Alton Towers Smiler crash: What's changed one year on?

What happened?

At around 2pm on June 2, a carriage carrying 16 people around The Smiler crashed into a second stationary carriage.

The occupied train ended up on the bottom of one of the ride's 14 loops, 25ft in the air and at a 45 degree angle.

Rescue crews, which included around 30 firefighters, paramedics and doctors, had to build a platform and work for around four and a half hours to rescue all of the casualties.

Five people were seriously injured, including Leah Washington and Vicky Balch who both had a leg amputated.

What impact did it have on Alton Towers?

Alton Towers was shut for four days after the crash and visitors plunged in the wake of the crash. In November, five months after the incident, the theme park revealed it was axing 190 salaried jobs.

Operator Merlin Entertainments, whose like-for-like revenues had tumbled by 11.4 per cent across its theme park division for the first nine months of 2015, said it needed a 'modern, flexible structure'.

Merlin said the combination of redundancies, redemployment and early retirements would help ensure the resort's long-term future.

What impact did it have on the owners?

After the drop in visitors and theme park revenue, Merlin said 2015 had been 'without doubt the most difficult year in Merlin's history'.

Its theme park business, which includes Thorpe Park, had slumped by 12.4 per cent in the year to December 26.

The group, which also owns attractions such as Legoland, the London Eye and Madame Tussauds, said the crash and subsequent media coverage had 'led to a significant reversal of the strong momentum' in the company but had also led the company to invest in engineering and safety.

What about the ride itself?

March 19 saw the start of the 2016 Alton Towers season and the re-opening of The Smiler, nine months after the crash. All went smoothly for the theme park, with queues of people lining up to board the rollercoaster.

But six weeks into the season, around 30 thrill seekers were left stuck on the park's newest ride Galactica, when heavy rain blocked a sensor on the rollercoaster, which had opened as a replacement for Air.

An Alton Towers spokesman said the automatic stoppage was a 'standard safety feature' and that the health and safety of guests was the park's top priority.

Has anyone been held accountable?

In April, Merlin admitted breaching health and safety regulations at a hearing at Staffordshire Justice Centre.

The company accepted it could have taken extra measures to protect riders' safety and was warned by the judge that it "may be ordered to pay a very large fine".

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) told the court that staff working on The Smiler had 'overrode' a block on the ride's computer system to send out a train which then crashed into a stationary carriage that staff had not seen.

An internal Merlin investigation had found that the cause of the crash was human error ,"culminating in the manual override of the ride safety control system without the appropriate protocols being followed."

There were found to be no technical or mechanical problems.

After the Staffordshire hearing, the Health and Safety Executive revealed new pictures showing the aftermath of the crash.

The pictures show how the crash left one of The Smiler's carriages twisted and mangled, with huge dents in the metalwork in front of the seats.

And a video released by HSE shows the carriage being removed from The Smiler and track testing taking place on the ride.

What now for The Smiler, Alton Towers and Merlin?

If Merlin admits liability, as it has suggested it will, when the health and safety case is heard at Stafford Crown Court it is likely the company will be fined heavily.

The company is already in danger of falling out of the FTSE 100 index, as the aftermath of the crash continues to hurt Merlin's revenues.

Alton Towers will be open every day throughout the summer holidays (but without the famous log flume), but will be shut on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from September, before closing for the winter on Novermber 6.