Gold Coast father’s eyewitness account of the moment tragedy came to Dreamworld
A Gold Coast father who witnessed the Dreamworld tragedy has provided the most compelling account yet of how the accident unfolded, including insights into the ride’s low water levels on the day.
Gold Coast
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ABOUT 2.15pm on Tuesday, a man called Ben was crossing a footbridge above Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapid Ride when he glanced down at a raft floating by.
“They seemed like they were having a great time, just like everyone else,” the 28-year-old pilot said of the two men, two women and two children aboard the raft.
“I remember thinking ‘Isn’t that great? They’re all laughing and soaked with water’. They were just having the time of their lives.”
Ben walked on and joined the end of the queue for the 30-year-old attraction. As he waited in line, he looked to his left and saw the same group nearing the end of their ride.
He then looked further ahead and noticed an empty raft was lodged at the base of a conveyor belt that carries passengers upwards to their final destination.
What happened next will haunt him for ever.
“At first I thought their raft was just going to bump the empty one and push it forward,” Ben recalled.
“I never thought they would flip and it all just happened so quickly.
“The only thing that determined who survived and who didn’t was where their seats were positioned when they entered that final section.”
At the end of a week that has devastated three families and rocked the Gold Coast to its core, Ben has provided the most compelling witness account yet of a tragedy that resulted in the deaths of four adults and saw the miracle survival of two children.
Ben, whose surname has been withheld at his request and who has provided a statement to police, relived the horrific accident recalling the ride’s water levels on that fateful day and explaining why he feels compelled to speak publicly.
“I’ve seen stories blaming people for not acting quickly enough but no human intervention could have saved them,” he said.
“It all happened in a matter of seconds and whether someone pushed a button or not, nothing could have stopped it.”
THE DAY
Ben is no stranger to Dreamworld.
With two young daughters and living a stone’s throw from the theme park, his family regularly drops in for a few hours. That was the case on Tuesday, although this time he was on his own before picking up his girls from kindy.
He initially headed towards the Rapid Ride about 1.30pm but decided to walk on to the Australia Wildlife Experience. As he did so, something struck him about what so many people know as ‘The Family Ride’.
“Like when you see the tide roll out, the level of the river rapids was quite low compared to the water mark on the wall,” he said.
“It was like a pool that obviously needed to be topped up.”
Ben walked on to the animal enclosure but was back at Thunder River less than an hour later. He had long forgotten the low water level and simply waited his turn for a ride.
Then all hell broke loose.
THE ACCIDENT
“The empty tube was totally stuck (on the conveyor belt), like if you had a boat on a sandbar,” Ben said.
“It was as if there was not enough water to move it and then the tube with the people hit it and flipped (upright).
“The two men were sitting at the back of the tube, so they just went straight between two conveyor belts. I knew in my mind they didn’t stand a chance.
“The two women were at the top of the (upright) raft and were thrown into the water away from that area. Obviously the velcro straps (on the raft) aren’t the tightest of things.
“It was a miracle the children survived. They were beside each other and the positioning of the tube when it happened meant they were on the right-hand side. They sort of got flung out but I don’t know where they landed and I didn’t see anyone get them out (of the water).
“All I was able to see were the adults and there was no way the men could have survived.”
What about the women?
“At first I thought they might have stood a chance because I didn’t see them sustain injuries but it all happened within seconds. They stopped the conveyor belt and everyone was doing everything they could.
“It took some time to drain the water and the (partner) of one of the women was trying to climb down to get her. He was covered in dirt and I remember him holding her in his arms.”
That woman was Kate Goodchild, whose partner had skipped the ride to look after their eight-month-old. Their other daughter was one of the children who survived.
“The first thing I noticed was her running out screaming, ‘Where’s my mummy? Where’s my mummy?’,” Ben said of 12-year-old Ebony.
“Two women tried to console her but she was hysterical after what took place.”
With tarps erected to shield the scene and emergency services on their way, Ben and about 30 other witnesses were ushered away.
“What I saw was enough,” he said.
“You just can’t believe what was happening in front of your eyes.”
THE WATER
Ben is the first to admit he’s not an engineer or mechanic. That said, he knows what he saw that day.
“The water level on the rapids was low enough for me to notice,” he said.
“I think there probably was something wrong with a pump or some water intake on the day … if there had been more water on that conveyor belt, the (empty) raft might have kept moving.”
Ben is also a Dreamworld regular with a long memory.
“In the last six to eight months that ride has been out of action about four or five times when I’ve been there,” he said.
“I was there in April and noticed it was offline and there was no water in it. A previous time I got stuck halfway around and they had to let us all out.
“In my experience there have been issues with the ride but unfortunately nothing’s going to bring those poor people back.”
LIFE TODAY
Two days ago, Ben spent an hour talking to a Lifeline counsellor on a crisis phone line that has been set up specifically for those impacted by the Dreamworld tragedy.
“It has been a difficult few days, just trying to process it and it did help talking,” he said.
“That first night I was so restless and couldn’t sleep. It didn’t seem real. It still doesn’t.”
He then mentioned the others who saw what he did.
“We’re all in the same situation. We don’t know each other but we’re all bonded by this incident now. We’re all going to be feeling these feelings.
“Even people who weren’t there are feeling it. We’ve all been to Dreamworld.
“Everyone’s been on that ride and it could have been any of us.”
It wasn’t though. It was the six people Ben saw laughing a few moments before chaos came and it’s when his thoughts turn to them that his heart aches the most.
“No one wants to see a family go through this, especially when they’ve come to Dreamworld for a happy day full of joy,” he said.
“They were on holidays and no one ever thinks they won’t be going home.
“I just can’t fathom what’s happened.”
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