Credit: Alton Towers A young girl with a prosthetic leg was “left humiliated” after being removed from an attraction at a popular theme park.
With attractions for the entire family, thrilling rides, entertainment offerings, fun activities, delicious snacks, and so much more, it is clear why theme parks are some of the most popular destinations. However, there are some cases where a fun visit to a theme park can turn into a rather unpleasant experience, as it recently occurred to a young girl.
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Amelia Eldred, 11, had waited in line for two hours, eager to ride Galactica at Alton Towers, but was sadly removed from the attraction by theme park staff shortly after being seated. Her mother, Michelle, commented that her daughter was “left humiliated” by the experience and that it had “knocked her confidence.”
Amelia was diagnosed with bone cancer aged seven, and had a procedure called rotationplasty to reattach the lower part of her leg backwards so she could have a prosthetic fitted. Before she visited the Staffordshire theme park, she checked the company’s website for restrictions on the ride, and on the date of her visit, she asked a staff member before joining the queue.
Related: Child’s Prosthetic Leg Flys Off During Carnival Ride, Nearly Hits Guests
Alton Towers’ website states the following regarding accessibility at Galactica:
Guests who have a prosthetic limb will need to remove their prosthetic due to the nature of the ride. If you have a prosthetic, please speak to a member of the guest service team, or visit the website here (opens new tab) for all relevant restrictions that may apply.
Mrs. Eldred said that Amelia was asked to remove her leg as she boarded — as stated on the Park’s website — which she was happy to do and was then seated and strapped in. However, another staff member “just said no and removed her from the ride, gave her leg back” and “frogmarched her away” with “no explanation, no empathy,” added Mrs. Eldred.
In an interview with BBC News, Mrs. Eldred stated, “She has been very proud of being an amputee, she wears shorts, she doesn’t cover it up… but [this] has affected her.”
She added that while Alton Towers had offered the family a return visit to give Amelia “a positive experience,” she wanted to know what changes would be made. “I want to see and know how they are going to make this a better experience for people and children who have disabilities,” said Mrs. Eldred.
A spokeswoman for Alton Towers stated the following regarding the unpleasant incident:
The health and safety of our guests and team is always of paramount importance, with our team being trained in the accessibility arrangements for guests with accessibility requirements.
In addition to this, we conduct full accessibility reviews throughout the year working closely with manufacturers to establish where there is scope for adjustments to allow for greater accessibility.As a resort, we remain fully committed to listening, learning and adapting to the needs of our guests.
We really care about creating magical experiences that are inclusive for all of our guests and this incident falls well below the high expectations we have.
More on Galactica at Alton Towers
Galactica is a thrilling free-fly rollercoaster that takes Guests on a journey to a dimension beyond their wildest imagination. With a top speed of 75 kilometers per hour — about 46 miles per hour — and a maximum height of 65 feet, this attraction puts Guests through over 2,500 feet of track and makes them experience over 3.5G during approximately a minute and 40 seconds.
Alton Towers’ official website describes the attraction as follows:
Experience Alton Towers’ iconic free fly rollercoaster.
Fly face down, close to the ground, and narrowly brush past the trees and theme park footpaths. From ‘lie to fly’ to ‘fly to lie’, you’ll experience two full 360 degree inversions. Flip onto your back in the world’s first ‘lying down’ ride position. Look up towards the vast expanse of space, the universe and the unknown.
Soar, spiral and glide, around the rollercoaster track that simulates the sensations of flight. Galactica is much more than a standard inverted roller coaster; it is a high g-force roller coaster where you can almost touch the ground and the sky. Embark on an exhilarating expedition to another dimension!
More on Alton Towers
The Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom, is one of the UK’s most visited theme parks, only after Legoland Windsor. The Merlin Entertainments Group operates the Resort consisting of a theme park, water park, mini-golf, spa, and hotel complex, including Alton Towers Hotel, CBeebies Land Hotel, Enchanted Village, and Splash Landings Hotel, among others.
The theme park Resort, like others across the world like Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld, Six Flags, Dollywood, and Universal Orlando Resort, includes many family-friendly attractions like CBeebies Land and Gangsta Granny: The Ride (based on the novels by David Walliams) and thrill rides such as Galactica, Nemesis, Wicker Man, The Smiler, and the world’s first vertical drop roller coaster, Oblivion.
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