Lightwater Valley Roller Coaster Accident Decapitates Deer As Riders Watch In Horror

Roller Coaster Decapitates Deer As Passengers Watch In Horror

A roller coaster at a popular U.K. theme park struck and decapitated a deer over the weekend, leaving some passengers with the animal's blood on their clothing, according to reports.

The Ultimate, a steel coaster at the Lightwater Valley theme park in England, hit the deer on Saturday morning, shutting down the ride for about 30 minutes.

A couple of visitors on the train did have spots of blood on their clothing, but no visitors commented about the incident on the day other than to show concern for the deer," a park spokesperson told the Ripon Gazette, adding, "No passengers were injured in the incident.”

A long stretch of the 1.5-mile-long coaster runs on flat land through a field and forested area at speeds of up to 50 mph. The spokesperson told the York Press that while a perimeter fence surrounds the park, animals do sometimes get in.

The Ultimate was the longest coaster in the world when it opened in 1991, and remained the record-holder until 2001. Today, it's the longest steel coaster in Europe and third-longest in the world, according to Ultimate Rollercoaster.

The Northern Echo reports that the coaster also struck a deer in 1994, ripping its legs off and leavings its antlers stuck in the safety bars as passengers were covered in blood. A 12-year-old boy was taken to a hospital in that incident.

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