A burns survivor has claimed she was thrown off a children’s ride at Thorpe Park because she has no hands.
Lisa Morrison, who had a double hand amputation after being burned as a child, visited the resort in Surrey with her six-year-old son Brayden last week as part of their seven-day holiday.
After queuing for an hour to get on the family-friendly Flying Fish rollercoaster, the 33-year-old said she was removed from her seat by a Thorpe Park manager when they spotted her missing hands.
She said the park put it down to her having ‘no upper body strength’ to support her on the ride due to her missing fingers – but she claims it is ‘discrimination’.
Due to this, the mum-of-one claims she was told she could only go on a few of the rides at Thorpe Park but was shocked to find the list included the UK’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster named Hyperia.
However, as her son was too small to ride these attractions, the pair spent the day in the amusement park.
Lisa claims they did manage to go on the teacup ride without any issues despite being told this was a ride she wouldn’t be able to go on.
On the Thorpe Park website, the Flying Fish is advertised as a family-friendly attraction, which states riders must have full upper body strength, including head and neck control to ride.
It also states riders must have a minimum of three full limbs and missing or amputated legs must be below the knee.
Thorpe Park apologised for Lisa’s experience but said its policies were ‘based upon the guidelines and best practices set by the equipment manufacturers and industry associations’.
After her experience, Lisa said she will never visit the theme park again, as she claims her missing hands are not the same as a double arm amputation.
Lisa, from Fife in Scotland, said: ‘We queued up for over an hour for the Flying Fish and they’d seen me in the queue and even asked how many people in our party there were too.
‘We went through the barriers and got into the carriage and put our belts on. They [a Thorpe Park staff member], walked up the ride to check everyone had their belts on and we were sitting for a good five minutes.
‘I could see two workers looking over at me and talking… I had a suspicion what it was about. People were staring and getting angry as they had all been waiting in the queue for a long time and it was another hold up.’
Lisa claimed a manager then came over and said she needed ‘full upper body strength’ to go on the ride.
She added: ‘Having no fingers does not mean I don’t have full upper body strength. My hands are amputated from just below the wrist.
‘That is not an arm, that’s a wrist. I’ve got my full arms. It was really embarrassing to get off and my son was getting worked up.
‘After we got off the ride, we went to the information bit at the park.
‘We were given a yellow wristband and on their website this puts me under the double arm amputation category below the elbow which is the most restrictive category.’
Lisa has said she will ‘never go back’ to Thorpe Park due to how the situation was handled.
She said: ‘I understand that there are rules in place for a reason, but somebody not having fingers is not going to mean you’re going to fall out of a rollercoaster if you’re belted into it.
‘I lost my hands and got my burn injuries when I was three months old so I don’t know any difference. I drive a car that is not adapted in any way. There’s nothing that I can’t do.
‘I do feel discriminated against. I think they [Thorpe Park] have hidden it behind health and safety rules because then by law it’s not classed as discrimination its classed as health and safety.’
Lisa says Thorpe Park should make their rules clearer and make their rides adaptable so everyone can enjoy them.
Two days before her Thorpe Park visit, Lisa says she visited Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, which is owned by the same company, Merlin Entertainment – but had a ‘positive’ experience there.
Lisa also says she and Brayden rode the Runaway Mine Train family coaster four times at Alton Towers, which she claims is bigger than the Flying Fish ride at Thorpe Park and had no issues.
Lisa said: We had such a positive experience at Alton Towers. The rides that we went on in Alton Towers are the same manufacturer as the ones at Thorpe Park so the fact we could go on any of the rides we wanted to at Alton Towers should mean that it should also be the case at Thorpe Park.
‘My six-year-old could have gone on the Flying Fish ride himself if he wanted to. The Runaway Train ride at Alton Towers and the Flying Fish ride at Thorpe Park are both the same manufacturers and I was allowed on the first one but not the second.’
A Thorpe Park spokesperson said: ‘At Thorpe Park, we want to be the attraction of choice for visitors with disabilities.
‘We are sorry to hear Lisa’s experience at Thorpe Park didn’t live up to her expectations.
‘The health and safety of our guests is always our top priority. The minimum safety requirements to use certain rides are based upon the guidelines and best practices set by the equipment manufacturers and industry associations, which differ for each attraction.
‘We adhere to their guidelines with the utmost attention and accuracy in order to ensure guest safety in all potential situations, including evacuations where guests may need to climb unaided.’
Thorpe Park also recommended all guests with disabilities check the website to plan their visit, as they have a dedicated guide for those with disability.
They added: ‘Our team spoke to Lisa on the day to explain the health and safety requirements for this ride and as a gesture of goodwill refunded her tickets and apologised for any confusion or discomfort caused.
‘We have subsequently contacted Lisa again in order to further understand and clarify her concerns and remain willing to engage with her on this issue.’
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