ROSSVILLE, Ga. — A child was taken to a hospital on July 4 after fire officials say he fell off a waterslide at a Georgia amusement park.
The accident happened during a family’s holiday outing at Lake Winnepesaukah in Rossville.
The Catoosa Fire Department confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that a 5-year-old fell between 15 and 20 feet off the slide. First responders treated and transported the child to a nearby hospital in Chattanooga.
NewsChannel 9, WSB’s affiliate in Chattanooga, spoke with a witness who saw the accident.
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget it,” Ginger Bence told the news station. Bence said the employees and boy’s father carried him away for medical attention.
Lake Winnepesaukah sent the following media statement regarding the incident.
“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.”
The Catoosa Fire Department did not have an update on the child’s condition as of Thursday morning.
The amusement park’s website states the rules and requirements for each of its attractions. There are currently two water slides that involve tubes: the “Twist-N-Shout” and “Zoom Flume.” Park and fire officials did not say which waterslide the child fell off of on Tuesday.
For both rides, the red and yellow tubes for double riders have a combined weight limit of 350 pounds. The orange and green tubes for single riders have a weight limit of 250 pounds. Riders who are under 42 inches in height cannot ride the waterslide.
The Georgia Insurance and Fire Commissioner’s Office confirmed to Channel 2 that it has been called into investigate. Their investigation will be focused on if the ride itself followed all the safety rules and regulations.
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