Several people were left hurt following an incident on a ride at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire. The Bounce ride experienced an '"emergency stop" today, July 10, with people onboard claiming the stop saw the ride quickly drop to ground level.
Bounce, which re-opened in 2022 after being closed since 2016, is a drop tower-style ride which takes guests some 45m into the air before dropping them back down again before bouncing back up. The theme park's website describes it as a "gravity-defying, stomach-lurching shot ‘n’ drop tower ride".
A guest on board the ride when the incident happened on Wednesday afternoon claimed there were around 20 people on the ride when it "fell to the floor without slowing down". They said school-age children were "screaming and crying" as the ride "went up and down a few times" before it "fell quickly to the ground from about halfway up the tower".
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The guest, who did not want to be named, claimed around eight people received first aid treatment on site while four others visited hospital for further treatment. Oakwood Theme Park confirmed they were aware of the incident and confirmed the ride would remain closed while they consulted the ride manufacturer. The park said that the incident arose as a result of a "programmed Emergency Stop Procedure".
Describing the incident, the park guest claimed the way the incident was handled was "awful", and claimed they only stopped and helped people who "complained of pain or anything wrong". They added: "There have been no apologies from the park, they only gave information for guest relations because we asked for it to take it further after the fact we were told no management was available."
A Spokesperson for Oakwood Theme Park said: “During operation today, our drop tower ride Bounce experienced a programmed Emergency Stop Procedure in response to the ride drop height during a guest cycle. The stoppage which resulted in the passenger gondola stopping in the ride brakes was attended to by our park team and the ride was lowered to the ground where guests were able to disembark.
"A number of guests reported minor lower back pain immediately after the occurrence and were attended to by our onsite team of First Aiders, where assistance was provided. One group sought additional treatment locally, whilst others continued their day at the park. Bounce will remain closed whilst we consult with the ride manufacturer.”
