Clacton Pier bosses reveal cause of Looping Star rollercoaster crash which injured two people
Bosses at Clacton Pier have said that an accident which saw two people go to hospital with head injuries was caused by "human error".
They are carrying out an internal investigation after the accident that involved the Looping Star rollercoaster.
Two people were injured and taken to Colchester Hospital by Essex Ambulance Serviceon Monday afternoon and the ride was closed.
One of those injured was a long-standing member of pier staff. He remains in hospital under observation, suffering from fractured ribs and a cut to the head.
A woman, who is believed to have been in the car at the front of the ride, was also taken to hospital with a head injury and shock.
A Health and Safety (HSE) inspector carried out an inspection on Tuesday morning, and spoke to staff at the attraction.
Pier director Billy Ball said the incident at 12.20pm was not caused by any fault or malfunction in the Looping Star or by the ride operator.
He said: "Our initial thoughts have been backed up by our own internal investigation so far which puts it down to individual human error.
"The member of staff, who was not part of the rides team and was injured, was going abouthis duties with good intent, but in a restricted area where he should not have been.
"He had gone into the ride to clear away some rubbish, something he should not have doneas the ride was due to go into service.
"He did not hear the car going round and was clipped by the bumper.
"He also made contact with the woman in the front of the ride on the way past and she washit on the head and in shock."
An emergency stop was carried out by the ride operator once he became aware ofthe accident.
Mr Ball added that all opening and operating checks had been carried out correctly andsatisfactorily on Monday.
He added: "We will also be submitting a report to the HSE in due course. The HSE is treating this as an inspection and not a full investigation at this stage and havehanded the ride back to the pier.
"Once the safety and integrity of the ride has been established by the pier technical team post impact it will be tested and we expect to reopen it later [on Tuesday]."
He said he had visited the injured member of staff in hospital, and that he was "in relatively good spirits."
He added: "We will be speaking to all staff to reiterate the importance of following approved procedures at the pier and will put on any extra training we feel necessary."
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