Woman seriously injured in Liseberg accident
A woman in her 30s suffered 'very serious head injuries' in an accident at the Liseberg amusement park on Sunday afternoon. The accident occured just after 3pm on the popular 'Flumeride' attraction.
"Her condition is very serious," said Ann-Christine Andersson at the Sahlgrenska university hospital to TT.
The ride consists of mock log boats which surf along on a water channel. The accident happened on the final steep slope, which has a drop of 14 metres. Two women and a child were in the affected boat.
"The witnesses, including the staff on the ride, saw how the women tried to keep the boat still at the top, just before the drop, by holding on to the railings on the track there. Then the boat went down and one woman was left holding on to the railings," said Liseberg's head of marketing Pelle Johannisson.
The woman appears to have panicked at the top of the slope and tried to climb out. Why the boat continued despite the fact that she was holding on is still unclear, but it could be that the water pressure was too great or that the boat was hit by another one from behind.
"The the woman herself went down in the channel, apparently feet first, down into the pool at the end of the Flumeride," said Johannisson.
He added that the woman was then hit by at least one boat.
According to Liseberg, the emergency services were swiftly at the scene of the accident. An investigation will be expected to reveal how the boats could have been stopped. An operator has an emergency stop button, which was used in the incident.
"There are two brakes. But then it also depends on where the boats are in relation to the brakes," said Bo Larsson, head of operations at Liseberg.
Sunday was the last day of Liseberg's summer season, but it is not the first accident this year.
On July 15th some 20 people were slightly injured when a rollercoaster slid backwards on a hill and crashed into another carriage at the start point. Then at the beginning of September a small flagpole fell over, hitting a man on the head and causing mild injuries.
The Flumeride was built in 1973 and is one of the most popular attractions at Liseberg. Each log boat has room for four or five people.
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"Her condition is very serious," said Ann-Christine Andersson at the Sahlgrenska university hospital to TT.
The ride consists of mock log boats which surf along on a water channel. The accident happened on the final steep slope, which has a drop of 14 metres. Two women and a child were in the affected boat.
"The witnesses, including the staff on the ride, saw how the women tried to keep the boat still at the top, just before the drop, by holding on to the railings on the track there. Then the boat went down and one woman was left holding on to the railings," said Liseberg's head of marketing Pelle Johannisson.
The woman appears to have panicked at the top of the slope and tried to climb out. Why the boat continued despite the fact that she was holding on is still unclear, but it could be that the water pressure was too great or that the boat was hit by another one from behind.
"The the woman herself went down in the channel, apparently feet first, down into the pool at the end of the Flumeride," said Johannisson.
He added that the woman was then hit by at least one boat.
According to Liseberg, the emergency services were swiftly at the scene of the accident. An investigation will be expected to reveal how the boats could have been stopped. An operator has an emergency stop button, which was used in the incident.
"There are two brakes. But then it also depends on where the boats are in relation to the brakes," said Bo Larsson, head of operations at Liseberg.
Sunday was the last day of Liseberg's summer season, but it is not the first accident this year.
On July 15th some 20 people were slightly injured when a rollercoaster slid backwards on a hill and crashed into another carriage at the start point. Then at the beginning of September a small flagpole fell over, hitting a man on the head and causing mild injuries.
The Flumeride was built in 1973 and is one of the most popular attractions at Liseberg. Each log boat has room for four or five people.
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