June 25, 2023. Gröna Lund's flagship, the Jetline roller coaster, partially derails during one of its rides.
A woman dies and nine people, including several children, are injured when a newly manufactured support arm on the underside of the front carriage breaks.
“Huge shock”
A year and a half has passed since the accident – and now the issue of liability will be heard in the district court.
Gröna Lund stands as a company, together with the companies Mekosmos and Göteborgs Mekaniska Werkstad (GMW), accused of gross negligence causing death, gross negligence causing bodily harm and causing danger to others.
We feel a great responsibility for what all those affected have gone through. It was a terrible day. Gröna Lund has been operating for many years, there have been millions of rides without anything like this happening. This was a huge shock, says Gröna Lund CEO Jan Eriksson to TT.
But even though Gröna Lund feels responsible, they deny any wrongdoing.
We do not agree with the prosecutor's description in all parts, and that is what will now be tested in court. I want to say that it is important for those affected to have clarity on the issue of liability and for us that the regulations and what the Accident Investigation Board pointed out become clear.
The Swedish Accident Investigation Board (SHK) criticized Gröna Lund in its final report on the accident. Among other things, SHK considered that the order for the support arm in question, which was placed in 2019, was deficient.
Action taken
After the accident, Gröna Lund has taken several measures, says Jan Eriksson.
We have examined our entire business, turning over every stone to see what we can do differently.
"There will always be a before and an after of the accident," he says.
We are clearly not the hardest hit, we don't believe that for a second. Those who were on the train, their experience must have been terrible.
Gröna Lund is required to pay a fine of twelve million kronor and the other companies three million each. The accident has had an impact in many ways, including in terms of brand, according to Jan Eriksson.
"However, the legal process that is now taking place does not affect our work with safety or our ambition to offer a completely safe park. We will always do everything we can to ensure that something like this never happens again," he says.
The trial against the companies begins on Monday.
The accident occurred on June 25, 2023, when the Jetline roller coaster partially derailed after the support arm on the underside of the front car broke. The parts of the support arm with the wheels on either side of the train completely came loose and fell off.
The Swedish National Accident Investigation Board (SHK) harshly criticized Gröna Lund in its final report. According to SHK, Gröna Lund's order for the support arm in question, which was placed in 2019, was deficient.
Gröna Lund placed the order for the new support arms with Mekosmos, who in turn placed them with GMW. According to police and prosecutors, Gröna Lund's order lacked important parts regarding the requirements that must be met during manufacturing.
GMW, which made the support arms, lacked the certification to manufacture fairground parts, and missed a crucial part of the welding. This meant that the support arm would not be able to withstand the pressures that occurred on the Jetline. This could not be detected during later inspections.
