Two cars collided on the Blackpool fun ride

A crash between two cars on the Big Dipper on Blackpool Pleasure Beach meant firefighters had to be called to rescue over 30 people at the height of the summer season this year.

Two cars on the amusement ride collided 20ft above the ground in the early evening on the 10th August, with tourists becoming trapped and freed by firefighters from the wreckage. Stretchers, neck collars and spine boards were used by Lancashire Fire and Rescue to help people down from the ride.

Some sustained serious injuries in the collision, with 21 casualties admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital. Three people we carried in on stretchers, and many suffered broken noses, cuts and bruises and whiplash.

(Times Online, 2009)
“We thought people could have died…”

Passers-by outside the amusement park heard “a huge crash,” and called emergency services. One holidaymaker said “There was a huge commotion and screaming. We thought people could have died,” (The Guardian, 2009). Police are investigating possible causes of the accident, including a mechanical failure or obstruction.

The Big Dipper will remain closed while an investigation is carried out by the emergency services and the Health and Safety Executive. Blackpool Pleasure Beach said “It’s extraordinarily rare that we have an incident like this and it’s very sad for us to realise that some people have been injured and we wish them well and a very speedy recovery,” (The Guardian, 2009).

The Big Dipper, constructed out of wood, was opened in 1923, remaining one of Blackpool’s biggest draws, reaching heights of 60ft. Previous accidents took place in 2000, when 14 people on another ride were injured, and in the same year an 11-year-old boy suffered a fatal fall from the Space Invader ride.