Liquid Leisure - Broken Leg - Aqua Park

[Hammeri1]

I have a cautionary tale and an appeal for help.

On Sunday June 19th I visited Liquid Leisure Inflatable Aqua Park in Windsor with my family. It was my surprise Father’s Day gift.

My 12 yr old daughter and I went on the main course along with around 60 other people. I was immediately concerned by the loose velcro joins between the inflatable sections.
The gaps and loose fabric were an obvious entrapment risk. After 15 mins I slipped on a small sloping section, my right leg went under the loose velcro and became trapped and then broke in 2 places, fibula and tibia.
I heard it break. The lifeguards got me to the bank but didn’t think I’d broken my leg, saying it was probably ligaments. They gave me ice and crutches. They then said it was ok for my eldest daughter to finish the session unaccompanied on the course and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t stop her. They gave me ice and crutches. I found my wife and with her help managed to get out of my wetsuit and dressed.
Finally I made my way about 200m, on crutches, to the exit.
We called 111 and they arranged for an assessment at Reading Hospital. There the triage nurse immediately suspected a broken leg which was quickly confirmed by X-ray.

I’ve just returned home after a week in hospital and an operation to fix a steel plate and screws to my fibula and wire around my tibia. I’m in plaster facing 2 weeks keeping my leg above my heart, another 4 completely non-load bearing, another 6 with very light load. Summer ruined for me and the whole family and my ankle will never be the same again.
I’ve never broken a bone or suffered a dislocation.

I reported the incident to Environmental Health who have already visited the site and begun an investigation.
They have specifically asked that if anyone else has been injured at the park to come forward and I would urge anyone who has suffered to do so. Please write to [email protected].

The park advertises family fun for kids 6yrs and up. What they don’t do is make you aware of the many risks of serious injury.
They insist you sign a waiver before participating but don’t emphasis the significant risk of injury.
Interestingly their terms and conditions do say that anyone prone to dislocating joints or who has suffered a dislocation avoid the park but this message is given no prominence on their site or physical media at the park.
On a warm day 4000 or more visit the park. There have
been serious accidents and there will be more. I want to make sure people only participate when they are fully aware of the risks.
My advice is find your water based fun another way.

Just seen this post and had obviously heard about the sad death there recently. Saw a tiktok video the other day from someone who said she went here and her Dd got trapped upside down, head first between two bits of equipment, in a tiny gap. She could not get back out and luckily her mum was right there and pulled her out.

I wonder when the planning permission hearing will happen. I can’t imagine the council being favourably disposed to LL. Seems an indefinite closure which requires them to show the council they are safe, wonder if that will include limiting the number of people allowed on site. The comments about over booking may end up landing them in a lot of trouble if lifeguard numbers weren’t appropriately increased…I’m assuming there are rules about that

Closed whilst they answer the council on H&S. I'm not surprised it hasn't reopened yet, H&S will take a fair amount of time. I do it as a part of my job, in a completely different field, but there's always so much involved. They will need to have everything in place to satisfy the council.

When you say 'a fair amount of time' does that mean weeks, or months? Would the findings affect regulations for other aqua parks or is it specific to breaches (rather than recommending improvements to all requirements iykwim?)

There is one at Dundee , now my kid is 6 I was going to take my boys.

Thankfully I have seen this post, they won't be going anywhere near it.

Hope you Leg is better OP and just googled about that girl. How utterly tragic. I'm keeping my kids away from these places

Thanks for the warning I would of been totally oblivious.

When you say 'a fair amount of time' does that mean weeks, or months? Would the findings affect regulations for other aqua parks or is it specific to breaches (rather than recommending improvements to all requirements iykwim?)

It could be. I'd be surprised if it opened early. They should review all procedures/plans in place and the equipment itself should be reviewed also. Plus more warnings about the dangers.
It could affect regulations, it should've already begun to affect other water parks like this. They'll see this news and look at their own procedures. Like a ripple affect.
Health & Safety should be of the upmost importance at all times in any company/place, but especially so when their is such a heightened risk, if that makes sense.

@Wheresthebeach
“I wonder when the planning permission hearing will happen.“

From what I read it’s November 8th, Maidenhead Town Hall.

Absolutely awful what happened there. Hope your recovering OP. You can see the type of people the owners are in their reactions to 1 star reviews on trip advisor, so dismissive of concerns or problems

Thanks @Hammeri1 . If it's town hall...does that mean its open to the public? Wonder how the people living in Datchet feel about the noise and traffic...

@Starriesky Yes that’s been their attitude all over I’m afraid. They seemed to think as long as customers signed their waiver forms, their responsibilities were fulfilled. Not their problem if anything happens. Which in many cases sadly, it did.
When I queried the sheer volume of people they were cramming into the venue, I was curtly told if I didn’t like it, I should go and come back on a day when it wasn’t so busy. Having visited with my child for a birthday party, needless to say I was going nowhere..and I certainly wouldn’t be going back.

If/when LL reopens people should vote with their feet and never go back there again.

Hope you are healing up OP.

Any activity like this (or similar) just should not be staffed by teens IMO. I’m not sure what the laws are in regards to saying ‘over 25s only for this job’ is but how many teenagers are really ready for the responsibility of supervising and possibly rescuing children and adults? To truly ‘get it’ that they can’t muck about with their friends while on this job. Not many I would say. It’s more than likely down to a NMW thing meaning they’re cheaper employed but to me it’s just not right.

Disclaimer - NATALT I know

Wonder if council will be interested in dismissive responses. Gives an idea of attitude to customers and presumably safety

@Itsconfessiontime unfortunately I asked the owner at the time when my daughter broke her leg and again he was dismissive and said the older lifeguards can be just as bad as the young teens and he found it difficult to reinforce or get them to listen. That was alarm bells for me. I really hope they really get shut down and if they reopen they should focus on reduced numbers rather than greed.

