The Disaster Aboard The Battersea Park Big Dipper
Heritage Images/Getty ImagesThe Big Dipper was wildly popular — even the Duchess of Kent and her children rode it during its first year.
The Battersea Park Fun Fair was established during the Festival of Britain in 1951 and quickly became an immensely popular event each year in London. It had its own “London Eye” as well as a ride called the Big Dipper, which constantly drew long lines.
But, according to Londonist, the ride’s run had been riddled with mishaps from the very start.
In May 1951, an empty car derailed and knocked over a parapet, thankfully not injuring anyone. But then in 1968, a car with passengers hurtled backwards and crashed into the car behind it, breaking one woman’s arm. In May 1970, a suspected arson attack caused over $450,000 worth of damage to the ride, shutting it down for two months.
But it was on May 30, 1972, that the Big Dipper became known not for the joy it brought riders, but for the tragic deaths of five children and the injuries sustained by 13 others.
Evening Standard/Stringer/Getty ImagesThe wreckage of the Big Dipper roller coaster at Battersea Park in London.
A train of carriages on the ride had been filled with 31 people, but as it reached the top of its first incline, roughly 50 feet high, it detached from the drive chain prematurely. The train slipped backwards, and under its own momentum, hit a corner and derailed.
The front carriage crumpled the one behind it, killing two teenage boys and an eight-year-old girl immediately. Two other children died later of the injuries they received during the accident.
To this day, the Battersea Park accident remains the worst roller coaster tragedy in world history.
After reading about some of the worst amusement park deaths in recent history, learn about the incredible disasters that history forgot. Then, read about the weirdest disasters to have happened in human history.
