“ Those in the front row suffered the greatest physical injuries and were life-changing in many cases .”
Simon Antrobus , the barrister entering the plea on behalf of Merlin , said : ``I ’ m duly authorised on behalf of the company to enter a guilty plea to the charge .
“ That will be subject to a basis of plea and will be for discussion and prior agreement with the prosecution in due course .
“ The company is accepting additional reasonable and practicable measures could have been taken to guard against the safety risk that arose on the day .”
Outside of court , Neil Craig , head of operations for HSE in the Midlands , said :
“ We welcome the guilty plea entered by Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd . Merlin has acknowledged that it failed in its legal duty to protect people on the Smiler ride . “ Those injured on 2 June last year had every right to expect a carefree and fun day out . “ The incident was profoundly distressing for everyone involved , both physically and mentally . It left some with life changing injuries .
“ We hope this first milestone will help those affected to continue their recovery from this tragic incident .”
On 19 March 2016 , the Smiler rollercoaster re-opened at Alton Towers .
IKEA REISSUES SAFETY WARNING AFTER THIrD CHILD IS KILLED BY MALM FURNITURE
Ikea has issued repeated safety warnings after 22-month-old Ted McGee was crushed to death when a chest of drawers fell on top of him .
In July 2015 , Ikea was forced to issue advice about the range after two children were killed in separate incidents in 2014 . In February 2014 , a two-year-old boy from Pennsylvania was killed when a Malm chest fell on him and pinned him to a bed . Three months later , a 23-month-old child from Washington died when a three-drawer Malm chest also tipped over .
This is the third death caused by Ikea ’ s Malm budget furniture range , which is available online and in stores across the world , including the UK and US . The latest tragedy happened in February at the child ’ s home in Minnesota .
Ted McGee . Photograph : Philadelphia Inquirer
An investigation into the incident has been launched by federal safety regulators in the US , 7 months after the Swedish company disclosed that millions of the chests were at risk of falling forward if not properly stabilised .
Following the recent death , the retailer said the selfassembly chest was not fixed to the wall and issued another safety warning to parents .
Although no deaths have been reported in the UK , Ikea has reissued the safety warning globally and parents are being urged to use the wall restraints and fittings that come with the flat-pack furniture to fix it to the wall . An Ikea spokesperson said : “ We at Ikea offer our deepest condolences to the McGee family . At Ikea , we believe children are the most important people in the world and the safety of our products is our highest priority . Upon being informed of this incident Ikea US immediately reported it to the authorities and an investigation is taking place . Ikea US has been advised that the product was not attached to the wall , which is an integral part of the products ’ assembly instructions .
“ We wish to emphasise that the best way to prevent tipover of chests of drawers is to attach products to the wall with the included restraints and hardware per the assembly instructions . Ikea has included restraints with our chest of drawers for decades , and wall attachment is an integral part of the assembly instructions .”
Consumers in the UK worried about the furniture are urged to contact Ikea on 0203 645 0010 to request a free restraint kit .
HSE INTERNATIONAL 7