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This story contains a photo of an injury, that may be disturbing.
Thirteen-year-old Rylynn Kolhi was just trying to beat the heat on Wednesday when her trip to the Kenosee Superslides turned into a trip to the emergency room.
About two hours into her outdoor water sliding fun, she sliced her foot on one of the slides, causing a cut that needed seven stitches.
Rylynn Kolhi, 13, received seven stitches, after cutting her foot on a Kenosee outdoor waterslide July 26, 2017. (Julene Kohli Harmel/Facebook)
While the pain was top of mind, she said she couldn’t help but think about the reaction from water park staff.
“They weren’t really worried about me and my foot,” said the Regina Beach teen. “They were more worried about cleaning the blood up and fixing the slide so no one would really notice.”
While the girl’s mother, Tracy Kolhi, said medical personnel were on-site to help Rylynn, getting the slide back in order was definitely a priority.
After her daughter’s accident, Kolhi remembered crews were out grinding down the loose fiberglass on the slide that cut the teen, and then it was business as usual.
“I heard them radio that they were turning the water on to the six-foot drop (water slide) and not to let anybody down yet, but that it would be ready to go shortly,” she said.
Mark Hawkins is the president of the board of directors at Kenosee Superslides Inc., and has been a part of the corporation since its inception 33 years ago. He confirmed that the slide was fixed an hour after the teen’s accident, and attributed it to typical wear and tear.
Hawkins added that his team does everything in their power to make sure everyone at the water park is safe and has an enjoyable experience.
He assured 980 CJME that the slides are inspected at open and close, and he added that, while accidents do happen, they’re not a regular occurrence.
“(The water park) is all gone over with a fine-toothed comb and all of the (water slides’) seams are repaired, if needed,” he said.
This year, Hawkins said they spent more than a hundred thousand dollars on upgrades, and even went as far as resurfacing every water slide.
“We’ve done everything we can, and it’s our intention and hope to continue that maintenance program into the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kolhi said the reason she took her family to the Kenosee water park in the first place was because she heard it had just been renovated. However, she said that wasn’t exactly the case and she’ll never go back — even though they offered her and the 30 others she was with free day passes.
“If somebody fell and got a concussion — or any of those types of things — you’d understand because you’re putting yourself at risk,” said Kolhi. “But this is something that’s completely preventable and just due to negligence — this is not an accident.”
At the end of the day, Hawkins said they can’t change history.
“We do have these things happen and — as bad as we feel about it — in some respects, there is very little we can do,” he said.
The outdoor water park is operated by a group of around 80 Saskatchewan families, who Hawkins said opened the slides to help boost tourism in the surrounding area.
The Kenosee Superslides are located 200 kilometres southeast of Regina.