Spinal surgeon warns holidaymakers of water park and shallow diving dangers

Evan Davies, a consultant spinal surgeon at University Hospital Southampton, said he operated recently on a patient who fractured his spine diving onto hidden rocks in Croatia.

He also referred to the case of 23-year-old David Briffaut, who snapped two vertebrae in his neck on a head-first water slide in Spain.

“It is so important that, in the excitement of being on holiday, people remember life can change in an instant and that has been evident recently both in my own patient cases and in the news,” he said.

“When you are relaxed and enjoying the moment with family and friends, undoubtedly that feeling of fun and invincibility can take over.

“However, as a spinal surgeon, I will often see the consequences of that moment of light-hearted fun - in the worst cases causing paralysis and, on some occasions, proving fatal.”

Mr Davies said he was “extremely concerned” to learn of the injuries sustained by David on the ‘Splash’ water slide in Benidorm and urged others to take note.

“What can often look on the face of it to be a quick and innocent thrill on these attractions can have potential to cause significant injury - that is something any impact head on at high speed can cause,” he explained.

“My message would be to remember that health warnings won’t be high on the agenda at many holiday attractions and destinations and, in many countries, regulations and monitoring can vary greatly.

“So carry out a quick assessment of your own when visiting attractions such as water parks and, if you have a doubt about safety, avoid it.”

Mr Davies also said, despite regular warnings, rarely a year goes by when he doesn’t treat the consequences of shallow diving.

“We must continue to raise awareness of just how dangerous it can be for people to dive into water abroad in places they have no knowledge of and end up crashing into rocks.

“I have just recently operated on my first patient of the summer who fell foul of this and there will no doubt be more and, sometimes, no level of surgery can recover the damage caused in a moment of madness.”

Banner image courtesy of J. Ketelaars