Shane Green (pictured outside the Dreamworld first aid clinic) was a first responder to the tragic incident on October 25, 2016, which killed four
A Dreamworld paramedic who was working on the day of the Thunder River Rapids tragedy says he could ‘never be prepared’ for the horrors he saw.
Shane Green, 48, was the first aid manager for the Queensland theme park when the popular ride malfunctioned, killing four people in October last year.
He has spoken out about the horrific tragedy to honour the team who worked tirelessly to save the victims – Kate Goodchild, 32, her brother Luke Dorsett, 35, his partner Roozi Araghi, 38, and Cindy Low, 42.
Mr Green, a father of two, says he knew from the moment the call came through for assistance that something terrible had occurred.
‘The tones in the voices on the radio and the location of the incident had me sprinting to the emergency buggy,’ he said.
‘My heart was pounding and I had a feeling of dread. I knew that something tragic had just taken place.
‘But I was in no way prepared for what I was about to be involved in.’
Mr Green says one year on he is still struggling to come to terms with the horrific scene, and feels ‘haunted’ by the experience
A suspected malfunction on the popular Thunder River Rapids ride caused a raft (pictured) to flip
Pictured: The doomed raft of the Thunder River Rapids ride is covered in a black sheet as police inspect the area
Just after 2pm on October 25, a suspected malfunction on the Thunder River Rapids ride flipped one of the rafts on a conveyor belt, crushing two and leading to the drowning of two others.
Mr Green said the scene he was confronted with when he arrived has ‘haunted him ever since’.
‘A few seconds later I pulled up at the Rapids ride and grabbing the resuscitation equipment, I rushed along the exit queue and walked into complete pandemonium,’ he said.
The sight that I was confronted with is something I wish I had never seen. It was just something I wasn’t prepared for. Something that I could never have been prepared for.
‘The photos from the media show the scene, but what it doesn’t portray is the chaos, the noise, the sounds and the fear on the faces of the staff and guests.
‘It was like a scene from a horror movie. It has haunted me relentlessly ever since.
‘The sight that I was confronted with is something I wish I had never seen. It was just something I wasn’t prepared for. Something that I could never have been prepared for.’
Mr Green watched one of his team enter the swirling water, which flowed ‘rapidly’ into drains, before jumping in himself.
Since the incident, Mr Green has left his job and now lives in the snowy mountains, where he is beginning to confront some of the images which continue to haunt him
Pictured: What happened on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld in October last year
The medics ‘frantically’ began resuscitating two of the people they found in the water, even though they felt the odds were against them, and Mr Green says they did everything they could to minimise the damage.
Emergency services arrived soon after, but the 48-year-old said ‘even their advanced skills and equipment were ineffective’.
‘We tried so hard, we really did,’ he said.
After the horrific incident, Mr Green said he couldn’t sleep. Not knowing what to do, and feeling unable to go home, the former police officer simply returned to work.
‘I had to go to the police station to make a statement and I left at midnight but I couldn’t go home,’ he said.
‘A colleague and I had a coffee at 4am and then we simply returned to work.’
Pictured: Mothers Kate Goodchild, 32, (left) and Cindy Low, 42, (right) were killed when their raft flipped
Ms Goodchild’s brother Luke Dorsett (on right) and his partner Roozi Araghi (left) were also killed in the horrific incident
In the past 12 months, Mr Green has left his job and fled to the snowy mountains, still unable to come to terms with the harrowing details of the dark day.
‘I don’t think there are many people who could be so close to or hands on with such a tragedy and remain unaffected. I certainly was and still am,’ he said.
Mr Green said only now, a year on, does he feel like he is ready to confront some of the images which remained burned into his mind.
‘I am still trying to reconcile what happened. Only in the last few months have I let some of the thoughts and memories from that day creep into my consciousness in attempts to try and deal with them,’ he said.
‘Unfortunately I have no control over the ones that visit me when I sleep.’
Mr Green says he is still thinking of the team who worked alongside him, and the families of those who lost loved ones.
Kimberly Allen, the Gold Coast branch manager of Shine Lawyers, said her firm received dozens of calls following the tragedy from traumatised people who witnessed or were involved in the incident.
‘The stories we heard were horrific but they were also stories of real bravery and courage and the psychological impact of witnessing or being involved in the response to the incident will certainly be felt for years to come,’ she said.
‘For the first people on the scene, like Shane, it was like walking into a living nightmare. You can imagine the impact that will have on him for the rest of his life and how it will change him forever.’
Of the four who died, two were mothers Kate Goodchild and Cindy Low. Both women had a young child on board with them.
In what has been described as ‘miraculous’, both children managed to extricate themselves from the ride after they were thrown off.
Ebony Goodchild, 12 (left) was thrown from the raft, as was Kieran Low, 10, (right). Both children survived, but lost their mothers
The survival of the two young children from the theme park ride (pictured) was hailed as ‘miraculous’
Ms Goodchild’s brother, Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi were also killed in the horrific incident.
Ms Allen said while police had recommended no charges be laid against the staff working for Ardent Leisure, who own Dreamworld, the company itself could still be held liable.
‘At this stage we understand police have recommended no charges be laid against staff but the company that owns the park, Ardent Leisure, could still be prosecuted,’ she said.
‘Under the current laws this could carry multimillion dollar fines as well as jail terms of up to 6 years.
‘It is likely the legal claims will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but no amount of money will ever make up for what was lost that day.’
After the incident, flower tributes began flooding in to the park, with many leaving behind cards (pictured: Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson lays a wreath one day after four people are killed on the Thunder River Rapids ride)