Thorpe Park Faces Backlash After Burns Survivor Claims Discrimination Over Ride Access in Surrey Amusement Park

Lisa Morrison, a burns survivor from Fife, Scotland, recently had a distressing experience at Thorpe Park.

The 33-year-old, who lost both hands in a childhood accident, visited the amusement park with her six-year-old son Brayden on July 18, during their week-long holiday.

After waiting in line for an hour to board the Flying Fish rollercoaster, Lisa was removed from her seat by a Thorpe Park manager who noticed her missing hands.

According to Lisa, the park staff cited her lack of “upper body strength” due to her missing fingers as the reason for her removal, which she views as discriminatory.

Lisa was then given a yellow wristband at the information desk, which labeled her as a double arm amputee, despite her hands being amputated below the wrist.

This mislabeling restricted her access to most of the rides, except for the UK’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster, Hyperia, which her son was too small to enjoy.

Lisa managed to go on the teacup ride without any issues, contrary to earlier claims that she wouldn’t be able to.

The Flying Fish ride is advertised as family-friendly on the Thorpe Park website, requiring riders to have full upper body strength and at least three full limbs.

Mixed Experiences at Theme Parks

Following her visit to Thorpe Park, Lisa expressed disappointment, especially as she had a positive experience at Alton Towers, another park owned by Merlin Entertainment.

Two days before her Thorpe Park visit, she enjoyed all the rides at Alton Towers, including the Runaway Mine Train, which she found to be larger than the Flying Fish.

She was perplexed by the inconsistent policies between the two parks, both of which use the same ride manufacturers.

Thorpe Park’s Response

Thorpe Park apologized for Lisa’s experience, stating that their policies are based on guidelines from equipment manufacturers and industry associations.

They emphasized that safety is their top priority and recommended guests with disabilities check their website and pre-register for a Ride Access Pass.

Thorpe Park refunded Lisa’s tickets as a gesture of goodwill and invited her to discuss her concerns further.

In contrast, Lisa feels that the park’s rules should be clearer and more inclusive.

She believes that missing hands should not be equated with a full arm amputation and feels that the ride restrictions were unjust.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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