Dreamworld ignored 17 years of warnings about safety of the Thunder River Rapids Ride
DREAMWORLD ignored a series of warnings for 17 years leading up to the fatal incident on the Thunder River Rapids Ride which killed four people, an inquest was told yesterday. SEE TIMELINE
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DREAMWORLD ignored a series of warnings for 17 years leading up to the fatal incident on the Thunder River Rapids Ride which killed four people, an inquest was told yesterday.
Police officers detailed evidence of other ride failures and warnings signs in the Southport Coroner’s Court on t he first day of the inquestinto the October 25, 2016 tragedy which killed Kate Goodchild, 32, Luke Dorsett, 35, Roozbeh Araghi, 38 and Cindy Low, 42.
One investigator told the court the “potential” was always there for a raft to flip despite police being unable to replicate the incident.
Principal investigator of the crash Detective Sergeant Nicola Brown took the coroner through how the incident occurred, including how one of the two pumps had failed twice in the hours before the fatalities.
She said just after 2pm the south pump failed for a third time, causing water levels in the trough to drop significantly.
DREAMWORLD STAFF’S SAFETY FEARS
Det Sgt Brown said a raft then became stuck on the conveyor belt due to the water being so low, that it struck safety rails the rafts usually floated over.
Fifty-seven seconds later the raft carrying the four victims — and two children who survived the accident — collided with the stuck raft and flipped, throwing them onto the conveyor belt.
The two children, Ms Low’s 10-year-old son Kieran and Ms Goodchild’s 12-year-old daughter Ebony, were thrown clear and helped by onlookers, including ride operator Courtney Williams, who pulled Kieran from the water.
“Once the incident had unfolded, (Courtney) went into emergency mode and assisted everyone she could, including Kieran, out of the ride,” Det Sgt Brown said.
YOUNG GIRL’S BRAVERY AFTER TRAGEDY
During those 57 seconds ride operators were unsure what button to press.
“Operators at the control panel had to take a number of steps to shut down the ride, there was nothing that shut down everything,” she said.
The court heard Ms Williams, who was closest to the stand-alone emergency stop button, was not aware she had the only button which immediately stopped the ride.
She said the operator was told: “Don’t worry about that button, no one uses it.”
Defence barrister James Bell, representing Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure, said it was disputed that was what Ms Williams was told.
Despite this, Det Sgt Brown said the response of Dreamworld had been “quite well done”.
A memo sent in the days leading up to the tragedy urged staff to only use the button if the main control panel was not attended.
This is despite there being restricted vision and about 12m between the main control panel and the emergency button.
FIRST RESPONDER’S MESSAGE TO DREAMWORLD FAMILIES
The button could stop the conveyor belt in two seconds, while the stop button on the main control panel would take about seven seconds.
The inquest was also told there was no mechanism which automatically shut down the ride or conveyor belt when water levels became dangerously low.
A raft flipped in January 2001, 15 years before the fatalities, after being caught in almost the same spot on the conveyor belt in a dry run before the park opened, leading engineers to voice their concerns in an internal email.
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“I shudder when I think if there had been guest on the ride,” the email read.
Other warning signs included:
- A passenger falling into the water after two rafts collided in 2004;
- Two safety audits, one in 1999 and one in 2006, warning emergency stop buttons needed to be updated;
- The pump failing days before the fatal crash;
- The pump failing twice on the day the raft flipped;
- Wear marks on the rafts and bowing of wooden planks near the conveyor belt.
Forensic crash investigator Senior Constable Steven Cornish told the court he conducted more than 20 tests after the tragedy in an attempt to replicate the incident.
Police were unable to make a raft flip but in one instance the raft was seen to lift.
“The potential for that to happen was always there,” he said.
The inquest was also told that if the two-second emergency stop button located at the end of the ride had been pressed at any time before the rafts collided, the tragedy could have been avoided.
“If it was pressed in that 30 seconds would it have made a difference?” barrister Steven Whybrow asked.
Snr Const. Cornish said: “Yes.”
“They (the rafts) touch three times, before they get to that point … If it (the button) had been depressed at any time this would have avoided the tragedy,” he said.
Snr Const. Cornish will finish giving his evidence when the inquest resumes today.
Ms Williams is also expected to take the stand today.
The inquest is expected to run for two weeks before adjourning until October.
DREAMWORLD THUNDER RIVER RAPIDS RIDE TIMELINE
1986: The Thunder River Rapids Ride is built.
Late 80s/early 90s: In a date unable to be specified, the ride undergoes maintenance to remove some wooden slats near the conveyor belt creating a gap.
1999: A safety audit recommends an emergency stop button to stop all mechanisms of the ride be placed on the main control panel. It is never done.
January 18, 2001: A raft flips on the Thunder River Rapids Ride during a dry run before the ride opens for the day. The raft flips after hitting other carriages stopped on a protrusion on the conveyor belt. In an internal email, a safety manager writes they “shudder to think” what would have happened if the rafts had guests on them. The Southport Coroner’s Court hears yesterday it was one of a “number” of incidents with the ride.
October 7, 2004: A passenger ends up in the water after two rafts collide. No one is injured.
2006: Safety audits are conducted of the ride. Recommends all buttons be clearly labelled. The upgrades are never made.
Early 2016: A safety audit across the entire park gives Dreamworld a rating of 41.7 per cent. A pass is 75 per cent.
October 18, 2016: A memo is sent to all staff that the emergency stop button should only be used when the main control panel cannot be reached.
October 19, 2016: The south pump fails. Engineers describe it as a “earth fault” and reset the pump. Engineers and “drive managers: are booked to do further maintenance on October 27, 2016.
11.50am, October 25, 2016: The south pump has an “earth fault” again and engineers reset the pump and the ride continues. Operators had noticed the water levels dropped and stopped the ride.
1.09pm: The south pump fails again. The ride is stopped and the pump is once again reset so the ride can continue.
2.03pm: The south pump fails a third time.
2.04pm: A raft is stuck on the conveyor.
2.05pm: The raft carrying Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi and Cindy Low and two children hits the first raft. Their raft flips, killing the four adults almost instantly.
2.45pm: Coomera CIB acting officer-in-charge Detective Sergeant Nicola Brown arrives on scene after requests from police on the ground. Det-Sgt Brown becomes the principal investigating officer for the tragedy.
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