What happened?
There was a serious accident on a roller coaster at Legoland amusement park on Thursday afternoon because two trains collided. The impact injured 31 people, 16 of them were taken to hospital. According to Manuela Stone, the managing director of Legoland in Günzburg, all the injured left the hospital in the evening. The Kempten police contradict the information. Accordingly, a person with serious injuries is still being treated in the hospital
How did the accident happen?
According to initial findings by the police, a train on the “Feuerdrache” roller coaster hit a train in front because it had previously braked sharply. A representative of the public prosecutor’s office was still there on Thursday to inspect the roller coaster. In addition, an expert should be consulted. It is still unclear why the train just stopped and the other one crashed into it. And nothing is likely to change anytime soon. A spokesman for the police and prosecutors said on Friday that investigations into the cause of the accident could take several months. “There’s a lot of work to do for the Neu-Ulm Criminal Investigation Department,” said police spokesman Dominic Geißler.
What is the status of the investigation?
The Kripo Neu-Ulm has been investigating allegations of negligent bodily harm since Thursday. So far, however, this has not been directed against one or more specific suspects. The responsible prosecutor said on Friday. So far it has not been clarified whether a technical defect or a mistake by the staff was the cause. On Thursday there was talk of a fault in the electronics that could have led to the accident. According to the police, witnesses are also to be questioned today and in the next few days. There was no time for that on the day of the accident.
What is known about the “Fire Dragon” ride?
The steel roller coaster has been one of the main attractions since the amusement park opened in 2002. According to the Legoland website, it travels at speeds of up to eight meters per second, which corresponds to around 29 kilometers per hour. According to an online database for roller coasters, the system can even reach a speed of up to 56.5 kilometers per hour. It consists of three trains, each of which can seat 20 people in rows of two. The construction was made by the carousel and special machine construction company Zierer from Deggendorf in Lower Bavaria. A spokeswoman for the company said on Friday when asked by SZ that they would not comment on the technical details of the roller coaster or the possible causes of the accident. “As long as the incident is being investigated, we will not make any statement.” Legoland also left unanswered questions about maintenance and possible problems with the ride. “We are currently still in consultation,” said a spokeswoman. At a very short press conference, Legoland Managing Director Manuela Stone did not want to answer any questions either.
What’s next on site?
After the accident on Thursday, operations in the other areas continued as usual. Eyewitnesses report that they only found out about the accident after they left Legoland because there were no announcements that would have reported the collision of the roller coaster trains. The doors were also open on Friday, but only for guests who had already bought tickets for Legoland in advance. There were no tickets available at the box office on site or on the website. Tickets are available again for Saturday and thereafter.
However, the part of the area where the accident happened remained closed due to investigative work. “The Land of the Knights will remain temporarily closed,” said Legoland Managing Director Manuela Stone. The roller coaster itself was closed for investigation by the police shortly after the accident. It is not yet clear when it will be able to resume operations. A specialist consultant for roller coasters will only be able to inspect the system at the beginning of the coming week.
How common are roller coaster accidents?
The accident in Legoland is reminiscent of an accident last week in the wildlife and leisure park in Klotten. A 57-year-old woman died there on Saturday after being thrown from a moving roller coaster. Accidents on rides happen all the time. In July, a 14-year-old girl died at an amusement park in Aarhus, Denmark, after two roller coaster seats fell off. At the Rheinkirmes in Düsseldorf, two people were injured in the head when parts fell from a free fall tower. The last major incident in Bavaria was in 2017. Because a steel cable broke, the seats of a free fall tower dropped a few meters until the safety systems took effect. 13 children were injured.
Who is responsible for inspecting roller coasters?
All roller coasters and other rides in Germany are regularly inspected by testing companies. Maurice Shahd, spokesman for the TÜV association, says that facilities in amusement parks such as Legoland are checked once a year by independent experts. “That usually happens before the season starts.” In the case of roller coasters that are transported to various folk festivals, the timing is even tighter. External experts are always on site to check the rides before they are put back into operation. Above all, material fatigue, rust or other wear and tear is checked carefully. Slight defects can be remedied quickly, with significant defects the roller coaster must first be repaired before it can go into operation. The TÜV does not keep any statistics on how often defects in material or technology are found on roller coasters. “We also always do a test ride to make sure that the forces acting on the body are not too great. We examine the roller coasters very carefully, both technically and with all our senses,” says Shahd.
Are the German roller coasters safe?
According to Frank Hakelberg, the general manager of the German Showmen’s Association, the German roller coasters are among the safest in the world. “We have a very secure screening system and therefore very secure lanes,” he says. In addition to the assessments, there is a special test every four to six years. “The entire track is disassembled, often even stripped of paint, and heavily used parts are X-rayed, so to speak, to see whether the material has cracks.” With this special test, Germany is the only country in the world that looks so closely. TÜV spokesman Maurice Shahd also sees the operators themselves as responsible for ensuring the safety of their rides. They are obliged to carry out a safety check of their systems every day, says Shahd.