Charges brought in France after woman plummets from roller coaster
July 9, 2020 05:54 PM
The owner of a French amusement park has been charged with involuntary homicide after a woman plummeted to her death from a roller coaster ride at the weekend, prosecutors said Thursday.
Owner and manager Gilles Campion of the Saint-Paul fairground in northern France has been placed under investigation on a charge of involuntary homicide resulting from security breaches, the office of the prosecutor of Beauvais told AFP.
Being charged in France does not necessarily result in a trial. A 32-year-old woman fell Saturday afternoon from the seat she was strapped into, next to her husband, on the "Formula 1" roller coaster ride which also takes children.
Rescuers were unable to revive her. Another woman died after falling from the same ride in 2009. Noone was charged in that case. Campion said after Saturday's incident that the required yearly inspection was carried out last November.
Beauvais prosecutor Florent Boura told the Parisien newspaper that new seat belts installed on the ride after the 2009 accident were still in use when the inspection was done. They have been replaced since then, triggering an obligation on the park's management to report the modification and request a new inspection.
Campion on Thursday said he looked forward to providing input for the investigation, and said he wished the ride to be dismantled.