Bad design of slide resulting in injuries

[hurtonslide]

Possibly. Of course, we don't know who designed the slide or who manufactured it.

I actually found out who did. I did a google search on the slide at the facility, and up came a video with the manufacturer.

 

[hurtonslide]

For what it's worth, my husband had to stay home again today. I'm on oxycodone for pain, and still can't stand on my own. Even with help, the pain is severe. I gave birth to our child naturally and at home, and this tailbone pain is a lot worse. It's ridiculous. Who would have thought a tailbone could hurt so much?

 

[racer72]

I believe the McDonald's plaintiff had around $20,000 in medical bills that McDonalds refused to pay. The jury award was one day's coffee profits.

Which McDonald's appealed and ended up paying significantly less.

 

[Cali408nia]

Who would have thought a tailbone could hurt so much?

Considering that the tailbone area has so many nerve endings around it, it's very believable. There's nothing quite like the feeling of falling on your tailbone on concrete. Sounds like your injury is worse than a simple bruise. I wish you a speedy recovery.

 

[hurtonslide]

If, as OP claimed, this is not an isolated incident, but a condition of which the facility is aware and chooses not to address, it can be argued that this does not constitute ordinary negligence on the part of the facility, but gross negligence or reckless conduct. My understanding is that neither can be disclaimed.

This is what I figured. It's not a one-time thing. Everything, even properly-made equipment, can have accidents. The difference is a one-time event or repeated events. When I signed the waiver, I signed it on the fair presumption that the equipment was safe and in good repair. The slide isn't safe if enough people are injured that all it took was saying where I was injured for the triage nurses to know exactly what happened. That seems like gross negligence.

I'm not sure if the slide maker would have the fault for producing the slide (it's advertised on its website as family-friendly, in addition to kid-friendly), or the facility for continuing to allow usage of a slide despite numerous injuries with no warning that those who are adult weights may catch air and be injured landing back on the slide.

I didn't get the chance to call attorneys today. The oxycodone makes me nauseated pretty bad and gives me a headache, but it at least enables me to move without screaming (I wish I was kidding, but I'm really hurting that bad, what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, builds character, and on some level I'm laughing about this since I swear it's just my luck this year that I'd get injured when having tons of fun, so while I'm hurting, I'm laughing a bit, but want that slide altered and the medical bills paid).

 

[hurtonslide]

Considering that the tailbone area has so many nerve endings around it, it's very believable. There's nothing quite like the feeling of falling on your tailbone on concrete. Sounds like your injury is worse than a simple bruise. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Thank you. I had x-rays, so nothing is broken, thank goodness. The NP did tell me that a bruised tailbone hurts the same as a broken one, but just heals quicker. I'm frustrated that my husband is having to use his sick-time from work. He'll be taking tomorrow off as well since it's still very difficult for me to get to a standing position alone. The pain is such that I sometimes literally can not move. I can move through a lot of pain. But I can not move sometimes from the pain. It's like my body locks up. Since we have a toddler, it can be dangerous if I can't move fast enough and she gets into something she shouldn't. If we didn't have a child, I could just suck it up and spend 10 minutes getting to a standing position. But since we do, using that much time to stand up could be dangerous. We're very fortunate the company he works for gives sick leave and allows it to be used for family. It's ironic that his boss knows of others seriously injured on the slide, and so has no problem with my husband taking this time off and has no doubt about why he needs the time.

Fingers crossed I won't have to cancel a trip to visit family next week. Me and the little, by ourselves, going on a plane. I will be furious is we can't make it because of this.

I'm really tying to not complain or be too overly mad about this, despite my concerns that someone else could be truly serious injured on a slide known to be a danger, and I know we're lucky that nothing was broken and that my husband has time he can use when so many people don't get that benefit where they work, but I'm getting more frustrated because I'm still in so much pain, and it's put me behind my own work schedule a couple days. I have a small business and order deadlines to meet. Reminding myself it's not the end of the world, what I'm working on is personal, trying really hard to keep perspective. I am not be one of those people who sees myself rolling in millions (honestly, I can't stand people who see relatively minor injuries as winning the lottery, and while I agree pain and suffering should be awarded in cases of gross negligence, that's not the same as "ZOMG give me millions for a few days of pay and screw anyone else who could get hurt"), and it's not the end of the world, but my god, give me natural childbirth again with nearly six hours or pushing again over this any day. 19 hours of labor versus 56 hours of pain severe enough for me to need to take narcotics and I still can't sleep much.

 

[hurtonslide]

http://www.pdxfamilyadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/DSC09777.jpg

Those are the slides. They are extremely slick and the first time I saw people come down them I was shocked at the speed - they flew into the net that's past the padding on the ground that's there to keep people from flying into others. With the speed going over that last bump, if you weigh enough you're going to get enough speed to keep forward momentum instead of sliding down. I went forward and landed on the end of the slide instead of my butt staying on the slide going down. My 28-pound daughter went down at a gentler speed (I loved watching her smile going down). But adults went down FAST. If the bottom valley were filled in to make the decline off that last hump more gradual then it would be a lot safer.

