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On 25 October 2016, four people—Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low—died on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at Dreamworld, Australia's biggest theme park. The water ride malfunctioned, causing two of the passengers to be thrown from their raft while another two were trapped inside it. The accident was caused by the failure of one of the two large water pumps essential for the ride's operation, which led to a quick drop in water levels. This resulted in a raft becoming stranded on its support rails, colliding with another raft and overturning.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of incident | 25 October 2016 |
| Location | Dreamworld theme park, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| Ride name | Thunder River Rapids Ride |
| Number of fatalities | 4 |
| Ages of victims | 32, 35, 38, 42 |
| Genders of victims | 2 male, 2 female |
| Cause of death | Crushing, drowning |
| Cause of incident | Malfunction of one of two large water pumps, causing water level to drop and a raft to become stranded |
| Contributing factors | Frequent breakdowns, design and construction problems, inadequate safety practices |
| Operator response | Ardent Leisure admitted breaching safety laws, improved safety standards, paid $5 million+ in compensation |
| Legal consequences | Fined $3.6 million, 3 charges laid against Ardent Leisure |
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What You'll Learn
The Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunction
On 25 October 2016, four people were killed on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at Australia's Dreamworld theme park. The victims were Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low. Two children were also on board but survived. The incident occurred when one of the two large water pumps essential for the ride's operation malfunctioned, causing the water level in the ride to drop quickly. This resulted in a raft becoming stranded on its support rails near the end of the raft conveyor, unable to reach the unloading area. Approximately one minute later, another raft carrying six passengers moved down the conveyor and collided with the first stranded raft. The collision caused the first raft to fall back to a level position, while the second raft was pushed into a vertical position, resulting in fatal injuries for four people.
The Thunder River Rapids Ride was a river rapid water ride located in the Town of Gold Rush section of Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The ride was described as a family-friendly "white water rafting" experience, with riders travelling down a foamy water track at speeds of up to 45 km/h (about 30 mph). The ride was open to children as young as two years old when accompanied by an adult, and the rafts could seat up to six people.
In the aftermath of the incident, Dreamworld announced that the park would initially reopen on 28 October for a special memorial service for the victims. However, this reopening was later cancelled as the investigation into the incident continued. Queensland police treated the ride as a crime scene, and the Queensland Coroner, James McDougall, released a report in February 2020 detailing "irresponsible", "dangerous", and "inadequate" safety practices at the theme park that contributed to the accident. The report also highlighted frequent breakdowns and design and construction problems with the ride in the days leading up to the incident.
As a result of the findings, the Queensland office of industrial relations laid charges against Dreamworld's parent company, Ardent Leisure, for breaching safety laws. Ardent Leisure admitted responsibility, accepted the consequences, and worked to improve safety standards across the park. They were fined A$3.6 million, and reportedly paid out more than $5 million in compensation to the victims' families, emergency responders, and witnesses. The Thunder River Rapids Ride was closed indefinitely and its remaining structures were demolished in 2018.
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Four victims killed
On 25 October 2016, four people were killed on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at Dreamworld, a theme park in Queensland, Australia. The victims were Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low, all of whom were adults aged between 32 and 42. Two children were also on the ride but survived.
The Thunder River Rapids Ride was a river rapid water ride located in the Town of Gold Rush section of Dreamworld. The ride involved riders travelling down a foamy water track at up to 45 km/h (about 30 mph), speeding through turbulent rapids. The ride was open to children as young as two years old, who could ride with an adult, and the rafts seated up to six people.
On the day of the accident, a malfunction occurred when one of the two large water pumps essential for the ride's operation failed, causing the water level in the ride to drop quickly. This led to a raft becoming stranded on its support rails near the end of the raft conveyor, unable to reach the unloading area. Shortly after, another raft carrying six passengers moved down the conveyor and collided with the first stranded raft. As a result of the collision, the first raft fell back to a level position, while the second raft was pushed into a vertical position. This caused two of the passengers to be thrown from the raft, while the other two became trapped inside. The four victims were crushed by the rafts and died almost instantly.
The accident was the worst of its kind at an Australian theme park since the 1979 Sydney Ghost Train fire at Luna Park Sydney. It highlighted dangerous and inadequate safety practices at Dreamworld, with the Queensland Coroner finding that the park had failed to properly assess the ride's safety risks in over 30 years. As a result, Dreamworld's parent company, Ardent Leisure, was fined A$3.6 million and faced three charges relating to the incident.
