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Accident on Splash Canyon

I suspect that there's a little more to this than we're seeing.

It could be that evidence has been put forward to suggest that the park is to blame.

Could be that the cameras on that part of the ride were down due to poor maintenance. The e-stop might have failed. Maybe staff were on their mobiles.

Yes, the reason the girl was out of the boat was her own fault, but could/should the park have been able to save her?

It could even be that they had warnings previously about how rough that part of the rapids was close to the event and they hadn't acted.

A park should do everything it can to stop you from being injured, but it should also be able to quickly deal with am emergency to save your life.

Just food for thought. It seems to me that it's a strong response, so maybe there's something else at play we're not privy to.

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I read in the article posted in the other page that when the girl was out of the boat, she was on either rocks/scenery and then fell/pulled in via the rapids current.

Which I've never read about before in relation to this incident, had assumed she stood up, it bumped, and she fell into the water.

As furie said if there was sufficient time where the operators could of but did not react appropriately to this incident either by negligence, improper training or a fault with the ride then the owners are at fault as a collective rather than one individual i.e. Alton Towers and The Smiler.

Surely though if Drayton made the necessary safety information accessible, which we all assume they did, then there's no chance of conviction? So hopefully there's nothing to worry about for the park/other rapids rides.
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You'd be surprised! Signs outside a ride are useful for parks, a tick in the box for a safety audit but will not save you fully if an accident happens. How many times do you actually read the entrance signs at a theme park?
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47443195

No manslaughter case over Drayton Manor death
The death of an 11-year-old girl at a theme park does not meet the threshold for gross negligence or corporate manslaughter, police have said.
Evha Jannath, from Leicester, fell from the Splash Canyon ride at Drayton Manor on 9 May 2017. Staffordshire Police said it had concluded its investigation and the case had been reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will take over the probe. A HSE spokesperson said: "This remains a criminal investigation and we will be considering whether there were any breaches of health and safety law relevant to the circumstances of this tragic event."

Police said detectives carried out a "thorough and lengthy investigation" before the file was submitted to the CPS for advice. It was then decided that it did not meet the threshold for gross negligence or corporate manslaughter. Det Insp John Quilty said: "The investigation into the tragic death of Evha has been extremely complex and we have worked closely throughout with the park, HSE and CPS."

Evah's family are aware of the latest developments and the HSE said it would continue to keep them informed.

The Splash Canyon ride at Drayton Manor has remained closed since Evha's death. A forensic pathologist concluded Evha, who was on a school trip, died as a result of drowning. Her inquest is scheduled to last a week, starting on 4 November.
In a statement, Leicester East MP Keith Vaz, who has represented the family, criticised the speed of the process. "The delay in this matter has been intolerable," he said. "It is now almost one year and 10 months since this tragedy occurred."
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Leon said:
does any one think this ride will re open next year or do you think it has had its day ?
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I don't think so. Even with an accidental death verdict, they're asking for a load of negative publicity if they reopen it, with all the news articles being dredged up again. They're better off letting the story slowly disappear.

Plus there's the money to get it open again, which, based on other rides closing and just sitting there, doesn't seem to be available.

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I think they could reopen it - the precedent has been set by Hydro, Twister (LWV, reopened after the first accident) and Smiler where the accidents were actually caused by ride malfunctions, yet they all reopened.
As others have said, the real question is the condition of the ride and if they have the money available to reopen it.
 
Peet said:
I think they could reopen it - the precedent has been set by Hydro, Twister (LWV, reopened after the first accident) and Smiler where the accidents were actually caused by ride malfunctions, yet they all reopened.
As others have said, the real question is the condition of the ride and if they have the money available to reopen it.
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The difference with all three of those rides is that they were very new when the accidents happened. It would have been financially disastrous to have had to close them so soon, so the negative publicity was worth the risk.

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Yes, there seems to be a lot of enthusiasts who think that is the end of it and Drayton are fine.

This was only ever an inquiry. HSE will still be prosecuting so a fine is on its way not to mention whether the family will have any grounds to press charges.
 
BBC also have an article on the ruling.

www.bbc.co.uk

Evha Jannath: Ex Drayton Manor operator fined £1m after ride death

Evha Jannath's death at Drayton Manor was an "utterly tragic waste of a young life", the judge says.
www.bbc.co.uk

"During a sentencing hearing at Stafford Crown Court on Thursday, Mr Justice Spencer said: "This was an utterly tragic waste of a young life."

He added there was "no prospect of the fine being paid" given the company operating the park at the time had since gone into administration.

The park has been sold to Looping Group, which runs attractions in Europe and the UK including West Midland Safari Park and Pleasurewood Hills."
 
So IF what we think we know IS true... A young girl, breaks the rules and stands up on a ride, despite being in direct care and control of her teachers, sat in the boat with her... An inquest rules the death as accidental and not negligence and yet the park are fined, whilst nothing is said of the teachers in the boat with her? It's a sad world we live in...

I wonder what would have happened if it was parents in the boat with her.

Of course it makes no difference to DM, as they're done and gone... But it sets a precedence, unfortunately.
 
^ thought the teachers had let them go on their own - but the point about the teachers supervision and personal behaviour / responsibilities stands.
 
davidm said:
^ thought the teachers had let them go on their own - but the point about the teachers supervision and personal behaviour / responsibilities stands.
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Not entirely sure, it was definitely mentioned somewhere originally that teachers were in the boat, but you could be right...

I wouldn't leave my own 10-11 year old to walk around a theme park and ride alone though, so not sure how I feel about the thought that teacher's may do this on trips. Had always (naively?) assumed that the reason they take so many volunteer parents on these trips was so that they could split into small groups and maintain supervision :/

EDIT: Looks like you're right, they were accompanied, but the teacher got off for the 'second go around' as the kids wanted to continue...


The inquest was told she had been standing up and "reaching into the water", breaching the park's rules, before she was "propelled" from the boat.
CCTV footage played to jurors, showed her wading back towards her friends before climbing an "algae-covered travelator" and then falling off into a "much deeper" section of water.
She was spotted face down by staff about 11 minutes later before her lifeless body was retrieved.
Jurors were told the emergency stop button for the rapids ride was not pressed for 10 minutes after staff were informed a child was in the water.
The inquest had heard Evha fell during her second turn on the ride - on her first she had been accompanied by teachers.
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