An investigation from Technical Safety B.C. indicates a failure in the fibreglass of a water slide at Bridal Falls Waterpark resulted in several injuries, including a major leg injury to an 11-year-old. 

Several injured in water slide incident and evacuation

Technical Safety B.C. recently released their findings and recommendations following a July 14, 2024 incident on the park's tube slide. A rider reported cutting their foot on the slide and was sent to first aid; an ambulance had to be called for more intensive treatment and transportation to hospital. Several more riders received scrapes, torn bathing suits and one injured ankle the same day at the same spot. While the general manager was aware of the first injury and subsequent transport to hospital, Technical Safety B.C.'s report indicates they were not notified of the additional injuries. 

Approximately 45 minutes after the initial injury, a guest reported an "irregularity" on the tube slide to the general manager, which the manager and another employee later found to be a crack at the bottom of a flume. When the crack was found, the general manager reportedly decided to close the slide – but they would evacuate the queued riders down the slide first. 

During the evacuation down the slide, several people were injured passing through the flume, including an 11-year-old girl who passed directly over the crack and received a major laceration to their leg. Technical B.C. stated that recovery from the resulting injury was expected to be long-term. 

Technical Safety B.C. investigates

A concerned member of the public contacted Technical Safety B.C. the following day. According to Technical Safety B.C.'s report, the cause of the crack was found to be twofold: the erosion of the ground under the flume – which resulted in structural gaps – and an interior wooden core that normally would have supported the fibreglass had rotted away "several years prior to the incident." Underneath the rotted wood was a layer of spray foam that appeared to have been injected under the slide sometime in the past to add more support. However, the foam stopped short of where the July 14 crack was located. These structural problems contributed to the crack worsening quickly during the July 14 incident.

Technical Safety B.C. indicated that staff was diligent in inspecting the slides and consistently identified sharp edges when they appeared. However, this particular crack went undetected by daily inspections due to no visible sharp edges at the time, and Technical Safety B.C. said those performing the inspections did not have a reference for how the slide was supposed to look and feel, which further resulted in potential cracks being overlooked. Furthermore, staff did not see "soft spots" as a cause for concern but rather as part of the slide's design in ways to direct and slow down patrons. 

"Without any manufacturer's documentation, history of the slide or other specific knowledge of the slide construction, (the leads and general manager) also indicated that they lacked the context of what the slide was supposed to look and feel like to assess the current condition of the slide," the report read. 

Technical Safety B.C. stated that an underestimation of the crack and "limited communication" about several prior injuries led to the evacuation down the slide that caused several more injuries. 

"When patrons made staff performing first aid aware of where the injuries occurred, that information was not passed along to the remaining staff members or management," the report reads. "Although the general manager was aware that at least one significant injury had occurred, they never inquired as to the source of the injury or attempted to investigate whether an ongoing hazard existed. When the general manager was viewing the crack and making the decision to evacuate patrons down the slide, they did not make the connection that the crack and injuries could be related."

Prior to the July 2024 incident, first aid records from the three previous years indicated there were no significant lacerations reported until July 14.

Groundwork laid for future safety game plan

In their report, Technical Safety B.C. recommended daily inspection training specifically includes more detailed looks at the structure of the slide, looking out for bulging or other deviation from the original shape of the slide. They also recommended annual assessments form the manufacturer or an otherwise qualified inspector and to train staff to stop riders from using the slide of an irregularity is identified.

Bridal Falls Waterpark's vice president of operations Don Sharpe told The Observer that the slide has not been operational since the day of the incident and work is already underway to assess and improve safety.

"Once the investigation was complete, an engineer was engaged to review the slide and to provide recommendations and, with the cooperation (between) Technical Safety B.C. and ourselves, we'll come up with a plan and put that in place," Sharpe said. 

The tube slide was originally installed in 1983. 

Technical Safety B.C. is formerly known as the B.C. Safety Authority. The province-wide organization oversees the installation and operation of technical systems and equipment in B.C.