Dreamworld owners deny liability for $1 million after little girl allegedly suffered ‘horrific genital injuries’ on a water slide at WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast
Owners of the Dreamworld theme park have rejected claims that they must pay $1 million in damages to a mother whose young daughter allegedly suffered a horrific genital injury on a water slide.
The 8-year-old girl slid down the Full6 attraction at Dreamworld’s sister park WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast in November 2020 when the slide turned ‘red with blood’.
She had suffered a serious vaginal tear that required two surgeries and four nights in Logan Hospital.
The girl’s mother, Sarah – who claims her PTSD forced her to drop out of a nursing course after the incident – is suing the theme park operators for more than $1 million for lost earnings, general damages and PTSD.
The 8-year-old girl slid down the Full6 attraction at Dreamworld’s sister park WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast in November 2020 (PHOTO) when the slide turned ‘red with blood’.
The girl (pictured) suffered a serious vaginal tear, which required two surgeries and four nights in Logan Hospital
But the parent company, Ardent Leisure, denies the girl’s injuries were their fault and says the girl’s mother is not entitled to compensation.
They argue that since the unusual injury did not pose a foreseeable risk, they were under no obligation to protect the girl from it. The courier post.
“No reasonable risk assessment carried out by Ardent could or would have identified the risk of harm,” the defense claims.
Ardent also said the damages claimed are “excessive and wholly disproportionate to the true nature and full extent of the harm suffered by (Sarah) as a result of the incident.”
The mother, from Logan in Brisbane’s north, is also suing Swimplex Acquatics, which designed and built the attraction, but they have yet to file a defence.
No date has been set for the hearing.
The 2020 incident occurred just a few months after Ardent was fined $3.6 million for negligence following the deaths of four people killed during the 2016 Thunder Rapids ride.
Kim Dorsett’s children Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett, his partner Roozi Araghi and NSW mother Cindy Low were killed on October 25, 2016 when the amusement park ride malfunctioned.
The tragedy occurred when a water pump failed, causing the water level in the ride to drop dangerously low.
The victims’ raft collided with another raft after becoming stuck in the low water.
He partially turned, sending the group into the mechanized conveyor belt that was moving the rafts.
Ardent Leisure was ordered to pay $3.6 million in fines after pleading guilty to safety charges over the tragedy.