The 11-year-old schoolgirl who died at Drayton Manor theme park yesterday may have fallen into the water as she tried to change seats, it is claimed.
It’s being reported that the girl was riding Splash Canyon, a river rapids ride, with four of her friends when the accident happened.
According to The Mirror online, witnesses saw the girl, who’s not been named yet, attempting to swap seats when the raft hit a rock and she was thrown from the boat.
It’s thought the girl may have hit her head as she fell into the water and she failed to resurface.
One witness told the Daily Mail:
My daughter said there was four other girls on the same boat with the girl and the teacher’s boat was behind the girls.
When the girl got up to change seats just then it hit a rock and she got knocked out of the boat and fell in the water and the water currents dragged her in.
For that reason they couldn’t see her after she fell in. The kids started screaming and told the staff at the park that their friend has fallen in the water.
Her classmates and teachers alerted the park’s staff as quickly as they could but it’s believed the ride had to be drained before the girl could be found.
The girl was rushed to hospital but she unfortunately died of her injuries.
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said:
On arrival, crews discovered a girl with serious injuries who had been rescued from the water by park staff.
Ambulance staff administered advanced life support before she was flown to Birmingham Children’s Hospital with the doctor continuing treatment en-route.
Unfortunately, shortly after arrival at hospital the girl passed away.
The director of Drayton Manor Theme Park, George Bryan, said he was ‘shocked and devastated’ by the schoolgirl’s death and the Park will be closed on Wednesday as a mark of respect.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.