I have a feeling that the metaphorical wheels were already well in motion for SW8 before the Smiler crash. The crash, and then the Colossus debacle, leads me to think they wouldn't have built a woodie if they hadn't already developed something 'to the point of no return'.
I think it's possible thought that perhaps Merlin is so disjointed that either people thought he was already part of the project, already had been asked, or just simply overlooked because everyone else was so distracted and frantic about the project. I dunno, that's just the impression I get when I think about Merlin in the planning stages for the coaster.
