THE DAY WHEN SMILES TURNED TO TERROR

Horror of rollercoaster smash remembered 10 years later

- ROB ANDREWS News Reporter

It was all smiles when The Smiler opened at Alton Towers theme park in 2013.

One of the first on the £18m ride was technician Charlotte Tomkiss, who remembers laughing all the way round.

"It was terrifying but exhilarating at the same time," she said. But two years later, the smiles turned to sadness when two carriages on the rollercoaster smashed into each other at 20mph.

Eye-witness Jack Carver recalls the accident, saying: "It was like a horror movie, hearing those screams. There was pure terror in their voices. Some of the riders you could still see moving, others were still. It was really scary.