http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2012/01/24/thorpe-park-rollercoaster-crash-test-dummies-lose-limbs-during-test-run-115875-23715373/

Did B&M make a mistake or cheap marketing stunt?

Stunt. Fo Sho.

Thorpe Park, however, claims the dummies lost their limbs in the pursuit of pushing The Swarm to the 'absolute limit' because customers wanted the most extreme experience possible.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091480/Thorpe-Park-The-Swarm-ride-test-run-sees-dummies-return-limbs-snapped-off.html#ixzz1kfy9iarQ

Its a Stunt. Just like all the other PR stunts Thorpe Park does.

Same people behind Thirteen's "scariest coaster in the world," "free diapers," "nurse on site," "18+ only" as well as the world record for most naked coaster riders, coaster riding squirrels, haunted construction sites, etc. PR stunts are their idea of marketing. You'd think after the mediocre reception of Thirteen, they'd think twice (a ride with stats similar to Backlot Stunt Coaster being called the scariest ride in the world certainly left many people disappointed...)

One stage of coaster testing (long before a full circuit test) is a pull-through in which the train is meticulously inched through the course with a large extender that mimics the reach of human limbs. That ensures that there is absolutely no possible chance of collision. The "selling point" of many Wing Rider coasters is the near-misses with scenery and the optical illusions that you're nearing an obstacle. So the crazy PR stunt for Swarm is that - oops - maybe they cut it a little too close!

You'll notice every row of the train is filled with the B&M water dummies we know and love, and the front row (the affected one) has store mannequins who aren't even in the shoulder restraints correctly.

It's a stunt, and one that would be considered in poor taste in America. I doubt it would've even made it off the drawing board in the U.S., especially this close to Kentucky...

If it is a stunt, it's in poor taste. I wonder what B&M thinks of it?

On a positive note, I love the look of the trains!

Does this make anyone else think of the "Dummies fell out of WindSeeker" rumor?

Yes. I got sick of hearing that all summer.

I was just thinking what Gator said. I'm very curious to know what B&M think of this ride getting fake publicity essentially for being poorly engineered. B&M isn't flawless, but they've got one of the best reputations for being done right the first time that this would affect...

There are pictures of them testing the ride for clearance (In a similar fashion as Maverick at CP did)

This is probably a stunt.

And people to this day still believe that a seat/ water dummy flew off or broke off of WindSeeker DURING the test ride...