Home / Disasters and Accidents / Snowdome Profits Soar as Victim's Family Denied Justice After Boy's Death
Snowdome Profits Soar as Victim's Family Denied Justice After Boy's Death
14 Nov
Summary
- SnowDome fined £100,000 over 12-year-old's death, but made £6M in profits since
- Parents denied full inquest, say "system has taken that away from us"
- Firm failed to ensure customer safety, leading to fatal toboggan accident
In a tragic turn of events, a snow centre firm fined over the death of a 12-year-old boy has banked over £6 million in profits since the incident. Louis Watkiss tragically passed away at the SnowDome in Tamworth on September 24, 2021, with the company found at fault for failing to ensure customer safety.
Earlier this year, SnowDome Ltd was handed a £100,000 penalty for the incident. However, the company's financial records reveal it has continued to thrive, posting pre-tax profits of £2,028,759 in the year ending September 2024, up from £1,998,567 the previous year.
This comes as a devastating blow to Louis' parents, who were last week denied a full inquest into their son's death. Natalie Watkiss expressed her family's anguish, saying, "We are still in shock and we haven't had [a] chance to grieve because the whole system has taken that away from us."
Louis' father echoed the sentiment, stating, "Every minute, every hour, every day is just pure pain." The family now fears the impact of this denial, with the father warning, "it's going to hit us hard. Harder than it ever has done before I believe."
The Health and Safety Executive's investigation found that SnowDome Ltd failed to have a suitable risk assessment or safe system of work in place, leading to the tragic collision between Louis and a staff member on the slope.
