This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various European amusement parks, water parks, or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park owners, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.
The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, deaths that occur at a European park. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories: Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules The result of a guest's known, or unknown, health issues Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance Act of God or a generic accident (e.g., slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part
Alton Towers, Staffordshire, England
Congo River Rapids
In 1999, a park employee nearly drowned after he slipped and became stuck between a raft and a turntable that powered the ride.
Oblivion
On 8 May 2012, a 20-year-old man entered a restricted area of the ride and walked into the tunnel. He was rescued and then arrested by the police. The ride resumed operation shortly after.
Sky Ride
On 30 June 2004, due to a strong gust of wind, the Sky Ride cables became caught, jamming the ride. About 80 people were on the ride, and nine people had to be rescued by being abseiled down cables. During the 2007 Scarefest season, a fire broke out in the Forbidden Valley section of the park due to a halogen lamp that damaged the roof and mechanics of the ride. The damage was repairable, but the ride had to be closed for six months before reopening midway through the 2008 season. There were no injuries. The Sky Ride suffered another fire on 21 July 2009 in The Towers section of the park, due to a faulty vending machine. The fire completely destroyed the whole station. Over the following season, the station was rebuilt, and was ready for the 2010 season.
Runaway Mine Train
On 20 July 2006, when the train was entering the tunnel section of its course, the train split into two halves, leaving the rear part behind with the front part continuing up the hill. The front half of the train failed to make it over the slope, rolled back into the tunnel, and collided with the rear half. Six people were taken to hospital, including two women with leg injuries, and 23 others were treated for cuts and bruises. Following the incident, the ride was closed for eight months and reopened in April 2007.
The Smiler
On 2 November 2013, four people were injured after being hit by flying guide wheels when they fell off one of the trains. On 2 June 2015, a train with 16 passengers collided at with a stationary test car that had failed part way round the track. Four passengers — two male, two female, aged between 17 and 27 — suffered serious leg injuries and were airlifted to nearby hospitals for treatment. One of the casualties had to have her left leg amputated due to her injuries while a second casualty had to have her right leg amputated due to the extent of her injuries. A fifth person with neck and abdominal injuries was also taken to hospital. The other 11 riders were believed to have only minor injuries and received medical treatment at the scene. This has been stated to be the biggest incident to ever occur at Alton Towers. The theme park was closed until 7 June 2015 pending the completion of the investigation. Ride staff operating The Smiler at the time of the incident were investigated, after reports that it was manually restarted in similar fashion to the Alton mouse during its incident in 1991, however the criminal investigation concluded that the crash was not caused by individual staff error. This accident also caused Spinball Whizzer and three other roller coasters at sister parks Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures to close until safety procedures were evaluated; these rides reopened shortly afterwards. The Smiler reopened on 19 March 2016. Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd was prosecuted at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 22 April 2016, in which the firm pleaded guilty, and was subsequently fined £5 million on 27 September 2016 after a two-day hearing at Stafford Crown Court. Victims are suing Alton Towers in the civil courts.
Mouse
An minor accident occurred in 1991.