Offering to pay $230 medical bill for accident, dog waterpark says guest asking for $30k compensation

Following an accident on Aug 23 in which a woman sustained bruises and scratches on her back and arm, local dog waterpark Wag & Wild has apparently been hit with a list of demands amounting to $30,000, the company said in a public Facebook post on Tuesday (Sept 8).

The company added it initially had no intention to go public with the matter, but was "compelled" to come forward with its side of the story after "judgement of inconsideration and irresponsibility on [its] end by the public".

The compensation requested by the woman was not feasible, Wag & Wild said, especially in the business climate of a pandemic.

The woman, who had visited the waterpark with her labradoodle, Freddy, was hit by a falling metal gate, she recounted in a Google review on Sept 3.

According to the woman, the gate required three adult men to lift.

She added: "It was a miracle that I got away with only bruises and scratches to my back and arm and thankfully, Freddy was unharmed.

"Given the weight of the metal gate, I believe I could have been very severely injured and Freddy could have been crushed under the massive gate."

The gate was unhinged while Wag & Wild's staff was opening the facility in the morning, it explained in a separate post on Sept 2.

The company's contractor was called in to inspect the gate the same day. The gate's structure was reinforced the following day to prevent it from unhinging and a support beam was added to hold the gate in the unlikely case of another unhinging, Wag & Wild added.

An independent engineer later verified that the gate was structurally safe, according to a certification letter shared by the company.

However, the incident did not end there.

In a Google review, which remains public, as well as several Facebook comments, which have since been removed, the woman alleged:

• Wag & Wild staff members did not offer any assistance to her, nor did they ask her if she needed any medical attention.
• She did not receive any compensation from Wag & Wild.
• The company did not offer "the decency of a proper response" despite multiple follow-ups.
• She and her husband "do not have confidence that the company will be undertaking any proper measures".

However, according to Wag & Wild:

• Its managers had offered to call for medical assistance. However, the woman declined and said she would "do it on her own".
• It requested for the woman's bank details on Aug 31 in order to reimburse her $233.50 medical bill but have not received the details to date.
• Its general manager, who met with the woman and her husband on the day of the accident, offered to cover the woman's medical expenses, as well as offer her complimentary, unlimited access to the park for a year. However, the woman had rejected the offer and asked for $10,000 in compensation instead.
• The couple later emailed Wag & Wild on the night of the accident with a list of demands amounting to about $30,000, including lifetime memberships for their dog and a friend's dog as well as two-hour annual private events for them and their invited friends.
• The woman acknowledged the measures undertaken by Wag & Wild after the incident in a text message on Aug 31.

Wag & Wild, which touts itself as Singapore's largest dog waterpark, was established this year and had its soft launch in July.

AsiaOne has reached out to the customer in question for more information.

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