Thanks to all for your interest and involvement in this thread. It’s helped to raise awareness and even got a mention in the Telegraph.

Aqua-parks look like great fun and I’ve no interest in stopping anyone enjoying them.
I just want folks to be aware of the risks before they sign the consent form and to put pressure on the industry and regulators to improve safety.

If anyone does have any suggestions please let me know. I’m compiling a list and intend to share with the Aqua-parks Association.

I don’t think I’ve much more to contribute for now but if I hear of anything useful I’ll share it.

By the way, the leg is healing well and I’m finally out of the big boot and wearing shoes.
I’ve not quite ditched the crutches but hope to over the next few weeks. I’m in no rush to try running but can’t wait to get back to swimming, biking, kayaking…and driving!

@Hammeri1 Good to hear your leg is healing well, and well done for pursuing this as you are.

I agree people need to be properly aware of any inherent risks before they sign relevant waiver forms, however these forms are sent out to the people who book the party, so guests are often signing these forms, without having seen the venue and the set-up inside.
Many parents also don’t accompany their children throughout the stay, they either dropped and left or sent their kids with other parents.
On actually seeing the venue, and the sheer size of it and the level of crowding - the risks were glaringly obvious.
When the swimming pools host inflatable parties, there are strict number restrictions - and a good ratio of lifeguards to children. Children are expected to demonstrate their swimming ability by swimming 25m before they are allowed onto the inflatable. Once all the safety procedures are properly explained - the party begins, with lifeguards literally tracking every child whilst holding a stick for pulling children to the side if they look like they are struggling!
Complete & utter contrast to the party at LL. Which being in a vast open lake, with zero visibility under water and seemingly no restrictions on numbers - should have been ten-fold more on the safety measures, not the other way around.

@Homez
You make a great point about children demonstrating their swimming ability before participating.

GoApe do something similar requiring every user to compete a ground level course, clipping on and clipping off, watched by the safety team. It has the added advantage of showing the different abilities in the group so the safety team know who to keep an especially close eye on.

Aquaparks could certainly learn from this.

Being a competent swimmer is generally thought of in the context of a swimming pool.
Warm, clear water, guided by lane floats and markings on the pool floor. No obstacles and children can often put their feet down and rest at each end.

Contrast that to an AP where they are wearing a full wetsuit, hat and bouyancy aid. They have to navigate obstacles and be able to pull themselves up a height of around 18 inches without being able to use their legs to push against anything. The surface they are trying to get a grip on is very slippery, at times crowded and the buoyancy aid makes this harder because it’s fairly inflexible and keeps their body a couple of inches off the surface they are trying to climb. The surface of the water can be turbulent because it’s outside and, at LL, the wake from the speedboat washes over the whole course every few minutes.

Even though the buoyancy aid helps to keep afloat in this dynamic environment it’s easy for a child to be caught unawares and swallow water.

If it wasn’t for my wife stopping me I’d have allowed my 9’yr old to join me on the big inflatable course. She can swim 25m in a pool (but then needs a rest).
She’d have been completely overwhelmed in this environment.

these are exactly my concerns, it’s not as simple as being able to swim.

I've read a recent article and the family want to set the word straight that it did NOT happen happen on the inflatables but in the area designated for swimming. This was from yesterday. It's completely tragic and so sad.

I agree people need to be properly aware of any inherent risks before they sign relevant waiver forms, however these forms are sent out to the people who book the party, so guests are often signing these forms, without having seen the venue and the set-up inside.

But that's a failure of the adult signing the waiver. As parents, it ultimately falls to us to know our child's abilities or research something before signing a waiver.
I know my child's swimming capabilities, and their limits. I made sure my child was a competent swimmer, however when he went to LL, I still went along and watched like a hawk. I've been lifeguard trained in the past, I know how difficult it is as a lifeguard, which is why I went along to supervise too.

The very similar venue close to my home charges parents £5 for a ticket simply to watch any activities. It's no wonder that many children end up with minimal supervision when there are no rules in place regarding adult to children ratios and parents wanting to supervise are charged for standing on dry land.

These places were never designed for leisure - they are gravel pits with uneven steep drops. The beach areas are particularly hazardous because the floor drops away very suddenly - it seems the safer calmer option but isn't necessarily so.

The local swimming pools however all have strict adult to child ratios and you can see the bottom.

news.sky.com/story/amp/girl-who-died-at-liquid-leisure-water-park-in-berkshire-was-left-to-drown-says-father-12679163

That is so hard to read. That poor man, losing his beautiful daughter on what should have been a fun day out.

Go Ape is a good comparison. Aqua Parks are hugely popular and incredibly profitable but there are too many kids, it’s slippery and most people aren’t really aware of how dangerous water can be. Regulation is needed.

@Hammeri1 glad you are healing up - it sounds a long process.

the interview with the father is heartbreaking but he has a point about how long it took to find her. If I understand the reporting she died at hospital, not at the site so time would have been crucial.

@Wheresthebeach Heartbreaking to listen to, it should never have happened.

The fact they allow swimmers in any area of the lake without life jackets, is just awful. And it doesn’t sound like staff were in any trained or prepared for searching those murky depths.

Yes it’s easy to say that as parents we sign these waivers and therefore it’s our call…but I don’t entirely agree. How many of us have signed waivers for kids’ parties at venues we have never seen? It’s a regular thing. We put our trust in the fact that these places are well run and safety compliant, and that they are properly inspected and licensed to operate in the capacity they are run.