A man breaks his neck while on a Blackpool roller coaster with his great nephew, story shocks an entire community. Robert Sycamore is on life support after breaking his neck during a freak accident.
A British man breaks his neck and is now paralyzed after riding a roller coaster at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. On Friday at around noon, the paramedics were called to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, after a freak accident had occurred.
Robert Sycamore and his great nephew Harry Parlour, 13, had decided to ride the famous Grand National at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The 70-year-old Grand National is a wooden roller coaster that goes about 50mph and the ride lasts around two and a half minutes.
The 58-year-old man fell ill almost immediately after the roller coaster started moving. According to Parlour, his great uncle snapped his neck and was not able to move. Mr Sycamore slumped into the seat with his ears on his shoulders and his body turned blue and black.
Darren Parlour explained that his teenage son was screaming and crying as he sat next to his great uncle. Mr Parlour explained that the family does not really know what happened, they think that he was maybe injured on the roller coaster ride, or simply fell ill. Parlour said:
“We don’t know how it happened or why it happened.We don’t blame anyone, we are just shocked.We don’t know if he hit his head, only time will tell.”
The man was rushed to a nearby hospital via North West Ambulance. Doctors caring for Sycamore said that he suffered from spondylitis, an inflammation of the vertebrae in the back. Sycamore is on life support and the surgeons who operated him said they can only take things minute by minute, but there is a major probability that he will be paralyzed. Darren Parlour added:
“The main concern now is keeping his heart and lungs going.”
Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park issued a statement saying that they had an expert check out the roller coaster and it is safe. The company said that they are in contact with the family.
