Brit mum lost SIX PINTS of blood in Tenerife water slide accident that ripped her uterus open
A WOMAN was left with near fatal blood loss after a water slide accident forced water inside her body leaving a seven centimetre tear to her uterus.
Holiday-goer Toni Steedman, 25, was at the Aqualand water park, in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, when the accident happened but claims staff failed to give safety instructions that could have prevented her from losing nearly six pints of blood.
The mum-of-two planned the trip with husband Adam, 32, to celebrate his birthday but claims she nearly died after being rushed to hospital and says she was given three blood transfusions before doctors bought a defibrillator to her bedside.
Toni, from Clackmannan, Scotland, told the Sun Online: “The slide had a free fall drop and the life guards at the top never told me to fold my arms or cross my legs.
“The slide was really fast and when I hit the water at the bottom I felt something just burst inside me.
“When I stood up I felt as though I needed the toilet but as I moved blood started pouring from between my legs. It was making a trial as I walked from the pool.
“Someone ran to get a doctor, who lay me down and told me to open my legs so he could see what had happened.
“More blood kept coming and he told me to close my legs again.”
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
The pair flew to Las Americas, a spot popular with Brit tourist, on May 15 2017, and bought the excursion through a tour guide for the following day.
Toni, who runs her own catering business, was on the Kamikaze slide at the popular water park when the accident happened, which includes a free fall drop from top before sliding into a pool at the bottom.
She claims that staff never gave her instructions to cross her legs before diving from the top of the Kamikaze slide and believes this could have saved her from injury.
She said: “They never said anything to me before I went down and it could have stopped me being hurt.
“My Mum and aunt were flying out that day to meet us and when Adam called to tell them what had happened, they thought we were joking.
“He had to tell them he was being serious and they didn’t believe it.”
‘I WAS WORRIED I WOULD NEVER SEE MY CHILDREN AGAIN’
Toni was put into an ambulance and rushed to Quirónsalud Hospital, just three minutes away, where doctors desperately tried to stop the bleeding from Toni’s womb.
She was rushed to a bigger hospital in North Tenerife where she was given an epidural to perform the surgery and fix the laceration caused by the huge gush of water.
Toni said: “I remember feeling faint and dizzy and them throwing water on me to keep me awake.
“I told Adam to look after the children. I was worried I would never see them again.
“The epidural was very frightening as I have a fear of needles. They couldn’t put me to sleep due to me having eaten before it happened.
“They put my feet up in stirrups.”
She remained in hospital for a further three days but was told by her travel insurance, included as part of her bank account, that they would not pay out for her claim because she had not informed them of her holiday before flying.
Using a wheelchair she was assisted onto her flight home on May 20, and was checked over by doctors in the UK when she returned home.
On Tuesday, Brit holidaymaker David Briffaut, 23, snapped his neck while sliding head-first down the ‘splash’ ride at Aqualandia, Benidorm.
Medics have warned the talented golfer could lose the use of his legs or all feeling below his chest and will need an operation as soon as he is stable.
Visitors at the same water park slammed the attraction as ‘dangerous’ with another guest claiming the same ride ‘ripped his face off’.
Joe pollard said: “I went on a slide and it ripped my face off – I looked like something out of a horror movie with blood running down my face and naked torso.
“I was in an area with at least 10 lifeguards and not one of them came over to check I was okay. Disgraceful.”
Toni says she is thankful that she was not more seriously injured and made a full recovery.
She said: “I was told that I would still be able to have children.
Most read in world news
“I was so worried that something would be wrong when we got home.
“I had eight weeks off work and Adam had four weeks off to look after me.
“I’ll never go back on another slide and I would warn others to do the same.”
Nobody from Aqualand got back to Sun Online after being approached for comment.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.