Huge slide closes after children and adults suffer injuries
Going to the playground should be fun, but children and adults have suffered broken bones, burns and bruises on a giant slide in western Sydney.
Just a month ago the slippery dip was the pride of Schofields, towering over surrounding homes, attracting families from far and wide.
But since then, it’s been a rapid decline. It’s now closed because it’s unsafe.
The closure of the 30 metre piece of play equipment is dividing the community.
While kids are the main customers, Dan Duncan, an adult, suffered a fractured leg – the worst of numerous injuries needing attention from paramedics.
“Obviously it was a lot of fun till the end, um it was just a pace thing, yeah I guess the velocity at which I come out,” Mr Duncan said.
Dan’s already had surgery but won’t be able to go back to work for four months.
“On another occasion there was a young boy who actually sustained a fractured arm,” Brian Parsell from NSW Ambulance said.
And it’s not just broken bones parents are worried about.
“You actually burn yourself and I got a scar from it when the burn got me and my cousin had burns on her too,” said Makayla Soltani.
Despite the injuries there are still plenty of people eager to see the slide reopen.
They say it has attracted thousands of families since it opened and many are shocked to see it closed.
“It would be exciting for the kids to see and we came and it was closed so, disappointing,” a mother told 7 News.
The park’s managers insist the slide passed all the safety tests before it opened.
“On a first look it seems like there’s more work to do to make sure that the children in these playgrounds are safe,” Adam Stingemore from Standards Australia said.
It won’t open again until a safety review is complete.
