Dreamworld inquest findings: lawyer questions whether people can feel safe at theme park

The lawyer who represented first responders and an operator of the doomed Dreamworld ride has blasted the theme park’s “staggering” failures and questioned whether people could feel safe at the theme park today.

THE lawyer who represented first responders and an operator of the doomed Dreamworld Thunder River Rapids ride has blasted the theme park’s “staggering” failures and questioned whether people could feel safe at the theme park today.

Shine Lawyers National Practice Director Roger Singh said the case was one of the worst he’d seen in more than 20 years of damages based litigation.

Inquest bombshell: Dreamworld owner may face prosecution

Dreamworld inquest exposes failings on so many levels

Dreamworld inquest: Cindy Low’s husband Mathew breaks his silence

“Like so many others I am flabbergasted and staggered by the litany of failures on the part of Dreamworld as were listed by the coroner in the findings handed down this morning,” he said.

“There is no doubt that lives have been lost due to the reckless disregard of health and safety by Dreamworld.”

He said the coroner’s scathing findings released today would be a huge wake up call for other theme park operators.

A police officer takes a look at a raft that was used by the Thunder River Rapid ride in the days following the October 2016 tragedy. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

“The complacency that we saw at Dreamworld with this one ride does cause you to consider whether you’re safe in any theme park environment,” he said.

“Even at Dreamworld now if they acted so appallingly with that one particular ride, are people safe on other rides that Dreamworld operates?

“I think a standard has to be set across the board consistently across the nation to have in place robust checks and balances and rigorous regulation to ensure a tragedy like this can never happen again.”

Shine Lawyers represented a number of first responders in the inquest.

Roger Singh says he is “flabbergasted and staggered by the litany of failures on the part of Dreamworld”.

“There’s no doubt that all fault and liability for what occurred lies squarely at the door of Dreamworld.”

Mr Singh said the park operators Ardent Leisure could be fined up to $3 million and individual executives faced fines of up to $600,000 and five years’ imprisonment if they were found guilty of wrongdoing by the Office of Industrial Relations.

“In the realms of the 20 years plus of damages based litigation that I’ve been involved in I must say the gravity of this negligence and breach in duty of care really ranks up there,” he said.

“I’m quite flabbergasted and staggered at the litany of failures.

“It beggars belief that an organization like that can operate with such poor conduct and it’s surprising that it got away with it for so many years.

“It’s only by good fortune that we didn’t see lives lost and injuries suffered at an earlier point in time. It’s absolutely appalling and it’s been an absolute disgrace.”