A British medical student who broke his nose on a waterslide in Tenerife is demanding compensation after being left with a £1,400 hospital bill.
James Dudley, 30, from Swansea, smashed his face on a set of steps at Aqualand Costa Adeje after hurtling down a slide too fast.
The medical student has now says he is not afraid to take the Tenerife waterpark to court after claiming the accident ruined a romantic break with his fiancée.
After arriving at Aqualand on April 22, Dudley slid down a slide called the Twister twice without incident.
But it was third time unlucky – as the holidaymaker started gathering too much speed before flying headfirst into a set of steps.
James Dudley, 30, (pictured) broke his nose on a waterslide at Aqualand in Tenerife
James Dudley is demanding compensation from Aqualand Costa Adeje in Tenerife
The 30 year old medical student, who was on holiday with his fiancée, was forced to undergo expensive hospital treatment after the incident.
And although his insurers are paying out, Mr Dudley wants compensation from the Costa Adeje waterpark too, after Aqualand only offered to refund his ticket.
‘I’d already ridden the slide twice that morning and it was fine,’ Mr Dudley said.
‘But I travelled much faster on my third go and flew down into the trough at a rapid pace – breaking my nose in the process.’
James and his fiancée flew to Tenerife from Bristol last week for a romantic getaway on the holiday island.
They arrived at the waterpark on April 22 and went straight to the Twister – a four-lane slide that’s 80 metres long and 14 metres high.
The medical student was left with a £1,413.57 hospital bill which his insurance later covered
The 30 year old also badly bruised his torso from the impact but escaped any broken ribs
James went up and down the Twister twice but, on his third time, felt himself going noticeably faster than before.
He then skidded to the end of the landing area at the bottom and smashed his face on the slide’s steps.
‘You use a mat to slide down and you go face first,’ Mr Dudley said.
‘The previous two times, the water at the bottom had slowed me down as it was supposed to.
‘But for some reason, this time, I skidded right over it.
‘I smashed head first into the steps at the end of the trough and the top step caught my face and I broke my nose.
‘Blood immediately started gushing out into the water and on to the mat – it looked like something out of a horror movie.
‘I eventually caught the attention of one of the lifeguards, and a medic came over, who then wheeled me into the first aid room.
‘They decided I needed treatment so they refunded our entry tickets and booked me a taxi to the nearest hospital.’
James Dudley slid down the four-lane Twister twice before going too fast the third time
James Dudley says the accident ruined the end of a romantic holiday with his fiancée
Aqualand has so far only offered the medical student a refund for his ticket to the waterpark
Mr Dudley was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital, where they carried out X-rays and stopped the bleeding from his nose.
He’d also badly bruised his torso from the impact, but thankfully escaped the incident with no broken ribs.
The Brit was later discharged and handed a £1,413.57 bill from the hospital which his insurance has since covered.
‘X-rays showed I had a broken nose and bad bruising, and after a lengthy phone call with my travel insurer, I was able to get the costs covered, Mr Dudley said.
‘I was given a prescription for the pain, and told not to do any sunbathing – which was disappointing considering we were on holiday.
But Mr Dudley says the accident ruined the end of his holiday with his fiancée – and he’s expecting compensation from Aqualand.
He says he’s also not afraid to take it further.
‘So far Aqualand have only offered a ticket refund, but I don’t feel that’s not enough to compensate what happened.
‘I’m inclined to take them to court. They shouldn’t get away with this,’ the medical student said.
Aqualand Costa Adeje and its parents company were approached for comment.
