Alton Towers operator Merlin Attractions has been fined £5 million at Stafford Crown Court after admitting health and safety breaches over The Smiler rollercoaster crash.
The crash left two teenagers needing leg amputations, and several other victims with serious injuries.
Several victims of the crash were in court, where the hearing was told the force of the rash was equivalent to a family car crashing at 90mph.
Alton Towers operator Merlin let their customers "badly down" when several passengers were seriously injured in last year's Smiler rollercoaster crash, the Health and Safety Executive has said.
Speaking outside Stafford Crown Court, where the company was fined £5 million for health and safety failings, Neil Craig, HSE's Head of Operations for the Midlands, said: "When people visit theme parks, they should be able to enjoy themselves safely.
"On 2nd June last year, Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd failed to protect their customers. They let them badly down. It is right that they've been held to account for those failings in a criminal court.
"This avoidable incident happened because Merlin failed to put in place systems that would allow their engineers to work safely on the ride whilst it was running. This made it all too easy for a whole series of unchecked mistakes, not just the single push of a button, to result in tragedy.
"Since the incident, Merlin have made improvements to the ride and to their safety protocols - and the lessons learned have been shared with the industry."
A video showing the moment a carriage on the Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers crashed into an empty car has been shown in court.
Merlin, the operator of the park, has been told it should expect a "very large fine" for breaching health and safety.