A primary school teacher is suing adventure playground company Go Ape for £60,000 after she shattered her leg on a slide designed for children as young as three. Rosemary Mountain, 50, suffered a severe fracture when her trainer caught on the fabric of a 10 to 12-metre-long 'Big Bounce' netted tube slide at Go Ape’s Black Park site near Slough in February 2019.
The accident occurred in the Nets Kingdom area, which was intended for three to 12-year-olds. Mrs Mountain, who teaches year one and two pupils, told Central London County Court that her leg was 'dragged round behind her' as she descended the slide. She described the injury as so severe that her leg became 'floppy' and was bent at a 45-degree angle.
Mrs Mountain is now suing Adventure Forest Ltd, trading as Go Ape, for approximately £60,000, claiming the slide was 'too dangerous' and 'not reasonably safe for operation'. The slide was later replaced. However, Go Ape denies all liability, arguing that the Nets Kingdom was 'installed by industry specialists' and regularly inspected. The company also points out that Mrs Mountain signed a disclaimer acknowledging the risk of injury before entering the area.
During the hearing, Mrs Mountain recounted the incident, stating she had gone down the slide with her legs together, only for her foot to snag on the fabric. 'It was very fast and the first part is just a freefall. My foot just got snagged in some sort of material at the side of the slide and dragged behind me,' she said. She had to be cut out of the netting at the bottom before being taken to hospital.
Mrs Mountain, previously an 'outdoorsy adventurous person', said she now suffers chronic pain and is unlikely to return to running or her former active lifestyle. Her barrister, Jonathan Payne, argued that such an extreme injury should not occur on a slide that is 'reasonably safe for operation'. Go Ape’s barrister, David White, countered that Mrs Mountain had accepted the risks, but she replied: 'We signed to say there’s a risk of bumps and scrapes, but not this sort of injury.' The trial continues.
