Twenty One Injured in Rollercoaster
Twenty-one injured in rollercoaster crash as Blackpool Big Dipper cars collide
A roller coaster crash left 21 passengers injured in Blackpool, police said.
They believe a car got stuck on the Big Dipper ride and was shunted from behind by a following car.
Three people were treated in hospital for facial, back and neck injuries and 18 were described by police as 'walking wounded'.
All 32 on the ride had to be rescued after the cars stopped moving around 20ft off the ground on Tuesday evening.
Initial reports into the crash say that one train had suddenly halted 25ft in the air. It was then hit in the rear by the following train which then rolled backwards into a dip.
Firemen employed a specialist rope team and used stretchers and spinal boards to release the trapped victims.
One of the victims, a 25-year-old man, was undergoing facial surgery.
Yesterday a Lancashire Police spokesman said: 'At this stage it is believed a carriage became stuck on the track part way through the ride and was then struck from behind by a following carriage.'
The fire and rescue officer in charge of the operation, Mark Alderson ,said: 'It is the sort of incident that we do train for and it is fortunate the high-level rescue team were nearby.'
