Passengers on the Ultimate train in Lightwater Valley hit the animal at 50mph - PHOTO+VIDEO

Passengers on the Ultimate at Lightwater Valley - the longest rollercoaster in Europe - slammed into the animal in a collision that reportedly decapitated the deer and left passengers covered in blood.The deer was hit by the train at the amusement park near Ripon, North Yorkshire, as the train rocketed along the track reaching speeds of up to 50mph.A father-of-two from Howden, Darlington, who did not wish to be named, said: 'I knew there was something wrong.'There was a bit of screaming but not too much. The maintenance men came and seemed to turn it off and on again and then it was fine.'The incident happened at around 11.15am on Saturday and visitors to the park arriving were told by staff that there had been a problem involving a deer and it was being cleared away.A spokeswoman for the theme park, one of the region's biggest attractions, said: 'We can confirm a young deer did unfortunately get hit by the Ultimate train yesterday and was killed instantly.'There is a large perimeter fence surrounding the theme park but occasionally wild animals do manage to stray onto the park during the night.'After the incident the Ultimate was closed for 30 minutes while the ride was thoroughly checked and then normal operation resumed.'It is not the first time a deer has been killed after getting to close to the Ultimate rollercoaster.In 1994 the rollercoaster hit a deer, ripping its legs off and trapping its antlers in the safety bars. Passengers were covered in the animal's blood and a 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital as a precaution.Also in 2004 a train full of passengers on the Ultimate came to a halt when an axle fault led to two wheels falling off.The fail-safe system meant the following train also came to a standstill leaving its 38 screaming passengers stranded 100ft above the ground.All were safely evacuated and no one was seriously hurt but the ride had to be closed down until the cause of the fault was traced and rectified.The ride opened in 1991 and is one of the most popular rollercoasters in the world. The 1.5mile track features drops of up to 100ft.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az