A thrill-seeking dad had his bucket list dream ruined when he was barred from the world’s fastest rollercoaster for having a prosthetic limb.
Holidaymaker Billy Smith was ecstatic when his children surprised him with tickets for the nail-biting Formula Rossa rollercoaster in Abu Dhabi as a 60th birthday present.
The Ferrari World’s attraction stands at a heart-racing 170ft high and reaches speeds of 149mph in 4.9 seconds.
Billy, from Tollcross in Glasgow, said: “Disappointed is an understatement. To go all the way there and not be allowed on was gutting.
“This was really something special to mark my 60th birthday and was also something I’d wanted to do.”
The dad of seven went on: “They let me queue up but when it was my turn they said I couldn’t go on because of my leg.
“The attendant said it was because if the ride stopped, mid ride, it would be tricky getting me off but I don’t see how it would be any more difficult getting me off than anyone else.
“At the park, the person in front of me in the queue was blind and was allowed to ride it no problem.
“They then told me I wouldn’t be allowed on any of the rides in the park, including the kids’ rides, or at the water park we also had tickets to.
“It made me feel like a second-class citizen really and it just put a dampener on the whole trip from that point on.”
Billy’s children had shelled out more than £3500 for the five-day luxury break in the United Arab Emirates, which included tickets for Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld water park on Yas Island.
After Billy was told he wouldn’t be allowed to ride in either park, he says he was refused a refund as the tickets were bought online.
He said: “I was hit by a bus in 1965 at age three and not only did I survive, I kept my leg for 50 years.
“But eight years ago, it just shattered so I had it amputated.
“I worked as a taxi driver and can still drive a car.
“I don’t see what the issue is with literally sitting strapped in on a rollercoaster.” Billy, who arrived home yesterday, added:
“There was nothing at all about restrictions for people with prosthetic limbs on the terms at all.
“We checked the conditions at the time of booking and it only mentioned a minimum height restriction.
“People with prosthetic limbs have climbed Mount Everest, I think I could manage a rollercoaster. I just felt so discriminated against.”
The Sunday Mail has contacted Ferrari World for comment.
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