Dreamworld tragedy witness describes 'sheer panic' moment

Dreamworld tragedy witness describes 'sheer panic' moment In a quiet corner of Dreamworld, four benches form a circle in a garden shaded by trees and lush natives. It's a memorial to the day a destination built on joy and family fun became the scene of one of the nation's most deadly theme park disasters. It was a day that forced Australians to ask whether the rides they'd always trusted were safe. On October 25, 2016, tragedy struck Dreamworld when the Thunder River Rapids ride — one of the park's oldest and most popular attractions — malfunctioned. A pump had failed on the ride for the third time that day, causing the water levels to drop "dangerously low" and leaving a raft stuck in the unloading area. As another raft approached, it collided with the stranded vessel and flipped. It was carrying six people — Cindy Low and her 10-year-old son Kieran, Kate Goodchild and her 12-year-old daughter Ebony, Ms Goodchild's brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozbeh "Roozi" Araghi. In the sickening seconds that followed, Kieran managed to leap to safety. And in a final heroic act, Mr Dorsett put his arm across his niece Ebony, pushing her to the side so she could also escape. The four others fell to their deaths. All evidence of the horrific incident has been erased from the park, the quiet garden the only thread linking back to that dark day. But occupational health and safety expert Michael Quinlan warns the lessons from the tragedy should never be lost. "The real memorial to Dreamworld should be concerted efforts all over Australia to ensure that sort of incident doesn't happen again," he said. A scene of 'sheer panic' Danny Haber was lining up for the ride with his family when the fatal incident happened. "There was just a sound — and then just screaming and people running," he recalled. The then-defence force member ensured his wife and kids were safe before running into a scene of "sheer panic". He rescued the two children, Kieran and Ebony, from the ride's steelwork before joining others in attempting to extricate and revive the victims. Eventually, additional Dreamworld staff arrived, including the park's guest services supervisor at the time, Michael Clancy, who said the scene was absolute chaos. "Everyone was looking at each other — 'What do we do?'" he said. "None of us were trained for that." He still remembers the anguished scream of Ms Goodchild's partner, David Turner: "Why didn't you stop the ride?" Inquest reveals systemic failures In the subsequent days and months, questions continued to swirl about how a tragedy like this could have been allowed to happen. Finally, in 2018, the families of the victims were given answers. A coronial inquest into the tragedy revealed a series of "systemic failures" — including "shoddy" record-keeping, poor regulatory oversight and dangerous design changes — had led to the deaths. The coroner heard warning signs — including previous collisions and incidents involving the Thunder River Rapids ride — had been largely ignored by the theme park. Staff training also came under the spotlight, with a junior ride operator telling the court she received "about an hour and a half" of training on Thunder River Rapids before operating it for the first time that day. She said a trainer pointed out the emergency stop button but told her: "Don't worry about it, you don't need to use it." Queensland coroner James McDougall's findings, handed down in 2020, were scathing. He condemned the park's safety and maintenance systems as "frighteningly unsophisticated" and "rudimentary at best", adding that the design and construction of the Thunder River Rapids ride posed a "significant risk" to patrons. "It was simply a matter of time. That time came on the 25th of October, 2016,"he said. Concerns changes are isolated to Queensland In the wake of the tragedy, Queensland became the first state to introduce industrial manslaughter as a criminal offence. It also rolled out tougher regulations for theme parks including mandatory major inspections by qualified engineers every 10 years and improved training for operators. Major amusement parks must now also submit a detailed safety case to be licensed to operate. "I'm positive that other people have been spared injuries and loss of their own lives because of the changes that occurred out of this," theme park engineer Clinton Ford said. However, Dr Quinlan was concerned the changes were largely isolated to Queensland. "The [Dreamworld] lessons should have been taken across to the use of amusement devices and theme parks in other jurisdictions of Australia," he said. "If they don't do something, it's just a matter of time before there'll be another incident and everybody will throw up their hands and there's no learning." 'Was there any incentive for them to change?' In the 10 years since the tragedy, Dreamworld has paid out millions in compensation, including to witnesses, first responders and families of the victims. In 2020, the park's parent company Ardent Leisure — now Coast Entertainment — was fined a record $3.6 million after pleading guilty to three breaches of workplace health and safety laws. But that same year, in the depths of the COVID pandemic, the Queensland government loaned Ardent Leisure $70 million, alongside a $3 million grant. Mr Haber was concerned the consequences for Dreamworld were not severe enough. "Was there any incentive for them to change anything?"he said. Dr Quinlan said there must be more culpability for those at the top. "The thing that depresses me is that the boards of directors of these companies are never prosecuted in my experience, never brought to account," he said. Father disappears in wake of tragedy A decade on, it can be hard to imagine the Thunder River Rapids tragedy even happened. In the past financial year, Dreamworld recorded its best ticket and revenue performance since the fatal accident. Families swarm to the park's entrance each day, eager for a spin on its growing retinue of rides. In a statement, Dreamworld chief executive Greg Yong said the tragedy would always be part of the theme park's history. "We do not shy away from what happened, and the lessons of that day continue to inform how we think about responsibility, risk management and safety across the organisation," he said. "Over the past decade, Dreamworld has continued to strengthen its approach to safety through ongoing investment, governance, review and continuous improvement." The ABC contacted family members of the victims for this story, but they requested space to grieve the anniversary. Ms Goodchild's two daughters are also grappling with additional loss. In 2021, their father, David Turner, disappeared — his car discovered 30 kilometres outside Canberra, parked on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. Despite a police investigation, he was never found. For those there on the day of the horrific incident, the memories are still raw. "Every now and then you'll hear a noise or a smell or something that puts you back there," Mr Haber said. "Some things you just can't forget."