August 2009 - Roller coaster crash at Pleasure Beach

11.08.09 19:59hrs. North West Ambulance Control is advised that 2 trains of cars have collided on the Roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Four ambulances, a Patient Transport Services vehicle, a Major Incident vehicle, several ambulance officers and Med-ALERT's Medical Director, Vic Calland are mobilised to the scene along with the Fire Service rope rescue team, an aerial ladder platform and a couple of crews. Approximately twenty police officers, security staff and the Pleasure Beaches own first aid staffand management team completed the response.

Two casualties had to be taken on long boards from the carriages, which were almost at the top of one of the rises. The other casualties were able to self evacuate with the assistance of the fire crew. A reception area was set up in the Burger King cafeteria where the uninjured children involved in the incident soon forgot their fright when faced with free ice cream! Several "injured" children then decided they were uninjured too!

Dr Vic Calland said "The two casualties carried from the carriages were treated as spinal injuries because this could not be excluded. There was one other adult with a whiplash type injury who had self evacuated. One male casualty had a head injury and another had quite a serious facial injury. Apart from this most of the children just had bruises and grazes though one boy looked as though he could have broken his nose and one his wrist." 

In all about 30 people went to hospital, but only about thirteen were injured, the rest were parents guardians and attached family.