A 10-year-old boy was thrown off of a water slide Saturday at “The Wave,” Dublin’s new $43 million water park.

10-YEAR-OLD THROWN FROM DUBLIN WATER SLIDE

The slide, called the Emerald Plunge, is three stories tall, and took a scary turn when it launched the child off the slide and down onto the concrete sidewalk at the slide’s exit. The kid was “just shaken up” with a scratched up shoulder, but is ok.

“He got up immediately and as any boy would be, he was stunned,” said Dublin Assistant City Manager Linda Smith. “I was worried if he was mentally ok, but physically he just had some scrapes.” The ride had only been in operation for an hour and a half when the incident took place.

The Emerald Plunge is an open water slide that drops riders at an 80-degree angle before flattening out at the bottom. The park website describes the slide as, “A severe drop induces thrills in this open air ride. Prepare for a rush as you drop three stories at an 80 degree slope.”

The park claims the slide was built to the manufacturer’s guidelines, with a height requirement, but officials are considering adding a weight limit and increasing the water pressure. The park also claims that the boy had his legs apart on the ride, despite instruction that all riders keep their arms and legs crossed on the ride. Video of the boy’s descent, however, does not show his legs being apart.

The attraction, as well as its sister slide Dublin Screamer, is still closed, and will be until the issue is determined and fixed. “We’re not going to open it until we know what happened,” said Smith. The slide had reportedly been tested “scores of times” and been given a permit to open the slide by Cal-OSHA on Friday.

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Hillary Luehring-Jones

Article by Hillary Luehring-Jones

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