Accident at Adlabs Imagica: Two Injured as Roller Coaster Ride Tilts
Adlabs Imagica — the theme park that opened in April 2013 at Khopoli on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway — saw its first major accident in February 2014, when the Bandits of Robin Hood roller coaster tilted mid-ride.
Two people were injured: 32-year-old Purnima Rathi, who suffered a head injury, and her 16-year-old daughter Mamata, who was hurt in the lower jaw. The incident happened around 12:45 pm; both were admitted to the nearby Jakhotia Hospital. (TheHealthSite)
What the park said
Adlabs described the injuries as minor and shut the ride down for safety precautions. Vincent Pijnenburg, the park's chief operating officer, said: "We have always complied with the maintenance and operational procedures recommended by the manufacturers of every ride. The safety of our guests and employees is our company's utmost priority. We regret this incident but are extremely grateful that everyone is safe."
Ashutosh Kale, Assistant Vice President for Safety and Security, added: "In accordance with our daily safety procedures every ride is checked for safety and technical issues before being run for our guests through a night long maintenance schedule. 3 test runs were carried on the ride before opening it for the guests. We have never faced a situation like this before and we are coordinating with the ride manufacturer to ensure that no future untoward incident occurs."
The question it raised
A brand-new park, opened less than a year earlier, pitching itself to international standards — and a coaster car came off the rails badly enough that a witness report described the rear cars derailing, with one car rotated more than 120 degrees. The company said maintenance procedures were followed; guests left wondering whether first-aid response, emergency preparedness, and ride oversight at Indian theme parks match the marketing.
The facts as reported: two injured, one ride closed, and a company promising it would never happen again. Everything else about that day remains between the ride manufacturer and the investigation.
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