Theme park fined over toddler’s fall

A two-year-old boy's theme park trip ended with him falling through a hole in a simulator ride, a court has heard.

The boy was visiting Flamingo Land in Malton, Yorkshire with his mother in March 2008 when the incident happened. As he boarded the newly-refurbished cinema simulator ride, he disappeared down a half-metre-square hole that had been left unguarded in the floor. He fell 2.4 metres to the concrete below, hitting and bruising his head.

"The Motion master simulator cinema ride had only been operational for three weeks and had been subject to various internal safety checks, so this was a major oversight on the part of the company," said HSE inspector Julian Franklin.

At Scarborough Magistrates' Court, Flamingo Land was fined £5000 for failing to ensure visitors' safety, contrary to Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The company was also ordered to pay £3277 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Article created by Editor. (info@safetynetscotland.co.uk)