- The Stockholm District Court is ordering Swedish amusement park Gröna Lund to pay a fine of about $590,000 in connection with a fatal derailment accident in 2023
- According to a Jan. 28 news release, the court found that the park acted negligently after the accident left one dead and nine injured
- It specifically calls out the “handling of the order and manufacture of” the support arms for the ride as being the cause of the incident
Swedish amusement park Gröna Lund has been fined half a million dollars more than two years after the roller coaster accident that left one dead.
Following the June 2023 incident — which saw the Stockholm park’s Jetline roller coaster partially derail from the tracks — the Stockholm District Court ruled that Gröna Lund acted negligently in the events leading up to the tragedy, a Jan. 28 news release from the court states.
The park and manufacturing company Göteborgs Mekaniska were ordered to pay fines for “causing death to another and causing bodily injury in connection with the fatal accident,” per the release.
Gröna Lund was fined nearly $590,000 (SEK 5,200,000), while Göteborgs Mekaniska, which has since gone bankrupt, was fined about $147,000 (SEK 1,300,000).
Visitors riding the Jetline rollercoaster at the Grona Lund amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden.
CLAUDIO BRESCIANI/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty
The court found that “deficiencies in the companies’ handling of the order and manufacture of a support arm” on the ride — which it identifies as an “important part for the safe operation of the roller coaster” — was found to be the direct cause of the incident.
Per the ruling, the court found that Gröna Lund acted negligently when ordering new support arms because they didn’t take measures to ensure the products were carried out by a “welder with sufficient competence.” The court also concluded that the park failed to include sufficient “drawing documents” when ordering the new pieces.
As for Göteborgs Mekaniska, the manufacturing company was also ruled as acting negligently for taking on an assignment that the court found the company did not have “sufficient condition and competence to carry out.” Specifically, the company’s welding work was found to have been done improperly, and this caused the accident, according to the release.
Gröna Lund’s chief executive, Jan Eriksson, tells PEOPLE in a statement that the park feels a “deep sense of responsibility” for the tragedy.
”It was a very tragic accident, and no one should ever have to go through something like this,” the statement reads. “Regardless of the legal proceedings, we feel a deep sense of responsibility for what happened and for what everybody involved in the accident has gone through.
Eriksson adds that “safety will always be our top priority,” and says that the accident has been thoroughly investigated both by the park and by the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority.
Jetline rollercoaster at Grona Lund.
MARKO SAAVALA/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty
“Since the accident, we have implemented several changes to ensure that something similar will never happen again,” Eriksson’s statement continues. “It has been important for everyone involved that this matter has now been examined from a legal standpoint. We have now received the District Court’s judgment and need to review it in its entirety. It is important for us to carefully analyze the court’s reasoning.”
PEOPLE has also reached out to Göteborgs Mekaniska for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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Police arrive at the scene at Grona Lund on June 25, 2023.
CLAUDIO BRESCIANI/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty
At the time of the accident, PEOPLE reported that 14 guests were riding the roller coaster when it partially derailed from the tracks on June 25, 2023. One person died, and of the nine that were injured, three of them sustained serious injuries.
Police reportedly said the severe injuries were a result of the guests falling from the ride, which stopped on the track at about 20 to 25 feet above the ground after it partially derailed.
Witnesses told the AP at the time that they saw multiple people fall out of the ride’s cars, with one reportedly grabbing onto the track to avoid falling.
The park was reportedly evacuated immediately after the incident, and it temporarily closed down while police conducted an investigation into the crash.