From NewsChannel 9: A Lake Winnepesaukah spokesman says a waterslide that a 5-year-old child fell off Tuesday is back open. Thursday
From NewsChannel 9: A Lake Winnepesaukah spokesman says a waterslide that a 5-year-old child fell off Tuesday is back open.
Thursday Lake Winne says the state of Georgia reinspected the Twist-N-Shout water ride in operation, including the rider tubes, the ride foundation, and signage and reopened it.
EARLIER (July 5th):
The state of Georgia confirms it is investigating an incident where a 5-year-old child fell off a waterslide at the Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park in Catoosa County on Tuesday.
The Catoosa County Fire Department later confirmed the child fell off the water slide. Right now, we don’t know his condition.
UPDATE: On Thursday, Lake Winnepesaukah released this statement via email:
On July 4, a child at our water park riding in a double tube sustained an injury. All safety guidelines were observed at the time an adult and the child entered the tube. The child was treated at the park and transported to Children’s Hospital.
A visitor to the park told us on Wednesday she saw what happened — saying she and her family watched the boy “fly out” of the green and yellow water slide.
Witness Ginger Bence told us she then heard several employees blow whistles, which she presumed were part of a protocol when someone is hurt.
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget it,” says Bence.
She says she watched as employees and the boy’s father carried him away to give him medical attention.
“I thought ‘Is he alive?'” says Bence.
The incident happened shortly after 5 p.m.
Lake Winnies website says slide participants must be 42 inches, or 3 and a half feet tall to ride the ride.
Catoosa County Fire department confirms the 5 year old fell off of the 15-20 foot waterslide and Puckett EMS took the boy to Children’s Hospital.
A spokesman for Georgia’s Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, John F. King, confirmed to us via email that they are investigating.
Leaving Bence wondering if she will ever return to a water park again.
“I just thought… everything could have been done a little differently,” says Bence.
We’ve reached out to Lake Winnepesaukah for more information, and we’ll update this story if and when we hear back.
We continue to work to learn how badly the child was injured, and exactly how the incident happened.
