Eyewitness describes 'petrifying' moment rollercoaster derailed at Coney Beach Pleasure Park
13 children and an adult were treated for minor injuries after the ride derailed at the well-known Porthcawl amusement park. Others at the park said they heard "horrific screams" when it happened.
Police said 14 people suffered injuries in the incident, with seven taken to hospital for treatment.
The operators of the park said the incident involved a "third-party ride not owned by Coney Beach".
One of the children on the ride was Isaac. His Dad, Sam Conibear, said he and the family had visited the theme park with some friends.
He said: "It was supposed to be a nice day, and we got there, it was a lovely day, even though the sun went out. We planned to have a nice evening on the ride."
According to eyewitnesses, just after 6pm part of the fairground's Wacky Worm ride came off the tracks.
"It was loads of screaming - the kids were petrified", Sam said.
Sophia, 11, was visiting the park with her friends and her parents. She said: "You just heard screaming. The rollercoaster went up and one of the children hit their face.
"We'd just come off the ghost train, and we saw ambulances rushing in. You could hear screams, and you could see that they had hit their face[s]."
Sam's friend, John-Paul Baylis, described hearing "horrific screams". His son, Ethan, was on the rollercoaster.
"I ran over there as fast as I could," he said.
"I jumped on the rollercoaster and got my son off. Something just came over me - I just got on there and brought injured kids down to other dads."
Sam Coniber said: "I looked up and I saw Isaac screaming to get him off, and then my mate John flew onto the ride and he got everyone on it.
"[He] had his nose pouring with blood; it was shocking. I was absolutely petrified, I was shaking in fear for him, and then I saw this track derailing. I thought he was gonna end up on the floor."
Issac said: "I hit my face on the railing, and then, because of how hard it stopped. One of the railings bent up so it was like a really hard crash, and I hit my face on the bar."
South Wales Police confirmed 13 children had been injured in the incident. Seven people were taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Sam Coniber took his son to the hospital on Thursday morning. He said he was told Issac may have broken his nose in the crash.
Eyewitnesses who had children on the ride said the incident has also taken an emotional toll. "[I'm] still shaken up. Yeah, I'm barely on no sleep, just keeping an eye on Isaac," said Sam.
John-Paul added: "It was horrible what happened to the little kids, but it could've been a lot worse."
The Health and Safety Executive said investigators have visited the site. In a statement, it said: "We are aware of this incident and are being supported by South Wales Police. Our inspectors are attending the site today to commence enquiries."
In a statement, the operator of the park said: "Due to an incident on a third-party ride not owned by Coney Beach, we were instructed by the police to clear the site for further investigation.
"We apologise for the disruption and will be providing refunds to affected guests as soon as possible. We will be releasing instructions on refunds shortly."
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Eyewitness describes 'petrifying' moment rollercoaster derailed at Coney Beach Pleasure Park
A father has described the "petrifying" moment a rollercoaster his son was on derailed a the Coney Beach Pleasure Park on Wednesday evening. 13 children and an adult were treated for minor injuries after the ride derailed at the well-known Porthcawl amusement park. Others at the park said they heard "horrific screams" when it happened. Police said 14 people suffered injuries in the incident, with seven taken to hospital for treatment. The operators of the park said the incident involved a "third-party ride not owned by Coney Beach". One of the children on the ride was Isaac. His Dad, Sam Conibear, said he and the family had visited the theme park with some friends. He said: "It was supposed to be a nice day, and we got there, it was a lovely day, even though the sun went out. We planned to have a nice evening on the ride." According to eyewitnesses, just after 6pm part of the fairground's Wacky Worm ride came off the tracks. "It was loads of screaming - the kids were petrified", Sam said. Sophia, 11, was visiting the park with her friends and her parents. She said: "You just heard screaming. The rollercoaster went up and one of the children hit their face. "We'd just come off the ghost train, and we saw ambulances rushing in. You could hear screams, and you could see that they had hit their face[s]." Sam's friend, John-Paul Baylis, described hearing "horrific screams". His son, Ethan, was on the rollercoaster. "I ran over there as fast as I could," he said. "I jumped on the rollercoaster and got my son off. Something just came over me - I just got on there and brought injured kids down to other dads." Sam Coniber said: "I looked up and I saw Isaac screaming to get him off, and then my mate John flew onto the ride and he got everyone on it. "[He] had his nose pouring with blood; it was shocking. I was absolutely petrified, I was shaking in fear for him, and then I saw this track derailing. I thought he was gonna end up on the floor." Issac said: "I hit my face on the railing, and then, because of how hard it stopped. One of the railings bent up so it was like a really hard crash, and I hit my face on the bar." South Wales Police confirmed 13 children had been injured in the incident. Seven people were taken to the hospital by ambulance. Sam Coniber took his son to the hospital on Thursday morning. He said he was told Issac may have broken his nose in the crash. Eyewitnesses who had children on the ride said the incident has also taken an emotional toll. "[I'm] still shaken up. Yeah, I'm barely on no sleep, just keeping an eye on Isaac," said Sam. John-Paul added: "It was horrible what happened to the little kids, but it could've been a lot worse." The Health and Safety Executive said investigators have visited the site. In a statement, it said: "We are aware of this incident and are being supported by South Wales Police. Our inspectors are attending the site today to commence enquiries." In a statement, the operator of the park said: "Due to an incident on a third-party ride not owned by Coney Beach, we were instructed by the police to clear the site for further investigation. "We apologise for the disruption and will be providing refunds to affected guests as soon as possible. We will be releasing instructions on refunds shortly."
