Dreamworld inquest, day four: How staffer helped boy in tragedy
THUNDER River Rapids ride operators had to ‘make do’ and ‘not get overwhelmed’ during peak periods, the inquest into the tragedy has heard.
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THUNDER River Rapids ride operators had to ‘make do’ and ‘not get overwhelmed’ during peak periods, the inquest has heard.
Ride operator Chloe Brix told the hearing back-up staff were not always available.
“You get used to it, you just kind of make do,” she told workplace health and safety investigators.
“You just had to keep moving, keep going (and) not get overwhelmed by the amount of guests.”
FOLLOW ROLLING UPDATES BELOW
She told the hearing there was not always another staff member available to assist when the ride got busy.
She said she would request back-up but getting help ‘just depends if someone was available or not’.
Meanwhile the first-aid kit at Dreamworld was not fully stocked on the day of the Thunder River Rapids ride tragedy, a senior ride operator has told the inquest.
Tim Williams, one of the operators of the ill-fated Thunder River Rapids ride on which four tourists died, said he noticed the kit was not properly stocked on the day of the tragedy on October 25, 2016.
He said ride operators had stopped telling supervisors about the issue daily because it did not stop the rides from opening.
Tim Williams was cross-examined by the barrister for one of the four victims, Cindy Low.
He told the court no emergency drills have been introduced at Dreamworld since the Thunder River Rapids ride tragedy.
Mr Williams was asked if any emergency drills or simulations had been introduced since the October 2016 tragedy.
“There’s been talk of plans of doing it but not as yet that I’m aware of,” he said.
ROLLING UPDATES
3.56pm Young Dreamworld ride operator Chloe Brix says she had to ‘make do’ and ‘not get overwhelmed’ during busy times on Thunder River Rapids ride. Says back-up staff not always available.
2.56pm No emergency drills have been introduced at Dreamworld since the Thunder River Rapids ride disaster, inquest told Dreamworld inquest.
2.39pm Dreamworld ride operator Tim Williams says first-aid kit wasn’t fully stocked on day of Thunder River Rapids ride tragedy.
1.05pm The Coroner tells barristers to co-operate and limit questioning to avoid delaying proceedings. It’s the fourth day and only four witnesses have spoken so far – there are still 31 to go.
12.24pm Dreamworld senior ride operator Tim Williams says there was no practical training for operational problems on the Thunder River Rapids ride.
Mr Williams told the inquest said it would only be ‘by chance’ that a problem would occur during training.
“There was no scenario training,” he said.
‘NO SCENARIO TRAINING’ FOR STAFF ON TRAGIC RIDE
FORMER Dreamworld junior ride operator Courtney Williams’ emotional condition is “not good” after two days of sitting in court, her barrister has told the inquest.
Peter Callaghan said Ms Williams was upset at having to revisit earlier evidence about whether to press the emergency stop button on the Thunder River Rapids ride.
Yesterday, she told the Coroner that she still wouldn’t have pressed the button even if she knew its function because she wasn’t trained to it.
However, this morning she clarified her testimony, saying she would have done “everything I could have” to stop the ride.
Mr Callaghan said Ms Williams was “mortified” her testimony yesterday may have upset the families of the four victims.
Ms Williams continued giving evidence on day four of the inquest.
NO ALARM TO SIGNAL PUMP MALFUNCTION
THERE was no alarm to indicate a pump malfunction on Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapids ride.
Senior ride operator Tim Williams told the inquest into the 2016 tragedy that an amp meter was the only sign that the pump had stopped working.
The inquest has heard that the ride’s south pump stopped working twice before the tragedy.
Water levels on the ride plunged after the malfunctions, causing the rafts to collide.
DREAMWORLD’S HARROWING FOOTAGE REQUEST
DREAMWORLD inquest coroner James McDougall has refused to allow further CCTV replays of the Thunder River Rapids ride tragedy.
Gavin Handran,barrister for Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson, wanted to replay the footage during cross-examination of ride operator Courtney Williams.
Ms Williams’ barrister Peter Callaghan earlier told the inquest that the 23-year-old was “highly distressed” about having to relive the tragedy.
Mr McDougall refused to allow further replays.
But he allowed Mr Handran to ask Ms Williams if she had turned her back after the first raft became wedged on the ride and did not look back until the she saw the second raft tip.
“Yes,” she replied.
Ms Williams has finished giving evidence and senior ride operator Tim Williams (no relation) has now taken the witness stand.
DREAMWORLD INQUEST: Coroner James McDougall refused a request from barrister Gavin Handran to show Ms Williams the harrowing footage of the tragedy.@GregStolzJourno @couriermail https://t.co/7j3WQG7vsr
— Gold Coast News (@GoldCoastBureau) June 21, 2018
11.40am Ride operator Courtney Williams has finished giving evidence. Her co-worker Timothy Williams (no relation) has taken the stand.
Coroner James McDougall refused a request from barrister Gavin Handran to show Ms Williams the harrowing footage of the tragedy.
BOSSES ‘NEVER CHECKED’ DREAMWORLD WORKER
A junior Dreamworld staffer has claimed supervisors “never” visited her while she operated rides before the October 2016 tragedy that claimed four lives at the Gold Coast theme park.
Courtney Williams, who was one of two staff operating the Thunder River Rapids ride on October 25, 2016 when the attraction malfunctioned, has continued giving evidence at an inquest on Thursday.
Under questioning by Dreamworld lawyer Bruce Hodgkinson SC, Ms Williams denied she had read a memo during training detailing the use of an emergency-stop button.
11.24am Dreamworld inquest coroner refuses to allow replays of CCTV footage of the tragedy requested by barrister for the theme park’s CEO. The barrister wants to ask junior ride operator Courtney Williams more questions.
10.16am Ride operator Courtney Williams clarifies her answer to whether she would have pressed emergency stop button if she knew what it did. She now says she would have ‘done everything that I could’ to press the button.
10.12am Barrister for ride operator Courtney Williams says his client was ‘highly distressed’ after being forced to revisit the terrible tragedy in court yesterday.
Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi all died in the tragedy when they were thrown from the raft into the ride’s conveyor belt.
Ms Low’s 10-year-old son was the boy comforted and then helped from the attraction by Ms Williams, while Ms Goodchild’s 12-year-old daughter also survived the tragedy.
At an inquest at the Southport Coroners Court on Wednesday, Ms Williams described the build-up to the tragedy.
Believing the ride had malfunctioned when she was unable to open a gate to release a raft into the unloading area, she’d attempted to get the attention of main ride operator Peter Nemeth.
When Mr Nemeth did look her way, she said his face “completely dropped” when he saw the raft containing the six people about to collide with a raft that had become stranded on the conveyor belt due to dramatically lowered water levels following a pump failure.
“I heard noises behind me like loud talking and that’s when I knew the raft was coming down (the conveyor),” Ms Williams said.
“(Mr Nemeth) didn’t react ... I looked back and saw the incident unfold and then I went into action.” Ms Williams said during her training she’d been told not to “worry about” an emergency stop button for the ride, nor did she fully understand what that button and other stop buttons actually did.
She believed the ride would have shut down automatically if the pumps failed and she felt she’d been inadequately prepared for the tragedy.
“I didn’t feel I had sufficient training on parts I now know I should have,” she said.
Ms Williams will continue giving evidence when the inquest resumes at 10am AEST on Thursday.
