Oakwood theme park horror saw ride 'fall to the floor without stopping'

Cathy Owen
·3-min read
Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire
-Credit: (Image: WalesOnline reporter)


Several people have been injured after an incident on a ride at Wales' largest theme park. The Bounce ride at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire experienced what has been described as a "scheduled emergency stop".

It has been reported that 20 people were on the ride that "fell to the floor" without stopping on Wednesday, July 10.

An investigation is now underway into what happened on the ride which re-opened at the park two years ago following a £400,000 refurbishment.

READ MORE: Oakwood Theme Park ride closed after incident leaves people injured

READ MORE: Wales rugby star Rhys Webb banned for four years as career effectively ended

Here is what we know so far:

The injured people were on Bounce

Bounce re-opened in 2022 after being closed since 2016. It is a drop tower-style ride which takes guests around 45m into the air before dropping them back down again before "bouncing back up". The theme park's website describes it as a "gravity-defying, stomach-lurching shot ‘n’ drop tower ride".

The park, crowned the biggest in Wales, opened nearly 30 years on a family farm before being taken over by a Spanish entertainment company.

Bounce re-opened in 2022 after being closed since 2016 -Credit:Rhodri Harrison
Bounce re-opened in 2022 after being closed since 2016 -Credit:Rhodri Harrison

School-age children were 'screaming and crying'

It has been reported that around 20 people were on the ride at the time and many were described as "school-age". A guest on board the ride when the incident happened told WalesOnline it "fell to the floor without slowing down". They said school-age children were "screaming and crying" as the ride "went up and down a few times" before it "fell quickly to the ground from about halfway up the tower".

The guest, who did not want to be named, claimed around eight people received first aid treatment on site while four others visited hospital for further treatment.

Describing the incident, the park guest claimed the way the incident was handled was "awful", and claimed they only stopped and helped people who "complained of pain or anything wrong". They added: "There have been no apologies from the park, they only gave information for guest relations because we asked for it to take it further after the fact we were told no management was available."

What the park has said

There is nothing on their website or social media sites but Oakwood Theme Park has confirmed they were aware of the incident and confirmed the ride would remain closed while they consulted the ride manufacturer. The park said that the incident arose as a result of a "programmed Emergency Stop Procedure".

A spokesperson for Oakwood Theme Park said: “During operation on Wednesday, our drop tower ride Bounce experienced a programmed Emergency Stop Procedure in response to the ride drop height during a guest cycle. The stoppage which resulted in the passenger gondola stopping in the ride brakes was attended to by our park team and the ride was lowered to the ground where guests were able to disembark.

"A number of guests reported minor lower back pain immediately after the occurrence and were attended to by our onsite team of First Aiders, where assistance was provided. One group sought additional treatment locally, whilst others continued their day at the park. Bounce will remain closed whilst we consult with the ride manufacturer.”

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