“The expert assessments have established fault and negligence”: after the fatal accident at Luna Park in Agde, the family of the deceased accuses

Sami, apprenti pâtissier, avait 17 ans au moment du drame de l'été 2023. MIDI LIBRE – ME/DR

On August 6, 2023, Sami, 17, died when he hit a palm tree while he was on the “Adrenaline” attraction. The violent wind is at the origin of the tragedy but the family of the deceased points out, via their lawyers, dysfunctions. The owner of the attraction is indicted for "manslaughter" and the civil parties would like the mayor to also be heard.

"I miss my son terribly… All this could have been avoided. Angelina, the mother of Sami, 17, who was killed in a carousel accident at Luna Park in Cap-d& ;rsquo;Agde (Hérault), on August 6, 2023, is not recovering from the tragic disappearance of his son. And she is angry, too, because for her, this tragedy should have been avoided.

According to our information, after almost nine months of investigation, the second-expertise report on the "Adrenaline" ride, on which the accident occurred, has just been released. rsquo;be returned to the investigating judge seized by the Béziers public prosecutor's office. It would confirm security breaches.

"The two expert opinions established the faults and negligence committed by the park manager" denounce Messrs Anna Branellec and Yassine Bouzrou, Angelina’s lawyers.

Indicted for "manslaughter"

On August 6, Sami, a young Agathois in CFA pastry, was with a friend when they decided, at the very end of the evening, to ride the "Adrenaline&quot attraction. ;, a sort of swing at a height of 60m. But a strong tramontane was blowing that evening and when the two teenagers were released into the void, a strong gust violently propelled them onto a palm tree.

If the young woman was seriously injured but escaped death, the emergency services did not succeed in saving Sami, a young man with no history who was passionate about football and boxing.

In the wake of the accident, a judicial investigation was opened, leading to the indictment for "involuntary manslaughter and involuntary injuries with ITT less than 3 months", the manager who owns Luna Park, who is also the manager of the company that owns the Adrénaline ride, and also the manager of the fairground attraction.

Today, the civil party's lawyers are accusing.

"The staff were absolutely not trained in safety instructions" advance Mes Anna Branellec and Yassine Bouzrou. "The attraction was not to operate in strong winds and no means of controlling the force of the wind was installed. A palm tree was in the immediate vicinity of the attraction and it was the impact with this tree that led to the death of Sami".

"We believe that the search for financial profit has prevailed over security"

For them, a wind measuring instrument, an anemometer, should have been installed. They attack the boss of Luna Park: "The park manager could not ignore the danger of keeping this attraction open in these conditions. We believe that the search for financial profit has unfortunately prevailed over security."

The lawyers also denounce this judgment of the Montpellier Court of Appeal which, in the fall, relaxed the judicial control of the defendants decided by the investigating judge: they do not rsquo;no longer have the right to manage "Adrenaline, which, in any case, has been dismantled, but they can ultimately operate or manage any other activity related to the rides and attractions.

"Despite these extremely serious negligences which caused the death of a 17-year-old young man, the manager has no problem ban on operating the attractions he owns!" storm Mes Branellec and Bouzrou. &quot ;This is unbearable for the civil parties who fear that a new tragedy will occur.

"The mayor's responsibility could be sought"

The manager of the Luna Park indicted, nor his counsel, could’not be reached this Wednesday, April 24. Near Midi Libre, the day after the tragedy, this showman was said to be "annihilated by the drama that haunts him". But "apart from the wind", he saw no other explanation, explaining that that evening , he was no more worried than anyone else about the weather conditions.

Finally, the civil parties revealed that they had asked the judge to question Gilles d'Ettore, the mayor of the town. They explain it: "The latest expertise also points out the failings of the town hall which never controlled this attraction even though this fell within its prerogatives. We think that the mayor's responsibility could be sought. We requested that he be questioned.

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