Credit: Grona LundIn the wake of the tragic accident at Grona Lund in Central Stockholm, Sweden, multiple Guests have reported issues with the derailing coaster prior to the accident.
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One of the world’s oldest and most beloved Amusement Parks, Grona Lund, is on the front page of Theme Park news sites for all the wrong reasons. At around 11:30 a.m., a train on the Jetline roller coaster derailed, resulting in multiple visitors being sent to the hospital and one 35-year-old woman dead.
Since then, executives at Grona Lund have shut the Park down in order to thoroughly investigate what has led to this unimaginable tragedy. However, based on the reports of multiple Guests, it seems that this accident was bound to happen.
Grona Lund Guest Reported Maintenance Issues 1.5 Hours Before Accident
While accidents of this magnitude are rare on roller coasters and staff at Grona Lund are shocked, multiple previous Park Guests had revealed issues with the popular ride. Some of them even reported maintenance issues hours before the fatal accident.
One Guest, Erik, told Swedish news site Aftonbladet that he and his son Mathias “went in at opening, but then they said it was closed. Just when we were at it, however, they opened it, so we were the first to go with it.”
After their ride, Erik revealed that the ride was quickly inspected. “Two wardens stood and checked our wagon and examined it. They looked at the front of the carriage where we had just sat. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had suspicions that something was wrong, but let it go anyway.” This was one and a half hours before the derailment occurred.
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Another Guest, Nathalie Sedin, stated that she and her brother’s girlfriend were stuck on Jetline the previous day. “It stopped just after it started on an uphill slope. There was a cross rivet, and then the train got stuck. We were not allowed to get off, and technicians were called. I don’t know what the problem was, but they fixed it then. We were stuck for about ten minutes.”
Sedin continued, “When we had gone for a ride and got off, the staff asked how we were. I questioned that we were not allowed to get off when we were stuck because the platform was close by then. With today’s facts, it feels uncomfortable.”
Another unnamed Guest revealed that his daughter and their friend rode Jetline even though the brace was broken. “They had to ride the whole round. They clung to the bar until their knuckles turned white, but it went up and down. It’s supposed to click, but this one wasn’t locked, and they were terrified. When they arrived, and it stopped, they told them about it, but the person they were talking to just sent them away. The first thing the daughter said this morning after the accident happened was that they weren’t even stuck when they went on the Jetline a week ago.”
Despite these troubling reports, Grona Lund insists that the ride had received a proper inspection, having last been inspected in the Spring. They stated that every ride also receives continuous safety checks from independent inspectors.
Clearly, something has gone wrong behind the scenes at Jetline. Either someone didn’t report the incidents as they were told, or Grona Lund actively ignored these reports. Either way, hopefully, the Stockholm Police will find answers soon.
Do you think Grona Lund should have shut down the ride? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!