On Sunday in Stockholm, a roller coaster train derailed, sending passengers plummeting to the ground in an amusement park accident that left one dead and nine injured, according to police and park officials.
Witnesses reported a chaotic scene at Grona Lund Park, where the front of the train appeared to leap off the tracks before coming to a halt, with one car leaning toward the ground.
Roller Coaster Derails in Sweden
The regional government reported that nine individuals were transported to hospitals, one of whom was in critical condition. It was stated that three of the injured were juveniles, all of whom sustained minor injuries.
Ziba Assadi told Swedish television station TV4 that she was standing just below the Jetline roller coaster when she saw one of the cars' wheel assembly fall to the ground.
Two or three individuals reportedly tumbled out of the vehicle, with one clinging to the track. Photographs taken at the site revealed an individual seated on a beam beneath the halted train, according to AP News.
The amusement park was evacuated following the incident and will be closed for seven days while investigators determine what went wrong, according to park officials. The police opened a criminal investigation into potential accusations of involuntary manslaughter, bodily injury, and endangering others.
According to Grona Lund, the 800-meter-long (2,600-foot-long) Jetline rollercoaster opened in 1988 and was renovated in 2000. It has a maximum height of 30 meters and a maximum pace of 90 kilometers per hour (56 mph).
Grona Lund representative Annika Troselius stated, "This should not be permitted to occur." "We place the highest importance on safety. We would never open an attraction if we lacked confidence in its safety, so we must investigate this matter exhaustively."
Amusement Park Accidents
The police opened a criminal investigation into potential accusations of involuntary manslaughter, bodily injury, and endangering others. Grona Lund reports that the 820-meter-long Jetline roller coaster opened in 1988 and was renovated in 2000. Its utmost height is 98 feet and its maximum speed is 56 miles per hour.
The 140-year-old park, the oldest in Sweden, was inaugurated in 1883 on the lakefront of one of the numerous islands that comprise the Swedish capital, surrounded by several institutions.
In other recent amusement park incident, a 14-year-old girl perished at Tivoli Friheden in Aarhus, Denmark, last year. In the incident, a 13-year-old child was hurt. A 14-year-old boy fell to his demise at a Florida amusement park attraction in the same year. Since then, the attraction has been dismantled.
Per CBS News, a train attraction derailed in a Missouri amusement park last year. Seven individuals were hospitalized after the incident at Silver Dollar City, a theme park in Branson near the Arkansas border.
In 2021, Michael Jaramillo, age 11, perished on the Raging River attraction at Adventureland Resort in Iowa when the raft transporting his family capsized. Three others sustained injuries. Later, the park decided to permanently shutter the attraction.
