Boy, 7, who fell 30ft off a rollercoaster at Lightwater Valley has undergone emergency brain surgery

9 August 2019, 11:08

The boy was airlifted to hospital after falling off the ride at the Yorkshire theme park in May

A seven year old boy who fell off a rollercoaster at Lightwater Valley Theme Park in Yorkshire has undergone emergency brain surgery, his mother has confirmed.

The boy has been taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where surgeons performed the procedure.

His mother wrote on Facebook that he is out of surgery, but that his condition is still unknown.

The boy fells 30 ft from the Twister rollercoaster at the park back in May.

An eyewitness said, according to The Sun, that he "slid out and over the top of the carriage" before falling "30ft to the ground".

Simon Moran, a guest at the park, said: "Just saw a kid fall off the Twister rollercoaster at Lightwater Valley."He mustn't have been strapped in right, or too small for the ride.

"As it went down the fast bit towards the 'souvenir' camera, he slid out and over the top of the carriage."

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement at the time: "The boy was taken to Leeds General Infirmary with head injuries following the incident where he currently remains."However, his condition is now described as critical."

And Lightwater Valley theme park yesterday told Heart: "We can confirm that following an incident on one of our rides this morning, a child is receiving treatment at a local hospital.

"Emergency services have confirmed the child was conscious when they arrived at the scene and his condition is not believed to be life threatening.

"The ride remains closed at the current time but the rest of the park is still open.We will issue an update as soon as we have any more information."

They later sent another statement saying: "Further to our earlier statement concerning the incident on one of our rides this morning, we can confirm that Health and Safety Executive (HSE) personnel are now on-site and we are assisting them as required.

"We take the health and safety of our visitors very seriously and are committed to providing support to the affected family.

"We will continue working closely with the HSE and emergency services. The ride concerned will remain closed until a full investigation has taken place. We will provide updates when new information becomes available."