 

[davidmcbeth3]

I understand much better now, thanks for the pics. I don't think you'll get a dime ... I have seen this slide design all over the place. If it was an issue they would not exist.

But, I could be wrong ... but I don't think so.

 

[hurtonslide]

I understand much better now, thanks for the pics. I don't think you'll get a dime ... I have seen this slide design all over the place. If it was an issue they would not exist.

But, I could be wrong ... but I don't think so.

One of my friends is wondering if it was installed right, since the degree it's put up can effect speed considerably. I posted a link to a youtube video on Facebook and those who've commented about the speed and who've seen similar slides have never seen people go down so fast, which is what prompted the one friend to ask if the angle it was installed is the correct angle. On the company's website, the angle looks smaller. Furthering this concern is that the maker's website shows the bottom of the slide as parallel to the ground whereas the photo I personally took of the slide from a seat outside the slide area and to the side a bit clearly shows the bottom of it at a incline toward the top. Hundreds or even thousands of something doesn't mean that they're all without flaw or installation errors. And regardless, when there are as many injuries on this particular location's slide, the facility owner needs to look into it.

 

[asiny]

And regardless, when there are as many injuries on this particular location's slide, the facility owner needs to look into it.

What was the response from PlayDate when you brought it to their attention?

 

[stealth2]

http://www.pdxfamilyadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/DSC09777.jpg

Those are the slides. They are extremely slick and the first time I saw people come down them I was shocked at the speed - they flew into the net that's past the padding on the ground that's there to keep people from flying into others. With the speed going over that last bump, if you weigh enough you're going to get enough speed to keep forward momentum instead of sliding down. I went forward and landed on the end of the slide instead of my butt staying on the slide going down. My 28-pound daughter went down at a gentler speed (I loved watching her smile going down). But adults went down FAST. If the bottom valley were filled in to make the decline off that last hump more gradual then it would be a lot safer.

Yet you deemed it safe enough to go down yourself AND to allow your young child to do so. So... WHO is at fault for your injury? Seriously - have you heard of taking personal responsibility?

 

[Just Blue]

Thank you. I had x-rays, so nothing is broken, thank goodness. The NP did tell me that a bruised tailbone hurts the same as a broken one, but just heals quicker. I'm frustrated that my husband is having to use his sick-time from work. He'll be taking tomorrow off as well since it's still very difficult for me to get to a standing position alone. The pain is such that I sometimes literally can not move. I can move through a lot of pain. But I can not move sometimes from the pain. It's like my body locks up. Since we have a toddler, it can be dangerous if I can't move fast enough and she gets into something she shouldn't. If we didn't have a child, I could just suck it up and spend 10 minutes getting to a standing position. But since we do, using that much time to stand up could be dangerous. We're very fortunate the company he works for gives sick leave and allows it to be used for family. It's ironic that his boss knows of others seriously injured on the slide, and so has no problem with my husband taking this time off and has no doubt about why he needs the time.

Fingers crossed I won't have to cancel a trip to visit family next week. Me and the little, by ourselves, going on a plane. I will be furious is we can't make it because of this.

I'm really tying to not complain or be too overly mad about this, despite my concerns that someone else could be truly serious injured on a slide known to be a danger, and I know we're lucky that nothing was broken and that my husband has time he can use when so many people don't get that benefit where they work, but I'm getting more frustrated because I'm still in so much pain, and it's put me behind my own work schedule a couple days. I have a small business and order deadlines to meet. Reminding myself it's not the end of the world, what I'm working on is personal, trying really hard to keep perspective. I am not be one of those people who sees myself rolling in millions (honestly, I can't stand people who see relatively minor injuries as winning the lottery, and while I agree pain and suffering should be awarded in cases of gross negligence, that's not the same as "ZOMG give me millions for a few days of pay and screw anyone else who could get hurt"), and it's not the end of the world, but my god, give me natural childbirth again with nearly six hours or pushing again over this any day. 19 hours of labor versus 56 hours of pain severe enough for me to need to take narcotics and I still can't sleep much.

While holding my 3 month old daughter I slipped on my hardwood floor. Landed right on my as...tailbone. Went to my Dr., had an xray no break detected. 2 weeks later I still was in horrific pain. Had an MRI and it showed a fracture. It took 3 months for the pain to go away.
If you don't have one already, get a donut. It helps a lot.

 

[stealth2]

The good news is... you can only break your tailbone once. So you're all done with that!

 

[armstrong1988]

Hi I may I know who will be charged for the error and who will pay for the injuries? is it the manufacturer?

 

[sandyclaus]

If there are some injuries in the accident then the claim should be genreated for the victim in that case.

Thank you Mr. Obvious. And again with the NECROPOSTING. Please...just...stop.