Woman says Wild Wild Wet refused to call ambulance for her injured 9-year-old, park responds

Dealing with an injured child is never fun, but one mum is claiming her ordeal was exacerbated by the allegedly lacklustre first-aid skills and poor service she encountered at Wild Wild Wet.

Her daughter, nine, had hit her head while playing on one of the waterpark's slides in late August, the 47-year-old woman told Shin Min Daily News.

Calling on the park to provide an explanation, she alleged that they had refused to call an ambulance for her daughter and complained of several other service lapses.

However, according to Wild Wild Wet, its certified medic had determined that the girl had no visible injuries and did not require an ambulance.

Leaky ice pack, denied access to surveillance footage among woman's other complaints

According to the mum, she had sought assistance from the park's employees, who administered a cold compress on the girl's head using an ice pack.

After noticing that the ice pack was leaking, she asked the staff for a towel to wipe the girl's face, but was reportedly told that there were none available. She ended up using tissue instead, she said.

The woman also claimed that the park had refused to call an ambulance and instead suggested that the pair visit a clinic. As a result, she took the girl to a hospital via taxi.

"My daughter was still crying non-stop when we reached the hospital and had two swollen bumps on her head that hurt whenever they were touched."

The woman was told by a doctor that her daughter would have to undergo a Computed Tomography scan to determine the severity of her condition, she recalled.

However, she decided against the scan as she was worried it would be "bad for [the girl's] health".

Instead, she opted to go the conservative treatment route and observe the girl's condition after she took some medication.

Another of her grouses was that the park reportedly went back on its word after agreeing to let her review surveillance footage of the incident.

Despite agreeing over the phone to let her view the footage, the park's employees allegedly told her that she would not be able to view it when she turned up at the park.

She was also asked to pay an admission fee if she wished to enter the park to take photographs, the woman claimed.

Girl was given medical assistance: Wild Wild Wet

In response to AsiaOne's queries, Wild Wild Wet confirmed that the incident had occurred on Aug 29 and said its certified medic had attended to the girl immediately.

After administering first aid, the medic advised the woman to take the girl to the nearest clinic for checks as the clinic on-site was closed.

The mum then asked for an ambulance to be called. The medic suggested taking a taxi instead as it would be faster than waiting for an ambulance, as it was not an emergency, the park said.

"The team booked a GrabCar to the hospital of the mother's choice.

"The girl was put in a wheelchair, and the guests proceeded to the pick-up point, accompanied by our team. The family decided not to go, at first. We rebooked another GrabCar, but they left in a taxi on their own."

The park also rebutted the woman's allegations that it had gone back on its word, explaining that they had called her the day after the incident to follow up on the girl's condition.

"The intention of the call was to check on how the girl was doing. In the same call, the mother did not mention that she or any family member would be making a trip down to Wild Wild Wet.

"This was the reason why the duty manager that day, who had no knowledge of her intent, stated that access to the water park would require an admission ticket, as would all other guests."

They had also explained to the woman that she would not be permitted to view any closed-circuit television footage due to privacy and security concerns.

They added, "Wild Wild Wet prioritises the safety of our guests. We have lifeguards stationed at our rides and attractions, and we have staff patrolling the park to ensure that our guests are having fun the safe way."

kimberlylim@asiaone.com