Nicola MacdonaldMerlin Attractions Operations Ltd, owner of Alton Towers theme park, is to be prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive over an incident involving the Smiler rollercoaster that left five people seriously injured in June 2015.
Two passengers on the ride suffered leg amputations as a result of their carriage colliding with a stationary carriage on the same track.
Neil Craig, head of operations of HSE in the Midlands, said:
“We have today informed Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd that it will be prosecuted for breaching health and safety law.
“This was a serious incident with life-changing consequences for five people.
“We have conducted a very thorough investigation and consider that there is sufficient evidence and that it is in the public interest to bring a prosecution.”
Merlin Attractions Operation Ltd will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 22 April 2016 to face a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974.