A new aquatics center closed two of its waterslides after the non-fatal fall of a 10-year-old boy.
Over the Memorial Day holiday, the child had completed the main drop on the Emerald Plunge, a waterslide originating off a 48-foot-tall tower at The Wave at Emerald Glen Park, a brand-new facility in Dublin, Calif. He was moving through the runout portion, about to complete his ride, when he appeared to be pushed up onto the lip of the slide. He slid for a while there before falling to the concrete approximately 2 feet below, where he skidded before coming to a complete stop, said Shari Jackman, a public information officer for the City of Dublin.
The young man jumped up right away and was tended to by city staff and the lifeguard on duty, who checked him and treated abrasions on his back at the first-aid station, Jackman said. His parents then took him to receive medical care, after which he was released the same day, she added.
The Emerald Plunge and an adjacent slide have been closed pending inspection by OSHA, the waterslide manufacturer and contractors, Jackman said. “[The waterslide] had gone through a tremendous amount of testing -- all the slides had been tested over and over again,” she said.
“Safety is our absolute No. 1 priority,” she added. “We want to insure that all of our slides are as safe as can be before we reopen these two.”
While the child is said to have met the height requirement for the waterslide, there is no minimum weight. This will be explored, as will water pressure, officials said.
While media reports stated that a third waterslide had closed, that occurred in response to an unrelated issue pertaining to the flowmeter, Jackman said. That slide has since reopened.
Four waterslides remain operational on the new property, which had just opened. The facility also includes indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a splash pool with beach entry.