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Compensation and safety inspections
On 25 October 2016, four people—Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low—died on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the Dreamworld theme park in Queensland, Australia. The raft they were on crashed into another and overturned, crushing them. Two children were also on board but survived. The accident was caused by the failure of one of the two large water pumps essential for the ride's operation, which caused the water level in the ride to drop quickly. This, in turn, made a vacant raft become stranded on its support rails near the end of the raft conveyor, preventing it from reaching the unloading area.
Ardent Leisure, the operator of Dreamworld, admitted in July 2018 to breaching safety laws and accepted responsibility for the accident. The company also stated that it had worked to improve safety standards. In September 2020, Ardent Leisure was fined $3.6 million (US$2.8 million) for the breach of the Work Health and Safety Act. They were also ordered to pay a settlement amount of $2.1 million to the family of one of the victims. In total, Ardent Leisure reportedly paid out more than $5 million in compensation to the families of the victims, as well as to emergency responders and witnesses.
In addition to the compensation, the Queensland Government announced a "blitz" of safety inspections and an audit of state workplace health and safety laws following the incident. The Queensland Coroner, James McDougall, also released a report detailing "irresponsible", "dangerous", and "inadequate" safety practices at the theme park that contributed to the four deaths. He recommended that the Queensland office of industrial relations consider a prosecution. The ride had endured frequent breakdowns in the days leading up to the accident and had several design and construction problems. Mr McDougall referred Dreamworld's parent company, Ardent Leisure, to the Queensland Office of Industrial Relations, stating that the company may have committed an offence under workplace laws.
As a result of the accident, the Busch Gardens Tampa theme park in Florida, USA, shut down its Congo River Rapids ride until the cause of the Dreamworld accident was determined. The accident also prompted Queensland to introduce an industrial manslaughter offence in 2017.
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Dreamworld's negligence
On 25 October 2016, four people—Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low—died on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at Dreamworld, Australia's biggest theme park. Two children were also on board but survived. The victims, aged between 32 and 42, were crushed to death when their raft collided with another and overturned.
The accident was caused by the failure of one of the two large water pumps essential for the ride's operation. This caused the water level in the ride to drop quickly, resulting in a vacant raft becoming stranded on its support rails near the end of the raft conveyor. This, in turn, meant that it was unable to reach the unloading area. Approximately one minute later, the raft carrying the victims moved down the conveyor and collided with the stranded raft.
In the aftermath of the incident, Dreamworld was criticised for its safety practices. The Queensland Coroner, James McDougall, released a report in February 2020, detailing "irresponsible", "dangerous", and "inadequate" safety practices at the theme park that contributed to the four deaths. He noted that the ride had endured frequent breakdowns in the days leading up to the accident and had several design and construction problems. Furthermore, the theme park had not properly assessed the ride's safety risk in over 30 years, indicating a failure in its duty of care.
As a result of the coroner's findings, Dreamworld's parent company, Ardent Leisure, was charged and fined A$3.6 million (£2 million; $2.5 million) for breaching safety laws. The company accepted responsibility and worked to improve safety standards. They also paid out more than $5 million in compensation to the families of the victims, emergency responders, and witnesses.
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Police investigation
On 25 October 2016, four people—Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low—died on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the Dreamworld theme park in Queensland, Australia. The victims, two men and two women, were between the ages of 32 and 42. Two children were also on board but survived.
Queensland Police officers arrived at the scene at around 2:20 p.m. and established a crime scene at the park. Police remained on site for an extended period to assist in the investigation and the recovery of the four bodies. They used a drone to gather evidence from the scene.
The Queensland Coroner, James McDougall, released a report on 24 February 2020, detailing "irresponsible", "dangerous", and "inadequate" safety practices at the theme park that contributed to the four deaths. He referred Dreamworld's parent company, Ardent Leisure, to the Queensland Office of Industrial Relations, stating that the company "may have committed an offence under workplace laws". On 21 July 2020, it was announced that three charges had been laid against Ardent Leisure. The company admitted to breaching safety laws and was fined A$3.6 million.
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Frequently asked questions
The Thunder River Rapids Ride in Dreamworld, Australia malfunctioned, causing the deaths of four people. Two victims were thrown from their raft and two became trapped inside.
The failure of one of the two large water pumps essential for the ride's operation caused the water level in the ride to drop quickly, making a raft become stranded on its support rails near the end of the raft conveyor. This caused another raft carrying six passengers to collide with the first raft.
The Queensland coroner, James McDougall, released a report detailing irresponsible, dangerous, and inadequate safety practices at the theme park that contributed to the four deaths. The park operator, Ardent Leisure, was fined A$3.6 million and admitted to breaching safety laws.
The four victims were Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low. They were all adults.
