Two badly injured in log flume horror at seaside

The 58-year-old woman and the girl both suffered serious leg injuries when they were flipped from the Jungle River log flume at the Bayside Amusement Park on the promenade at Bridlington.

Paramedics from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service alerted colleagues from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance who airlifted the woman to hospital in Hull.

An investigation which is being led by the Health and Safety Executive is now under way. It it is believed the log flume jammed due to a lack of water. The ride was closed yesterday but the rest of the park remained open.

Humberside Police said officers would be assisting with the investigation, and said the victims, who have not been identified, were visiting from South Yorkshire.

According to coastguard staff, who were also called to the incident, horrified crowds gathered to watch the rescue effort after the accident which happened at around 3.30pm on Sunday.

Witnesses described seeing the ride jam on its rails before being restarted by ride workers. Apparently it then stopped abruptly “flipping” the victims from the carriage.

A coastguard spokesman said officers were forced to clear enough space in the crowd for the air ambulance helicopter to land on the beach nearby.

Coun Cyril Marsburg, Mayor of Bridlington, said: “I wasn’t at the seafront when it happened, but what I understand is that the ride stopped as the woman and her granddaughter went round.

“It was then started up again and the carriage went down into what should have been a water splash, but there wasn’t enough water for them to splash into. It came to a stop and threw them out.

“I have been told that the lady was badly hurt. It was a sunny day and it was very busy on the seafront. People were horrified when they saw what was going on. I’m quite surprised there were no safety belts on the ride. Had there been, they would not have been thrown out.”

A Humberside Police spokesman said the 58-year old was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary while the four-year-old girl, who suffered lacerations to her leg, was taken to Scarborough hospital.

Both victim’s injuries were described as “not life-threatening” and it is thought that the girl was to be moved to the Hull hospital last night.

Reports that the woman had her leg amputated at the scene were not correct, police said last night.

Coun Marsburg, who used to run a hotel in the town and has lived in Bridlington since the 1960s, added: “It is very rare for these accidents to happen. This is the first one I can recall.

“Safety measures are carried out but when something like this happens it is terrible. I feel very sorry for them and it is very sad to hear of the injuries.

“I know that some people have called for the fairground to be closed, but it is difficult because this is one of the busiest weekends of the year for holidaymakers and day trips.

“This really is an isolated incident and although it is terrible for those concerned, I don’t think it will put people off coming to the seaside, because most people don’t come for the funfair.”

Bayside Park is owned by Bridlington-based leisure firm Michael Harrison Leisure. Nobody at the company could be contacted for comment yesterday.

A spokesman for the Humber Coastguard said: “We got a call from ambulance control who needed some help with getting two casualties evacuated.

“It was very crowded and more people were being attracted to the scene after the incident, which was making it incredibly difficult for the air ambulance to get anywhere near.

“We did crowd control and helped secure the helicopter landing site.”

One worker at a nearby stall who watched the drama unfold said: “It was horrible, there was blood everywhere. The woman’s leg was really badly damaged.

“The carriage was going down the rails when it got stuck. When they restarted the ride, it flipped them out.

“I saw the older woman stand up then someone made her lie down until the ambulance came.”