As the family of the young man, who tragically died after being thrown from a ride at an amusement park in Halkidiki, continues to grieve, an expert hired to investigate the accident has found it was ‘predictable’ and therefore avoidable, according to reports at SKAI news.
The accident has gripped the public’s attention and put pressure on local authorities in regions where similar amusement parks are operation in Greece, as the accident exposed the insufficient job that was done by local authorities in Halkidiki to ensure the safety of the public.
As reflection of the high profile nature of the issue, last week, the chief prosecutor of the Thessaloniki Court of Appeals, Nikos Kalyvis, requested that the Prosecutor of the Halkidiki Court oversee all ongoing investigations to ensure they are completed swiftly.
In the first of three investigations by the prosecutor’s expert, the expert looked into the extent to which individuals, like the owner of the park and the operator of the ride, contributed to the accident.
The prosecutor’s expert came to the following five conclusions, according to TO VIMA:
- The cause of the accident was the fracture of the machine’s metal base.
- The metal components were corroded and aged.
- The fracture could have occurred at any moment, regardless of speed.
- The ride was a makeshift construction with assembled parts.
- The failure was predictable and should have been identified.
The conclusions imply that while the operator of the ride has been in the spotlight as an unsavory character who pushed the ride beyond safe speeds, the poor condition of the ride was enough to lead to the accident.
The father of the 19-year-old boy who died from the accident is continuing to push for justice and search for meaning, and draws comfort from the fact that several municipalities have since closed unsafe amusement parks in operation in their towns, says TO VIMA.
In response to the incident, stricter inspections are now being conducted at amusement parks throughout the country, says TO VIMA.
The accident at the Halkidiki amusement park exposed many flaws in the Greek government’s system which should have been monitoring the safety of the park and ensuring that all laws and standards are observed.
Instead, after the accident, it was discovered that the park lacked an operating license, which was known to local authorities, and that on the day of the accident the park was subject to a ‘fake’ safety inspection where the inspector signed-off on rides without ever putting any of them into operation.
Meanwhile, reporters, staff and other visitors of the park say the poor condition of the rides is clearly visible and should have raised concerns to any inspector visiting the park.
