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Big Dipper Cars Collide at Pleasure Beach
About 20 people have been injured in an accident involving a ride at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach.
They were treated by paramedics, with some suffering suspected broken bones and neck injuries in the incident on the Big Dipper on Tuesday evening. A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said they had received a call at 7.54pm reporting that two cars had crashed into each other.
At 9pm, firefighters, including the urban search and rescue team and specialist rope rescue team, were still working to rescue one person trapped on the ride.
The two cars were around 20ft off the ground when the accident happened.
A Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "It involved 20 people being evacuated from the ride.
"There were two that were more confined than the rest and we used specialist boards to release them."
Crews from Blackpool and South Shore used an aerial ladder platform to rescue the trapped fairgoers.
A spokesman for Lancashire police said: "All the wounded are now in hospital and the ride's been stopped.
"The scene will now be preserved until morning for the Health and Safety Executive and engineers to do inspections to find out what happened.
"Two of the cars have collided at some speed."
None of the casualties are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries and they were taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
Source: Blackpool Gazette
11th August 2009 | Category: News
