Police officer sues over Dreamworld theme park tragedy after his 'traumatising' experience of encountering the dead bodies of four victims
- Policeman claimed he had PTSD after seeing bodies from the 2016 tragedy
- Four people lost their lives when Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned
- Police officer Andrew Mainey said he saw bodies 'caught up in the gears' of ride
A policeman who saw the bodies of the Dreamworld Thunder River Rapids tragedy's four victims is suing the theme park - claiming he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder in the years since.
Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett, his partner Roozi Araghi, and NSW mother Cindy Low all died when the Gold Coast ride malfunctioned on October 25, 2016.
Police officer Andrew James Mainey was sent to the scene to help paramedics and held a sheet over the bodies of those who had just been killed.
Four people died on Dreamworld's Thunder River Rapids ride on October 25, 2016 when the ride malfunctioned
'I could also see bodies caught up in the gears of the Thunder River rapids ride,' Mr Mainey said in an affidavit to court, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
'I was required to stand on the conveyor belt, which was situated above the bodies caught in the gears.
'I remember holding the black sheet up for a period of time while the recovery process was being undertaken.'
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Over the next five days Mr Mainey stood guard at the ride's entrance while the police investigation was underway.
Five years on from the tragedy, Mr Mainey said he has suffered nightmares because of what he saw.
Those killed include Canberra woman Kate Goodchild (née Dorsett), 32, (right) and her brother Luke Dorsett (left)
Dreamworld's parent company was sued $3million over the incident which took the lives of Roozi Araghi (left) and Cindy Low (right)
He injured his knee during an arrest in September last year and took several weeks off work.
When Mr Mainey saw a GP to assess the severity of his injury, they recommended he speak to a psychiatrist who then in December last year diagnosed him with PTSD as a result of what he witnessed at Dreamworld.
Leaving his role in the police force, Mr Mainey's lawyers applied to court to make a personal injuries claim.
An inquest found there had been no thorough engineering risk assessment of the Thunder River Rapids in the 30 years it was open to the public
Dreamworld's parent company Ardent Leisure was given a notice of claim in March but it is yet to be filed in court.
Ardent Leisure last September was fined $3.6million after pleading guilty to safety charges.
An inquest also found there had been no thorough engineering risk assessment of the Thunder River Rapids in the 30 years it was open to the public.
Ardent Leisure has been contacted about Mr Mainey's claims.
