A ‘screech and then a bang’ signalled the terrifying moment a boat capsized at a Worcestershire tourist attraction.
Georgia Hodgkiss, aged 22 and from Sutton Coldfield, was out with her family celebrating a birthday when she saw a boat flip over on the Wild River Rafting ride at 2.45pm on Sunday, September 6.
She said the park was ‘busy’ and her family had tried to go on the Wild River Rafting ride but her twin brother and sister, who were celebrating their fifth birthdays, were not tall enough.
As she stood waiting she heard the boat capsize and saw the aftermath of the incident which left four injured and one needing hospital treatmen t.
Miss Hodgkiss, who lives in the Four Oaks area of Sutton, said: "I was right next to the ride at 2.45pm on Sunday but I was facing the other way.
"I heard a screeching sound and then a bang and saw this girl come out of the water. It looked like the boat she was in had completely overturned.
"There was an older woman who may have been a grandmother, a mum and two teenage girls.
"The screeching sound was the boat rubbing against the side and then the bang was them falling out. But it wasn’t a massive noise. I felt something had happened but I wasn’t like ‘oh my god – what’s going on’.
"There wasn’t any noise as they came out of the water. They weren’t screaming but they came out of the water absolutely drenched.
"The staff didn’t really seem to know what was going on. They looked over at what happened.
"A woman sat down and she looked quite bad. I think she had a bit of a panic attack and looked a bit worse for wear.
"Two men who were standing outside had seen something had happened. One was in a wheelchair. They went over.
"The staff closed the ride and got everyone out of the queue.
"Another boat had caught up with them and two kids were in there and managed to get out.
"There were two first aid staff who took about ten minutes to get there.
"It was around 3pm and there were so many people there we decided to leave. As we left we saw an ambulance arriving at around 3.15pm.
"It’s such a tame ride for something like that to happen on."
Bizarrely Miss Hodgkiss had spoken about accidents at theme parks just minutes earlier.
She added: "Twenty minutes before it happened I said to my my mum: 'I have never been to a theme park and something's happened'. And then it did."
An ambulance was sent and paramedics treated one woman, who was then taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, while three others were treated for minor injuries.
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "One ambulance attended and treated one woman who was being cared for by safari park staff after reportedly being injured on a water ride.
“The woman was assessed and given treatment on scene for injuries not believed to be serious before she was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital for further checks.”
West Midland Safari Park indicated the accident was caused by the people in the boat and issued a full statement. The venue said the boat overturned due to the ‘excessive movement’ of those inside it.
A spokeswoman for West Midland Safari Park said: “Upon entering the final section of the ride, a water vessel containing the four passengers overturned in the shallow water trough due to excessive movement inside the boat.
“Our staff reacted immediately by bringing the ride to as top and safely removed the four guests, following the strict protocols we have in place.
“All four people were checked over straight away by our first aid responders, and the emergency services were contacted for further review.”
The park said it reviewed footage of the incident and the ride’s safety ‘had not been compromised’.
“Following the incident, and after investigating CCTV footage and speaking with our health and safety team, we can confirm that the safety of the ride has not been compromised in any way and it will remain open for guests to use.
“All our rides operate with clear health and safety signage and our staff are given regular training in operational management on a routine basis.
“We would like to extend our thanks to the emergency services for their assistance on Sunday, and to our staff who reacted calmly and quickly to the situation at hand. The park remains open as normal to the public.”
