An investigation has been launched after a man reportedly fell out of a ride at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed an incident happened on the Treetops rollercoaster in the park on Sunday and inspectors are investigating the circumstances.
People at the theme park were ordered to leave following the incident, as crews from the Welsh Ambulance Service and Wales Air Ambulance attended. One person was taken to hospital but their condition is unknown.
Representatives of Dyfed-Powys Police, Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Ambulance Service have all confirmed they are aware of the incident but declined to comment further on Monday. The park remains closed to the public.
Oakwood issued a statement on the incident today. It said: "We are deeply saddened by the incident that took place on our Treetops ride on Sunday 23rd October in which one of our visitors sustained an injury. We are co-operating fully with the HSE investigation into the incident and are unable to comment further at this stage.
"The health, safety, and wellbeing of all our visitors and staff is of paramount importance to us. Following guidance from the HSE, Oakwood Theme Park will re-open for the half term holiday in Wales on Saturday 29th October as planned with Treetops remaining closed during the period of investigation. All guests affected by yesterday’s closure, will be contacted directly by a member of our team."
Read more: New Prime Minister latest as Rishi Sunak emerges as clear frontrunner on deadline day
Air ambulance
An air ambulance was seen landing at the park about 30 minutes following the incident, according to one eyewitness. Tim Burdett, whose wife saw the helicopter land, said he and his daughter were attempting to get on the ride as the incident occurred.
He said: "We went on a few others then headed back over there at about 12.30pm when another family told us staff had closed the ride for ten minutes or so. So we went on a few others and headed back about half an hour later. That's when there was a lot of staff telling us not to go down that way so we didn't. We were then told to leave the park about an hour later."
Eyewitness heard 'horrific screams' on Treetops
Another eyewitness described hearing "horrific screams" and on the ride before it was closed. Sean Hayes, from London said: "I shouted for the ride to stop and staff were clearly panicking to get it stopped. It went on for a bit before it grinded to a halt. We had to evacuate the ride on a bend and staff were present to help people off."
Describing the scenes after disembarking the ride, Mr Hayes said he noticed people including a group of girls in shock and asked if they were ok, "which clearly they weren't". After going to retrieve his bag he said he saw a man lying on the ground, adding that staff members from the theme park and paramedics were in attendance.
The BBC reported that people "started screaming and saying stop" before a man was thrown to the ground, but this has not been confirmed by the park's owners or the HSE.
Dr Harriet Lloyd told the BBC that her husband was on the ride at the time. She said he noticed there was a man and a teenage girl in the carriage at the back of the ride. Dr Lloyd added: "When he turned around the man was no longer there, and then they saw him on the second descent of the ride, and he'd obviously been thrown out of carriage. He could see him and then the passengers were trying to help hold the last carriage on because the girl was still in it and it was still moving around."
Health and Safety Executive response
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed on Monday morning that it is investigating an incident on the Treetops rollercoaster at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire.
Sian Clayton, HSE’s head of operations in Wales, said: “Our inspectors are investigating an incident on the Treetops rollercoaster at Oakwood Theme Park. We will provide more information when we can."
Park evacuated
According to one person who was at the park at the time, people were told to leave around 3pm, roughly one and a half to two hours after emergency services were called to the park. A WalesOnline reporter confirmed that the park's car park was mostly empty by 3.30pm.
Oakwood Theme Park statement
On Sunday, Oakwood Theme Park issued a statement which said: “As a result of an incident at Oakwood today we have closed the park to the public with immediate effect."
Representatives for the park, which is owned by a Spanish company Aspro Parks, have been contacted for comment on Monday but no further information has been issued.
Read next:
The horrific moment a car slams into the back of a taxi at high speed
Baby found unresponsive in Newport
The residents desperately trying to save the last pub in their community
Young family being evicted from their home and facing homelessness
