Because of the crash, Merlin Entertainment, the company that owns the theme park, was charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974. The company was fined £5 million for the accident. While it was accepted that the "manual override" of the safety control system led to the crash, there was a little controversy that was not settled in court, and that was the wind conditions the day of the crash. It was alleged that the winds were higher than the limit set by the manufacturer's operating manual, but the ride operators said that the alarm designed to alert them of high winds never sounded that day. While high winds may explain why the empty train stopped on the ride, it does not excuse the decision to override the safety system that warned of a train occupying a block of track.
©2019 Joel A. Rogers.