http://news.sky.com/story/1494944/carriage...miler-ride

It isn't a ride I've been on but I have heard it has suffered technical difficulties and now this. Some serious injuries apparently and it has been claimed that staff were alerted by visitors to the empty carriage but action was not taken in time to stop it.

Just watching Sky News now and Nick Varney, Chief Executive of Merlin Entertainment that owns the park, has said that fail safe systems should in theory make this kind of incident impossible. The investigation involving the Health and Safety Executive will take time but cue the legal claims.

Claims over every little thing annoy me but this is a prima facie case of negligence and solicitors will be looking at some serious litigation here. Alton Towers will be insured for this kind of thing and I hope those injured make a full recovery but this is interesting from both the accident and investigation viewpoint and the potential for legal claims. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

make sure it never happens again then worry about who gets/ who pays later

anyone climbing on an rollercoaster should expect some risk, although I guess paying high prices to a professional firm should minimise your risk perception. At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Indeed. Apparently, an incident occurred with the ride not long ago where some bolts came loose and hit some of the front seats passengers

It's got a slightly iffy track record even before now. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

Mine you folk do go on these hoping to be taken to the limit and scared out of their lives, sometimes it really does?

The initial claim costs will be met by Alton Parks insurers, who will the look to the maintenance contractor to compensate them, who will then look to the acceptance testers, then to the manufacturers, then to the safety software writers etc etc.

S t rolls downhill and enventually it will come down to the person(s) with the lowest level of insurance cover .

Hope the injured are not too serious and all recover soon regardless of who ultimately gets the blame.

It will go down the ranks until it gets to the young lad who fitted the bolt that came out and it will all rest on his shoulders whilst everyone else breathes a sigh of relief saying that was a close one and lessons will be learnt from it, just like the government says really with all their failed policies

I once worked in a 6 storey building with a central glass atrium. One day one of the glass roof panels came loose and crashed down right beside the reception desk just missing the receptionist. There was a compensation claim. The company sued the landlord who sued the builder who sued the architect who sued the glass panel maker who sued the architect etc etc.
Compare that with the 1952 Farnborough air display when a plane crashed into the crowd killing 31 people, injured dozens more. There were no compensation claims and they didn't even stop the show. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

These days of health and safety we used to have to do our own risk assessment of the job before we started it.
Now you dont really have to look far to something really that would stop you doing the job and going home, and that was a problem.
The company bought it out to cover their own backside so to speak and put all the onus on the man doing the job, if you didnt spot the risk and there was an accident it was your fault and if you did spot the risk but did the job anyway as you would get the sack if you didnt and you had an accident it was your fault.
If you told the client he had to provide protection or rectify the situation etc before you did the job and that caused them to go elsewhere and you lost the contract it was your fault.
If you took too long because you were being careful and it was costing too much it was your fault.

Basically it was make sure the paperwork is right and then carry on as youve always done for years, and get the job done, but if anything should happen its your fault.
Dont rush the job because safety is paramount and takes first priority, but why are you taking so long? is your fault.

I live at the end of a single track lane. Telephone problem so call out BT. He says he can't go up the pole without a cherry picker as the wire could get snagged by a passing vehicle and pull him off the pole. But we are at the end of a single track lane and nothing can get past your van anyway. Sorry HSE says I can't do the job until we get the cherry picker in next week.  3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

dorsetfreelander wrote:

I once worked in a 6 storey building with a central glass atrium. One day one of the glass roof panels came loose and crashed down right beside the reception desk just missing the receptionist. There was a compensation claim. The company sued the landlord who sued the builder who sued the architect who sued the glass panel maker who sued the architect etc etc.
Compare that with the 1952 Farnborough air display when a plane crashed into the crowd killing 31 people, injured dozens more. There were no compensation claims and they didn't even stop the show.

Hope the cherry picker has a inspection certificate thats still current when it gets there or they still cant do the job.
Oh and the guy has had his harness inspected in the last 6 months or youre on to a real loser there too.

Ask the user if hes been trained to go up in one as well?

If they havent and hes on your property and you know, its all your fault.

where there's blame, there's a claim...............

We expect perfect safety but of course that's an illusion, and somewhat a modern phenomena. There's inherent risk when you're flinging people around at high speed.

Fingers crossed they all recover. FL2 2011 SD4 XS in Galway Green

When I was a teenager back in the 1960s I had a Saturday job in a Butcher's Shop. It wasn't like today where cooked and raw meats are separate and you have to wash your hands every 2 minutes etc. We had raw chickens on the block next to cooked ham, sausage and raw steak etc. Chickens hanging up next to sides of beef plus bones for the dog etc. Everything wrapped up in newspaper. As far as I was aware none of our customers (or us) ever went down with food poisoning. So what has changed? Have the bugs got stronger? Have we lost our immune systems? Or is this another aspect of the HSE culture? 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

a mix of the last two really,

'We' are now so obsessed with cleanliness that our children/grandchildren have never really come into contact with bugs and so have not built up an immune system the way us old farts did.

Then people get food poisening from a restaurant and the HSE clamps down on cleanliness, which means less bugs, which means less immunity......... and so on and so on...........

The same HSE tells places like Alton Towers that accidents should not happen and wrap them up in so much red tape and threats of fines etc, that they cant afford to pay for the highest quality steel bolts to screw the rides together. Which results in accidents, and then HSE clamp down on quality and safety, which means less money for safety............ and so on and so on..........