Swedish amusement park fined over fatal roller coaster derailment

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish amusement park was fined nearly $590,000 on Wednesday in connection with a roller coaster derailment that left one passenger dead and nine others injured, including several children.

Witnesses at the Gröna Lund park described how the front of the Jetliner ride appeared to jump off the tracks before coming to a stop following the accident on June 25, 2023. Three people were thrown off the coaster.

The Stockholm District Court on Wednesday ruled that the ride’s support arm broke on the first car, causing the roller 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 also fined manufacturing company Göteborgs Mekaniska, which has since gone bankrupt, over $147,000 for improper welding and undertaking a job it was not qualified for. A second manufacturing company was acquitted.

Gröna Lund, which was also ordered to pay unspecified damages to the victims, said it has implemented several changes in the wake of the derailment.

“It was a very tragic accident, and no one should ever have to go through something like this,” chief executive Jan Eriksson said in a statement. “Regardless of the legal proceedings, we feel a deep sense of responsibility for what happened and for what everybody involved in the accident has gone through.”

Göteborgs Mekaniska did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The 800-meter (2,600-foot) long Jetline roller coaster opened in 1988, and was renovated in 2000, according to Gröna Lund. It has a maximum height of 30 meters (98 feet) and a top speed of 90 kph (56 mph).

Located on an island near Stockholm’s city center, Gröna Lund opened in 1883 and is one of Sweden’s most popular amusement parks.