A dad has claimed the restraint on a Swansea Waterfront Winterland ride came loose as he was allegedly lifted into the air at high speed while desperately trying to stay in his seat. Chris Miller said the incident has left his 10-year-old daughter "very traumatised".
Chris visited the Museum Park attraction at around 11.30am on Saturday with his partner Lucie and daughter Summer. He claims the Moondancer ride had already been stopped once due to his safety concerns shortly before it restarted and his restraint "came completely off".
The 39-year-old said he feared for his life as he was allegedly carried to a height of around 25ft before the ride halted. His daughter Summer was "petrified" and lost her voice because she was screaming so loudly in the seat next to him.
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A spokesman for Studt’s Funfairs which operates the ride said the Moondancer "operated exactly as intended and as any customer would hope for it to do". They added that "the failsafe engaged and the operator was able to check the ride and later fully reinstate it without concern".
The fairground is run by A2H Live and Sayers Events which are both also involved in operating Cardiff's Winter Wonderland where three people were injured on Saturday after coming off a ride in mid-air. Two of those hurt were taken to hospital following the incident which is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.
Chris said he and Summer had looked forward to visiting the Swansea amusement park as they had enjoyed doing each winter for the last six or seven years. Summer had been there with friends the weekend before and was keen to show Chris the Moondancer, which cost £4 per person.
"The ride has a row of seats and spins people round in a clock-face motion," said Chris. "It puts you about 25ft into the air and whooshes you back round. You need a safety barrier to keep you in the chair. Without it anybody of a smaller build would go flying out.
"I sat right at the end of the row with my daughter and partner in the seats next to me. I had a padded coat on with my wallet and keys in the pockets so when the guy pushed the safety barrier down he only clicked it two places down even though there were about 10 to 20 teeth available. I questioned that but he said a minimum of two clicks was fine. I'm a big lad – 6ft tall but not overweight. It was a tight fit and my chest was pushed in, so it seemed quite difficult to breathe.
"But I trusted their judgement and the ride started. About 20 seconds in, the bar slipped out to the last click and I panicked. I shouted: 'Stop the ride' and they stopped it. The operative put it back down to the second click. I was starting to get quite anxious but again I trusted their judgement."
Chris said the ride began again with the restraint "two clicks down" but within seconds it "went to one click and then came completely off". He added that he tried to pull the restraint back in place but could not do so because of the speed of the ride.
"I was trying to get the operative's attention but there was loud music," he said. "I was flying up and down while my partner was screaming to the operative. After about five to 10 seconds the ride came to a stop. It went on long enough for us to go all the way round once and up to 80% of the maximum height again before it stopped.
"If you were to fly out of the seat at the highest point you are talking death or serious injury. I'm so grateful it was me because if it was a smaller person or child I imagine they would have slid out."
Chris said the ride was lowered to ground level and he then got off with his partner and daughter because they felt unsafe. People who had seen what happened were "instructing their own children to come off the ride immediately", he said.
He added: "I approached the token kiosk afterwards and spoke to the ride owner who said the ride should automatically stop when a barrier lifts. He was very sorry and he gave a refund but I was flabbergasted to see people being allowed straight on after what had happened. They had only stopped people sitting in the seat I was in but the whole thing should have been closed down and checked.
"My daughter was beside herself and petrified bless her heart. She was in tears because she'd thought her daddy was going to die. She's very, very traumatised. I think it will affect her ability to enjoy any fairground experience. I'm okay and will move on but I think it will have a detrimental effect on my daughter."
A spokesperson for Studt’s Funfairs said it is aware of an "event" in which the failsafe worked "as intended". They added: "The customer was allowed to exit the ride and received a full refund. Safety is a priority for Studt's Funfairs and as a precaution we ceased use of that particular seat to perform checks. The ride has since been fully checked over and is operating properly.
“While this customer wasn’t satisfied with their overall experience our sites operate across south Wales and have thousands of customers per year who enjoy the professional and safe attractions that our company and family name is built upon. We are proud of our exemplary safety record and look forward to continuing to work across south Wales to continue this record as we welcome visitors to our sites."
A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: “HSE are aware of the incident and making enquiries.” In response a spokeswoman for Winterland said: “We always cooperate fully with all of the relevant authorities and will continue to do so in this case.”
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