A toddler has died after slipping from her father’s arms on a water slide at a Croatian waterpark.
The tragic incident happened on Tuesday afternoon (July 22) at Aquagan Waterpark in Lopar, when the 21-month-old girl from Germany fell around 3.5 metres onto a concrete floor.
According to local reports, her father was heard shouting: “Don’t ask me anything, my daughter is dying!”
She was airlifted to Rijeka Hospital and later transferred to the Unified Emergency Unit with serious brain and internal injuries.
Despite doctors’ best efforts, she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Local media also reported that witnesses saw the “motionless” child being carried to the side, where she was momentarily woken up by a doctor.
The witness said: "The waiter had just brought me coffee. When we heard crying and shouting, we thought the child had drowned.
"Then we saw a man carrying the child on the side. A doctor from Slovenia happened to be there and immediately came to help.
"They managed to wake the girl up, she was moving her arms. That doctor then informed the emergency services about the heartbeat and the duration of resuscitation of three minutes."
The Rijeka Hospital Clinical Center, where she was being treated, said: "Despite prompt care, multiple interventions and intensive treatment, the child died in the morning hours."
Dr Iva Bilić Čače, head of the pediatric clinic, said: "A [21-month old] child was brought by helicopter emergency service to the Unified Emergency Hospital admission of the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center yesterday afternoon.
"After initial stabilization by a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals and extensive diagnostic processing, numerous serious physical injuries were verified, including severe injuries to the brain and internal organs.
"Despite timely medical care and the implementation of all intensive care measures for children, it was not possible to save the girl's life. She died today in the morning hours."
The Crotian police, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar Police Department, said it is working alongside relevant authorities to establish a cause of death.
It remains unclear whether the slide was child-appropriate and whether the correct safety measures were in place.
Mayor of Lopar, Zdenko Jakuc, said this is the first incident he has heard take place on the slide since it was built around 20 years ago.
He added: "It is an understatement to say that we are all extremely shaken.
"When the helicopter landed, everything stopped. We all looked at the sky and hoped for the best."
The local tourist board said that nothing like this had ever been reported at the waterpark since it first began operations, adding that Lopar is a place known for being “safe, peaceful, and ideal for families with small children.”
According to local press Riportal, waterpark owner Josip Ivanić refused to comment.
