The popular Tennessee museum modeled after the 1912 tragedy passenger liner, Titanic, experienced a whole new iceberg issue Monday when the attraction’s ice wall collapsed, injuring three people, according to the Museum’s Facebook page.
The owners of the Pigeon Forge attraction, Mary Kellogg Joslyn and John Joslyn, shared on Facebook that three guests were taken to the hospital after an accident occurred with the Museum’s “iceberg wall.” (RELATED: There Is A Second Titanic Ship Setting Sail. Here’s The Odds It Sinks)
The ice wall, which acts as an interactive attraction that allows visitors to touch the ice, is meant to demonstrate how cold the ice was on April 15, 1912, when the Titanic sank, according to WHIO-TV. The Museum’s website markets the attraction to visitors by allowing them to, “touch an iceberg and feel 28-degree water,” much like passengers would have experienced the night of the sinking.
The ice wall is one of many interactive elements to the museum, which allows guests to place themselves in a simulated environment that feels much like the British ship liner. Other activities include walking a replica of the ship’s grand staircase and shoveling coal in the boiler room, according to the website. The website reports that the museum features more than 400 artifacts from the original ship, totaling approximately $4.5 million. (RELATED: Titanic Letter Expected To Sell For More Than $28,000, Who Would Buy It?)
The Joslyn’s said in the Facebook statement that they never expected an incident like this to occur.
“[T]he safety of our guests and crew members are always top of mind,” the Facebook post said.
The Facebook post also stated that the condition of the three hospitalized guests was unknown.
“At this time, we do not know the extent of their injuries,” the statement said.
Although the owners do not know why the incident occurred, they assured guests that they take pride in the quality of their maintenance and have measures in place to ensure safety guidelines are upheld.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were injured, as well as their family and friends.”
Although the attraction closed after the incident occurred, they reopened Tuesday morning for ticketed guests, according to a Facebook announcement made this morning.