Child's 'ripped' leg among injuries documented in safety review of B.C. waterslide
A new report highlights a series of injuries that were caused by a crack in a waterslide at a B.C. park and sets out several industry recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Technical Safety BC (TSBC), an organization that oversees the safe installation and operation of equipment and systems across the province, published its findings on Feb. 25.
According to the report, multiple injuries on a waterslide located at Bridal Falls Waterpark occurred on July 14, 2024.
At around 2:45 p.m. a rider going down the tube slide at the park was injured with a “significant foot laceration.”
First aid was alerted and the rider was attended to by staff members at the park, however, an ambulance was called to further treat their injury.
The report notes that while the first-aid procedure was underway, other riders on the tube slide reported scrapes and torn bathing suits. One patron had injured their ankle going down the slide.
While employees were alerted of these additional injuries, the general manager was only made aware of the “irregularity” on the tube slide at around 3:30 p.m.
The manager conducted a general inspection, and a crack was found at the bottom of the slide’s seventh flume section.
The general manager decided to close the slide, but the remaining riders would first need to be evacuated down the slide.
A slide attendant was asked to “push those riders around the crack,” but during that process, an 11-year-old girl passed directly over the failed section of the slide and was injured with a “major laceration/tear to the posterior side of their leg.” The child’s recovery is expected to be long-term, adds the report.
It further highlighted that her injury was the “most severe” documented that day. An incident report referenced by TSBC states that the 11-year-old’s right leg was “ripped” by the crack.
TSBC was called to investigate the day after the incident, and the slide was closed for the remainder of the season.
The investigation found the deterioration of the waterslide’s surface and underground structure left fibreglass unsupported and resulted in the progression of the crack.
The report added that the crack’s increase in size “was not typical” and happened after the slide’s daily inspection.
“Staff did not have the knowledge or tools available to either detect the deterioration or know that it could progress into a hazardous failure so quickly,” said the TSBC.
It adds that “no significant” repair work had been done to the slide in approximately three years.
The agency issued three recommendations for water slide operators across the province to prevent these incidents in the future, including updating inspection procedures, documenting changing conditions of the slide, and proper staff training in hazard response procedures.
Daily Hive reached out to the waterpark owner Holiday Trails Resort for further comment about the incident and will update this story when we hear back.