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A Swedish amusement park was fined nearly $588,000 (€491,000) on Wednesday in connection with a 2023 rollercoaster derailment that left one passenger dead and nine others injured.
The tragedy occurred on 25 June 2023 on the Jetline ride at the Gröna Lund park.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as the front of the train appeared to jump off the tracks before coming to a stop, with one car tilted toward the ground. Three people were thrown off the rollercoaster.
The Stockholm District Court ruled on Wednesday that the Jetline’s support arm, an important safety component, broke in the first car.
That caused the coaster’s undercarriage to hit the track’s joints, prompting sudden and violent breaking that ejected the passengers. Several safety restraints also gave way.
The court found that Gröna Lund acted negligently in the ordering of newly manufactured support arms by including insufficient documentation.
The court also said the theme park did not ensure that the work was done by a competent welder.
The court fined manufacturing company Göteborgs Mekaniska, which has since gone bankrupt, nearly $147,000 (€122,000) for improper welding and undertaking a job it was not qualified for. A second manufacturing company was acquitted.
Göteborgs Mekaniska and Gröna Lund, which was also ordered to pay unspecified damages to the victims, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The 800-metre Jetline roller coaster opened in 1988 and was renovated in 2000, according to Gröna Lund.
It has a maximum height of 30 metres and a top speed of 90 kph.
Located on an island near Stockholm’s city centre, Gröna Lund opened in 1883 and is one of Sweden’s most popular amusement parks.
Additional sources • AP