Holiday maker 'nearly dies' on Benidorm water slide

Warning: This article contains a graphic photograph of the injury sustained

A holiday maker from Greater Manchester is suing the owners of a water park in Benidorm in Spain after he 'nearly died' on one of their slides.

Jamie Norman, 27, suffered face and leg injuries on the 60mph VertiGo slide at Aqualandia.

Thrill-seekers stand in a capsule 33 metres up – then a trapdoor opens and they plummet down a steep slide into the water.

But the trapdoor failed to open all the way on Jamie’s third go, causing agonising injuries to his legs, arms and face as he dropped.

Father-of-two Jamie, an electrician, told the Manchester Evening News: “I could have been killed. If I’d been knocked unconscious I could have lost control and fallen and drowned in the pool. I took an almighty crack on my face.”

Recovering back home in Radcliffe, Jamie added: “I’m still in a lot of pain. I’ve got two children aged ten and seven. I should be at home resting with my feet up but I have a family and a mortgage to pay so I’m having to go back to work.”

Recalling the incident, Jamie said: “I was obviously quite distressed but they just said, ‘We’ll sew you up’. I was treated by an on-site doctor – they didn’t bother calling an ambulance or anything.”

Jamie said he tried to complain but claims people were back on the slide just ten minutes after he was injured.

A spokesman for Aqualandia said: “We make exhaustive checks on all our equipment daily. We would never open – or reopen – a ride that wasn’t safe.”