Fairground ride collapses Birmingham December 2024

[A380]

So this happened last night.

Two arrested over Birmingham fairground ride crash

The men are being questioned on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, police say.

www.bbc.com

Apparently two men are in custody facing a criminal investigation for perverting the course of justice.

Their boss sacked them on the spot last night. But they are taking him to court, claiming funfair dismissal….

Spoiler

I really am so very very sorry.

 

[brogdale]

I'm at the age when I just can't understand why people get on these contraptions.

 

[two sheds]

I've always been at that age

 

[moomoo]

I've always been at that age

Likewise. You’d never get me on one of those things!

 

[Rompipalle]

On Tuesday evening we were in Edinburgh's city centre to meet friends for dinner and we happened to walk along Princes Street where the universally crappy "German Market" and some of the overpriced Christmas "attractions" are located. There's one of those Star Flyer things at present in Princes St Gardens and as we walked along the street, all we could hear were all these numpties screaming at the tops of their voices. Not sure why anyone goes on these things, just to scream like idiots.... but I can only assume they were all shit-faced after drinking too much nasty gluhwein.

Mr Rompipalle mused that they'd presumably have something to scream about if the Flyer suddenly came plummeting to Earth... and then we heard yesterday that something very like that had happened in Birmingham yesterday.

I wonder if all the other Star Flyers, in situ all over the UK (and presumably elsewhere), are currently bring checked over for safety?

 

[PTK]

I feel sorry for the victims. It must have been horrible.

 

[gentlegreen]

See also surfboards, electric scooters, bungee jumping, rock climbing....
I wince when passing the skatepark...

 

[Saul Goodman]

See also surfboards, electric scooters, bungee jumping, rock climbing....
I wince when passing the skatepark...

Getting out of bed is not without risk. Driving, cycling, running, walking, breathing... All risky.
The grin factor is the important bit. It's the determining factor for me. If it outweighs the risk factor, I'm in.
I can't imagine a life without an occasional adrenaline rush.

 

[Skinny Ethel]

Gentlegreen prefers the adrenaline rush eating a red hot potatoe.

 

[Cloo]

Looks like it was fucking lucky no one was injured worse or killed.

 

[Dystopiary]

My heart sank when I saw this thread; relieved noone was killed, but yeah, must've been awful for the people on it.

 

[T & P]

I’m more than happy to ride the tallest and scariest rollercoasters known to man when found in established theme parks, but have always given a wide miss to any funfair attractions that leave ground level.

 

[jontz01]

Mrs jontz went on one of these when we were back in stoke a couple of years ago. I asked her why she wanted to and she was all like, it looks really fun, we never get the chance etc etc etc. Came off white as a sheet and said I could've so easily died there. Never again. Fuck that. Just mentioned it to her again and she is still shook up about it

 

[two sheds]

Getting out of bed is not without risk. ... The grin factor is the important bit. ...I can't imagine a life without an occasional adrenaline rush.

Getting out of bed gives me the only adrenaline rush I need, the dog jumps on the bed to demand a treat which wakes me up at 7 o'clock of a morning and I can't get back to sleep so I get up.

Rather than being suspended 200 foot above ground with no safety net and no chance of doing anything if a mechanical fault caused by poor maintenance of some bloke I've never met and as far as I know has no relevant qualifications brings you plummeting to the ground to a painful death doesn't give me any sort of grin factor, scream factor perhaps.

 

[two sheds]

dp

 

[moomoo]

Getting out of bed is not without risk. Driving, cycling, running, walking, breathing... All risky.
The grin factor is the important bit. It's the determining factor for me. If it outweighs the risk factor, I'm in.
I can't imagine a life without an occasional adrenaline rush.

It’s great. And perfectly safe.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I’m more than happy to ride the tallest and scariest rollercoasters known to man when found in established theme parks, but have always given a wide miss to any funfair attractions that leave ground level.

Theme parks like Alton Towers where a roller coaster chopped some poor girl's legs off?

 

[jontz01]

Theme parks like Alton Towers where a roller coaster chopped some poor girl's legs off?

True but that was 9 years ago, one big fuck up. Considering the sheer volume of people that place turns over, it's a pretty reasonable safety record really.

These carnival rides, their owners and operators are a completely different kettle of fish. I pointed out the state of the wooden blocks underneath the supporting legs of the ride we saw in Stoke. I'm all for using wooden chocks where appropriate, like if a wagon is HiAbing a load of paving or whatever, but this this was a high and spinny, rusty clusterfuck with its loadbearing legs resting on bits of untreated, cracked, pallet wood. Parts of it were secured with ratchet straps to nearby lampposts and railings ffs.