Shortly before the start of the season, a 43-year-old amusement park employee was hit by a roller coaster in Phantasialand in Brühl in North Rhine-Westphalia on Monday afternoon and died. According to initial findings, the employee of the park’s technical department was involved in maintenance work when he was seriously injured in the head, as the Cologne district government, the authority responsible for occupational safety, announced.
The employee died a short time later at the scene of the accident. The experts’ investigations were still ongoing. They said they were in close contact with Phantasialand and the police to clarify the circumstances of the accident.
The police reported for the first time about the fatal accident at work on the “Taron” roller coaster on Monday evening. According to a spokeswoman, the investigation into the accident continued on Tuesday. Traces were secured on site on Monday and interviews with witnesses were ongoing.
Amusement park is still in winter break
Visitors were therefore not present at the accident: There is still winter break in the amusement park, but it will end this Thursday. Phantasialand could then open as planned. “The cause of the accident at work has no connection with the safety of the attraction and the visit to the park,” the theme park said in a statement. In it, the company said it was “deeply shocked” by the “tragic accident at work” of its long-time employee.
According to the park operator’s homepage, the steel roller coaster with its particularly fast and winding route is one of the special attractions in Phantasialand. Phantasialand in Brühl near Cologne is one of the largest theme parks in Europe.