Three-year-old breaks arm on Art-Zoo inflatable slide

What was meant to be a night of fun at an inflatable park turned into a nightmare for a mum when her three-year-old broke her arm after tumbling down an inflatable slide.

The incident happened on March 23 at Art-Zoo Inflatable Park, an experiential art inflatable playground at The Float @ Marina Bay.

The girl has since undergone surgery to have a wire inserted through her elbow to hold her left arm in place.

Her mother, who wanted to be known only as Madam Shen, told The New Paper on Monday: "It is heartbreaking. I was supposed to take her to have fun. I blame myself a lot for the pain she had to go through."

Her daughter's medical bills, which include a three-day hospital stay in KK Women's and Children's Hospital, amount to about $8,000.

This does not include the bills for subsequent check-ups.

Madam Shen said she put up a post about the incident on Facebook last Friday as she was frustrated by how the incident was handled by Art-Zoo workers.

She said a manager on site had promised that the medical bills would be taken care of, but that had not been fulfilled.

On Monday, events management company Pico Singapore, which oversaw the Art-Zoo event, contacted Madam Shen asking her to keep her hospital bills. However, they have yet to agree to compensate her.

A spokesman from Art-Zoo's management team told TNP it is aware of the incident and is resolving the matter privately with the family, while Pico Singapore declined to comment.

Madam Shen said she had been informed by workers to slide separately from her daughter. She agreed, assuming the slide was safe as there was no age or height limit imposed.

TNP understands the slide is about two storeys high.

To her horror, her daughter took a tumble when she was sliding down mid-way and ended up hurtling down head first with her back against the slide.

Madam Shen felt her daughter's "limp arm dangling from the upper arm".

She said no medic was available when she asked for assistance from the Art-Zoo staff.

She was directed to a rest station where she was handed two melted ice packs by a worker.

TNP understands from one of the Art-Zoo employees that a medic was on site that day.

According to the Art-Zoo website, children need to be able to "support themselves unaided" and visitors must be below 120kg to go on the inflatables.

Art-Zoo management did not respond directly to a query on whether a medic was on site.

In February, a three-year-old broke her right arm when she fell from a height of 1m on an inflatable at Bedok Mall as part of the Art-Zoo Inflatable Park Preview Tour.

Her father, who wanted to be known only as Mr Li, told TNP his daughter complained about the pain in her arm two hours after the incident.

They did not alert the Art-Zoo management.

A spokesman for the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which issued an operating permit for Art-Zoo under the Amusement Rides Safety Act, said it will investigate the reporting and handling of the incident by the operator and take appropriate action.

Under the act, amusement ride operators must ensure that a sufficient number of persons are on hand to render first-aid while the ride is in operation.

National Safety Council of Singapore deputy president Fong Kim Choy told TNP: "There should have been a side rail or netting installed at the side of the slides to catch them (children).

"This slide seems quite high so I recommend children be six years and above to ride it."