts Law said that “serious consideration” would be given to criminal prosecutions, and that they anticipate a substantial damages claim. They said they had contacted the Health and Safety Executive and hoped to discuss the issue further with Merlin’s insurers and legal team next week.
Balch’s boyfriend, Daniel Thorpe, 27, a hotel assistant manager from Buxton in Derbyshire; Joe Pugh, 18, a textile design student from Barnsley, South Yorkshire; and his girlfriend, Leah Washington, 17, have been named as the other three of the four most seriously injured in the crash.
@GuardianEdu 100%. Took kids to Thorpe Park last year. Not a chance in hell I'll do the same this year.
— Dani (@danidelle23) June 6, 2015
Riders were suspended 8m (25ft) in the air at a 45-degree angle for several hours.
Merlin, which has a market value of £4.47bn, has seen its share price fall around 4.6% since the FTSE 100 opened on the day of the crash. It fell 1.2% on Friday.
The theme park is a popular destination for end-of-term school trips, but several teachers have expressed concern about taking pupils after the incident.
@GuardianEdu Can you imagine what kind of risk assessment we would need to complete now for a trip. Not this year that's for sure.
— rodney (@thinshadow) June 6, 2015
Year 9 pupils from Cambridgeshire’s Linton Village College were due to visit the theme park on the day after the Smiler crash, the Cambridge News reported. That trip has now been cancelled.
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