Man and two children injured after water ride raft flips at Center Parcs

A man and two children were injured after a water ride raft capsized at Center Parcs.

The unnamed man was taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs, whilst his nephew, 12, and niece, 13, both suffered minor head injuries on the ride.

The incident occurred on August 19 on the Tropical Cyclone ride at Center Parcs in Longleat, Wilts.

There have been 23 reports in just six months of a raft overturning on the Tropical Cyclone, across the four Centre Parcs sites that have the ride – Longleat, Wilts.; Elveden, Norfolk; Sherwood, Notts.; and Woburn, Beds.

And now, Wiltshire Council health and safety officers have launched an investigation into the accident at Longleat.

Have you been injured on the Tropical Cyclone ride? Email [email protected]

Center Parcs bosses have apologised for the upset caused, but said it was "simply an unfortunate accident".

The injured man, who still has pain in his ribs and back two months later, told the BBC that he and his family had all been on the ride "countless" times before.

But he said that this time, rather than slowing down towards the end of the 142m-course, "we maintained our speed and were quite high up on the side".

He told the BBC: "We went into thin air and that's why we flipped.

"The thing that I really remember was the cracking sound of my ribs hitting the side of the flume."

Paramedics attended and took the man to hospital. He says he still has pain in his ribs and back.

The customer said his niece had an "impressive bump just above her right eye, bruising along the right side of her chin and a headache" for about a week after the incident.

Meanwhile, his nephew had a headache for the rest of the day.

Center Parcs confirmed all three passengers sustained minor injuries.

A park spokesman said that incidents of rafts overturning were "extremely rare" and more than 340,000 rafts have travelled safely down the course in the last six months.

Following the incident, staff closed the ride and conducted safety checks.

A spokesman said told the BBC that Center Parcs was confident there were "no issues" with the ride and staff had correctly loaded the raft.

He said signs at the entrance and at the top of the Tropical Cyclone ride made it clear to guests that the course was "thrilling" and "fast-paced" – and that safety briefings are also given by lifeguards before guests begin the ride.

The ride was fully certified, covered by a risk assessment and control measures were in place to mitigate risks, Center Parcs said.

But the customer said Center Parcs had shown a "complete lack of responsibility" in failing to explain why the raft had overturned.

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