International Personal Injury Lawyers At Irwin Mitchell Instructed

A woman left in agonising pain after she broke her back on a waterslide in Italy whilst on a family holiday has instructed specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to bring proceedings and to investigate safety measures at the water park as she seeks compensation and help with her rehabilitation from her injury.

Karen Mitchener, from Wiltshire had travelled to Italy in July 2010 for a much needed break with her family, just a few months after her 18-year-old son was killed in a car accident, and visited the Acquaparco Verde Azzurro water park for a day out.

Karen, who worked as a company secretary, was on a slide at the Italian waterpark and followed the instructions given by the person overseeing the ride at the top to ‘sit upright’ throughout the ride. However as she made her way down she reached such a quick pace that her entire body lifted from the slide and crashed down onto the hard plastic and she was thrown into the water below.

Her horrified daughter, Louisa, and her boyfriend, Jake, witnessed the accident and desperately called the nearby lifeguards to help hold her up in the water as she was struggling to breathe and was visibly in a lot of pain.

The 45-year-old instructed international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to bring proceedings and to investigate the accident and the family’s concerns over safety measures in place at the water park.

Acquaparco Verde Azzurro has so far denied responsibility for what happened to Karen forcing the law firm to work with Italian lawyers to prepare to issue court proceedings in Italy. Expert lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are seeking a fair settlement for Karen to help provide access to specialist rehabilitation and physiotherapy to help with her recovery.

Gurpinder Chana, a specialist international personal injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Karen, said: “This was meant to be a peaceful family holiday for Karen who had just been through a really tough few months following the death of her son. But instead she ended up with a serious back injury which has affected her life ever since.  She continues to suffer with ongoing pain.

“Families who visit water parks or other public places whilst on holiday abroad should expect to enjoy them in safety   so that they and their loved ones do not come to any harm.

“We will continue to fight for a fair settlement for Karen to help with her recovery and we have been left with no choice but to consider the issue of court proceedings in Italy against Acquaparco Verde Azzurro as they have still not accepted liability for her accident.

Karen said: “I was absolutely petrified – it all happened so suddenly and I just remember flying off the slide – my body being thrown into the air and landing onto the hard plastic before being thrown into the water below.

“My daughter rushed over to me and realised by the look on my face that I was in excruciating pain and needed help. The lifeguards came over and lifted me onto a stretcher and carried me into the first aid room.

“Everything was a bit of a blur – I was in so much pain that it was difficult to concentrate on anything else. I felt really faint and I couldn’t move or sit up at all. I was terrified and I didn’t know what was going to happen.

“I was eventually taken to hospital where I was examined and I was told that I had broken my spine... I stayed in hospital for a number of days until I flew home to the UK.  I had to buy a special brace before I could fly home.  On my return home I was bed bound and then needed further medical treatment.

“Now, nearly five years on, I am still suffering with   the pain, I have had physiotherapy to try and relieve my symptoms, but it is something I am going to have to live with for the rest of my life.”