With the apologies of the defendants, the trial for the accident at the amusement park in Halkidiki, where a 19-year-old boy died in August 2024, continued at the Mixed Jury Court of Giannitsa.
Four people are sitting in the courtroom, namely the owner of the amusement park, his wife (as co-manager of the business), the operator of the fatal game called “crazy dance” and the mechanical engineer, who had submitted certificates of inspection of the game machine.
The charge they face is that of manslaughter with possible malice aforethought, committed and attempted, jointly and severally, or simple complicity in such an act. The owner of the amusement park remains in temporary custody (the maximum custody period expires next month), while the other three are free on bail.
<span style="white-space: "It was a pure accident"
Appearing before magistrates, both regular and lay, the 60-year-old owner denied the charge, describing the incident as a pure accident. “I can’t believe this happened, I didn’t think a child would leave,” he said, while describing the deep mental anguish he experienced after the incident, he said he suffered two strokes from his distress and that he could no longer even bear to look at the machine, which he eventually destroyed.
He claimed that he always consistently met his obligations and ensured that the machinery was checked. He said that if he had found any problem with the irons or the equipment in general, he would have immediately proceeded to replace them, but both from the checks and from his experience he had not found any malfunction. “If the irons were not in good condition I would have replaced them,” he said, while pointing out that the fatal machine was “tested to the maximum and had no problem.”
He also stressed that the co-defendant operator was consistent in his duties and that there was proper cooperation between them. He further referred to his long-standing partnership with the accused engineer, noting that in all the previous years “we were getting the required responsible statements for the municipalities”, stressing that “we always checked the machines very carefully.”
For her part, his wife said that the business appeared in her name only for tax purposes and that she had no real involvement in its operation. She said that she did not sign any documents and that she had given power of attorney to her husband, whom she trusted completely. “I was never worried about anything, nothing was ever visible to the naked eye. My husband is not a man who would put profit above all else. He would not do anything that was not right for young children,” she apologised.
She added that both she and her family were climbing the game, and her sister and her children had also climbed the game shortly before the accident. She concluded her apology by expressing her deep sorrow over the death of the young child, saying the event has left her in shock that she will never get over and that they are still struggling to come to terms with the loss.
<span style="white-space: "I followed the instructions"
In his apology, the machine operator testified that he had been working at the amusement park since May 2024 and that about a month and a half before the accident he was trained by the owner in the operation of the “Crazy Dance”. He explained that he had learned how to position children, secure belts and bars, properly distribute weight and gradually increase the speed of the machine.
He further stated that the owner was at the amusement park every day, constantly supervising him and giving him instructions on the operation of the ride. He stressed that he was doing his job and following what his employer told him, arguing that he had no reason to increase the speed of the machine any further.
“We certified it as safe in 2023”
Finally, the engineer denied the charge in turn, and said he has known the amusement park owner for at least ten years. About his wife, he said she had no involvement in the operation of the business. He claimed that the affidavits were about a macroscopic inspection, stressing that the checks he carried out “were substantial and not for the eyes…”
As for the “Crazy Dance” game, he said that the 2023 audit was done on his own responsibility and that the machine was in very acceptable condition at the time. “It did not give rise to any suspicion of damage,” he said, adding: “We certified it that year as safe,” he noted, stressing that he did not see anything that hurt him. For the following year (2024), he said he was not instructed to certify it. At this point, he separated the audit process for issuing affidavits from the audit of the entity to issue those affidavits.
He claimed he handed over the affidavits out of “stupidity”, insisting they were useless. “I gave them to him because he asked for them. He couldn’t get permits with them. I just thought he had started the process with the city. I would not accept anyone to guide me,” he said at another point.
Next month the decision
The trial is expected to resume next month on the motion of the prosecutor. Arguments by prosecution and defence counsel will follow, and then the court’s verdict is expected.
