String of disasters exposed: Dreamworld’s nightmare reality

THE tragic deaths of four people at Dreamworld could cost the park millions of dollars and put employees behind bars.

THE tragic deaths of four people in the horror crash at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast are the latest in a string of disasters to hit the amusement park that could prove to have a nightmarish cost.

News that two men and two women died after a freak ride “malfunction” left them with injuries “incompatible with living” ricocheted around the world as the deadliest theme park disaster in recent years.

It is the second incident to hit Dreamworld in six months after a man nearly drowned in April on a neighbouring ride, the Rocky Hollow Log Ride, forcing a shutdown and an investigation.

Samson Sherrin, 19, was left with severe injuries after falling out of the amusement park’s popular log ride, which uses the same conveyor belt system as the Thunder River Rapids ride.

Mr Sherrin suffered hip and foot fractures, neck and head injuries, and acute respiratory failure.

He also suffered pneumonia as a result of the time spent in the water and lacerations to his body, including to his groin-area.

Dreamworld is currently closed until further notice in what could be a major blow to the company that draws nearly two million people to the tourist-friendly region each year.

Alison Barrett of Maurice Blackburn Lawyers told The Courier Mail the corporation behind Dreamworld could face a $3 million penalty and any individual responsible could spend five years in jail.

“A tragedy like this isn’t an act of God, it’s not a freak accident,” she said. “They tend to occur ­because of a disregard of someone’s safety.”

Dreamworld's log ride was closed earlier this year after a man fell off and nearly drowned.

Other incidents in recent years have plagued the popular theme park. In December 2015, senior tiger handler, Keith McChlery, was bitten on the shin by a five-month-old cub named Kai, but dismissed it as the animal being a “bit cranky.”

“That’s what they do at that age,” he said at the time. “That’s all part of the process of him learning what he can and can’t do.”

Mr McChlery sported a sizeable wound after the run-in with the cub.

A handler at Dreamworld was bitten by a tiger on the calf last year. The Tiger, ‘Kato’, had bitten a handler before. Picture: Tim Marsden

In June 2009, a helicopter crash that occurred in the car park was investigated by authorities after four tourists were hospitalised with minor injuries.

The experienced pilot was praised for having escaped a disaster at the time after moving the aircraft to an empty area. However it was later revealed there was not enough fuel in the tank.

The helicopter crash in the Dreamworld car park in June 2009. Picture: Brendan Radke

Yesterday’s accident is one of the worst an amusement park has seen in recent years and could strike a financial blow to Dreamworld operator Ardent Leisure and the surrounding area. On Tuesday, share prices slumped eight per cent following the tragic news as the company pledged to work to determine the cause of the incident.

“Dreamworld is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts around the incident and is working closely with emergency authorities and police to do this. Dreamworld’s focus and priority is with the families of those involved in this tragedy and will be providing an update to the public as soon as information becomes available,” a company statement said.

ASX-listed Ardent also owns the neighbouring WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast. Ardent shares fell to $2.35 at the close of trading.

The cause of Tuesday’s horrific accident remains unclear, however the four victims were believed to be just five seconds from safety when the six-man circular raft riding­ on a cushion of air flipped on its underwater conveyor­ belt. Two of the victims were ejected from the raft while the other two were trapped as the ride malfunctioned.

Dreamworld has committed to investigating the cause and police warned the “complex” task will involve heavy machinery and will take a long time.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate described the tragedy as “one of the saddest days in our city’s history”.

Speaking on the ABC on Wednesday morning, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “This will have to be, I think, by my memory the worst theme park tragedy that we’ve seen in Queensland, and that’s why this investigation needs to be thorough ... we need to ensure that everything is looked at to ensure this never ever happens again.

“Dreamworld has been operating for many decades in this state, it is iconic on the Gold Coast and iconic to the rest of the world.”

In September 2015, in an incident not related to Dreamworld, UK theme park company Merlin Attractions Operations was fined $7.9 million for health and safety failures that led Vicky Balch, then 19, and Leah Washington, then 17, to have their legs amputated after riding “The Smiler” roller coaster at Alton Towers.

Sixteen people were injured in the accident and Merlin was found to be at fault because it did not have a system to prevent “human errors”. Chief executive Nick Varney admitted responsibility and said the company “let people down with devastating consequences”.

“In accepting responsibility and liability very early on we have tried to make the healing and compensation process as trouble free as possible for all of those involved,” he said.

Leah Washington suffered an amputation above the left knee after the accident at Alton Towers in 2015.

Four teenagers were seriously injured in a collision on a ride at Alton Towers Resort.

It follows the death of one person on a roller coaster in Osaka, Japan in 2007, and the deaths of three people in Canada in 1986.

Also, the iconic amusement park SeaWorld was forced to scrap its captive breeding program after the documentary Blackfish exposed the conditions Orcas were kept in.

Protesters at SeaWorld after a documentary exposed the conditions of the orcas held captive.