Furious mum blasts Drayton Manor for safety warning dismissal as kids seen standing on ride days before 11-year-old died
Vikki Treacy claims she warned bosses years ago after her son was hurled into the water but they dismissed her complaints
A MUM whose son fell off the theme park ride on which schoolgirl Evha Jannath died says she warned bosses the attraction was unsafe.
Vikki Treacy wrote to Drayton Manor after Patrick, ten, plunged into the water on Splash Canyon. She said of Evha’s death: “Had they taken my incident seriously, maybe it wouldn’t have happened.”
Last night a dad also revealed he had film of excited youngsters standing up on the ride just days before Evha’s death with no staff near.
Evha, 11, died from a head injury on Tuesday when she tumbled out of a six-seater boat on the simulated river ride during a school trip. She was either struck by a boat or hit her head on the steel frames that carry the boats around at the park near Drayton Bassett, Staffs.
It is feared she may have stood up to swap seats with a classmate and lost her balance.
Vikki said: “They did nothing when Patrick fell in but he was lucky. If they had reviewed and improved the safety of the ride when I complained perhaps this little girl would still be alive.”
The mum of four, from Rugby, Warwickshire, was at the park when Patrick, then ten, and his cousins asked to go on Splash Canyon.
She said: “Patrick left his seat just slightly and turned to wave to me as I was going to take a picture.
“At that very moment the boat banged into the side of the canyon and he was tipped out head-first.
“I screamed. A lady leapt over to get to him. He was standing but struggling to get to the edge.
“He was unable to get a grip to get out. The lady got him to safety. It was terrifying.
“Had there been another boat close it could have crushed him.
“He was very lucky.”
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Vikki, 46, who has three other children — Gabriel, 13, Freddie, 12 and Dominic, 20 — said she raised her safety concerns with a manager.
She added: “He said there was a constant public address system telling people they must remain seated.
“The manager’s version of events was, ‘You’re not supposed to stand on the ride, and from our CCTV it looks like your child was standing’.
“I think that’s quite shoddy. Kids will stand — if they don’t want them to then get them belted in.
“After that I repeatedly told the company I didn’t feel the safety measures were good enough.
“I just wish now I had pushed them harder. If I had, maybe yesterday wouldn’t have happened. I did try, but we were passed from person to person without any action.
“I was shocked when I heard about that poor girl. It brings it all back to what happened to Patrick.”
A Drayton Manor spokesman said: “We cannot comment during the ongoing investigation surrounding Splash Canyon other than to say the health and safety of our visitors is of paramount importance and we’d ask Vikki to contact us direct.”
Family's tears for beautiful little angel
By ROB PATTINSON, CHRIS POLLARD & PATRICK GYSIN
TRAGIC Evha Jannath’s family say their world has been torn apart by the death of their “angel”.
Mum Musammath Nurun Nahar, 43, of Leicester, said in a statement: “Evha was a beautiful little girl, full of love and always smiling.
“Words cannot describe the pain. We are devastated that we will not see her again.”
Dad Muhammed Syable Islam, 46, who is separated from Evha’s mum, found out in a call from his son.
The waiter, of St Albans, Herts, said: “I didn’t know Evha was going to the park with school. It should have been a fun day.
“The last time I saw her was in September in Leicester. I would ring her a lot.
“I’m heartbroken. Now I only have one son.”
Speaking from Bangladesh, Evha’s uncle Abdul Hadi, asked for mourners to pray for his “beloved niece,” adding: “She is our angel.
“She is the only daughter of my sister and she just turned 11 on the 5th of May. She was a very quiet and pretty girl.”
Evha’s brother was seen in tears outside his mum’s home.
Next-door neighbour Amina Sheikh, 34, said: “Evha’s mum is really struggling. You can hear her wailing.
“Evha was a lovely girl.
“We could always hear her playing happily.”
Headteacher Erfana Bora, of Jameah Girls Academy where Evha was a pupil, said: “She was so sweet-natured and loved by everyone.”
The park was closed yesterday.
Last night, there were claims staff were slow to react when Evha fell in, and that she and four pals were unsupervised in the boat with teachers in a separate one.
The brother of a pupil in the boat with Evha said: “My sister said Evha stood up and looked like she was moving seats. Then she looked back and she was in the water.
“The girls shouted for the guards who didn’t believe she was in there.”
Evha’s headteacher Erfana Bora yesterday declined to comment on claims she had sent a text to the dead girl’s mother complaining Drayton Manor staff had been slow to react.
The Sun was unable to contact Evha’s school, the Jameah Girls Academy in Leicester, last night.
Splash Canyon customers are told by announcements, signs and staff to stay in their seats and keep hold of a circular metal rail in the middle of the boats as they swerve and splash through the ride.
But a park season ticket-holder shot the footage of screaming youngsters clearly standing up on the ride last Bank Holiday Monday.
The 36-year-old dad of two, from Birmingham, said there was no intervention by staff.
The finance manager, who asked not to be named, said he had been on Splash Canyon “countless” times but says not once have all the riders remained in their seats.
He said: “It would be impossible for the park to enforce the safety advice unless you had a member of staff in each boat.
“You can clearly see what look like a couple of young kids tottering around as the boat rocks. Surely a ride like this needs lifeguards.”
Tarot card reader Oonah Law, 21, who went on Splash Canyon on Sunday, said: “There was a boat with a group of girls in behind us but that seemed to break down and disappear and then a dad and young child were behind us. It seemed wrong. One boat overtook the other.
“We rang the park to file a complaint but I have heard nothing.”
Other UK rapids shut
By Chris Pollard and Tess De La Mare
RIVER rapids rides designed by the company that made Splash Canyon were closed at two other UK theme parks yesterday.
Swiss design firm Intamin, which made the first rapids ride in Houston, Texas, in 1979, also made Rumba Rapids at Thorpe Park and Alton Towers’ Congo River Rapids.
Merlin Entertainments temporarily closed both yesterday pending the Drayton Manor probe. Legoland Windsor also shut its Viking River Splash ride, although that was not made by Intamin.
Rumba Rapids was opened in 1986 and refurbished in 2002. In its first year an 11-year-old boy was thrown from a boat and lost an ear.
The Congo River Rapids opened in 1986 and are believed to have operated without serious incident.