Rollercoaster car ‘struck pier worker who went into restricted area’

A woman sitting in the front seat of the ride at Clacton Pier was also taken to hospital after the incident on Monday.

Police were called to the incident at Clacton Pier on Monday (Sam Russell/PA) (PA Archive)

Emergency services were called to Clacton Pier after a rollercoaster car clipped a worker who had gone into a restricted area, the Essex attraction’s director has said.

The worker collided with the bumper of the car and with a woman who was sat in a front seat on the Looping Star ride on Monday afternoon, pier director Billy Ball said.

He said the worker, described as a “long-standing male member of pier staff”, was taken to hospital and remains on a ward under observation following a cut to the head and fractured ribs.

Mr Ball said the woman, a holidaymaker, suffered a “bump to the head and shock”, and also went to hospital.

He said he does not know if she is still in hospital and pier staff are making inquiries so that they can carry out a welfare check.

Mr Ball said an internal investigation indicated the incident, at 12.20pm on Monday, was due to “individual human error”.

We will be speaking to all staff to reiterate the importance of following approved procedures at the pier and will put on any extra training we feel necessary

Billy Ball, Clacton Pier director

“The member of staff, who was not part of the rides team and was injured, was going about his duties with good intent, but in a restricted area where he should not have been,” he said.

“He had gone into the ride to clear away some rubbish, something he should not have done as the ride was due to go into service.

“He did not hear the car going round and was clipped by the bumper.

“He also made contact with the woman in the front of the ride on the way past and she was hit on the head and in shock.”

The Looping Star was emergency-stopped by the ride operator once he became aware of the incident.

Mr Ball said a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector attended on Tuesday and has spoken to staff.

“The HSE is treating this as an inspection and not a full investigation at this stage, and have handed the ride back to the pier,” he said.

“Once the safety and integrity of the ride has been established by the pier technical team post impact it will be tested and we expect to reopen it later today (Tuesday).”

Mr Ball said he had visited the injured member of staff in hospital on Monday night and would be going back to see him on Tuesday.

“All things considered he is in relatively good spirits,” he added.

“We will be speaking to all staff to reiterate the importance of following approved procedures at the pier and will put on any extra training we feel necessary.”

Essex Police, who attended on Monday along with the ambulance and fire service, said it had been reported a member of staff was injured after “colliding with a mechanical ride which had not deviated from its track”.