DUBLIN — Two steep water slides in the city’s brand new water park remained closed Monday as state safety experts probe why a 10-year-old boy was ejected out of one chute two days earlier and landed on the concrete.
The boy quickly jumped up from his tumbling, skidding landing, and walked from the area under his own power, suffering only scratches. A Bay Area News Group photographer captured the moment on video, which shows the boy reaching the part of the slide that levels out of a steep drop and flying over the edge.
Meanwhile, a third slide that had been closed as a precaution reopened for business Monday after officials repaired equipment that monitors water pressure, the city of Dublin reported. Four of the six slides were open on the last day of Memorial Day weekend at Dublin’s $43 million The Wave water park located with Emerald Green Park.
The slide the boy fell from, called the Emerald Plunge, and a similar adjacent slide called the Dublin Screamer, were immediately shut down after the spill Saturday afternoon.
“We are not going to reopen the slides until we are sure of their safety,” said Linda Smith, a Dublin assistant city manager.
Representatives of California Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the water slide manufacturer were inspecting the slides Monday.
It’s unknown how long the slides will remain closed, said Cal/OSHA spokeswoman Erika Monterroza. The entire water park already was scheduled to close for the work week, until reopening again next Saturday.
State safety inspectors on Friday had cleared the water slides to open the following day after completing a punch list of safety items, Monterroza said.
WhiteWater West Industries, the manufacturer of the Dublin slides, also has built water slides at water parks in Concord and Fresno, state officials said.
Paid attendance at the water park was higher than expected, Smith said, as 1,034 bought tickets on Saturday, and another 1,134 on Sunday. Attendance appeared to drop off Monday when it was cooler and cloudier, she said.
The park has pools and other attractions besides the slides, she added.
