A British tourist was hospitalised with internal bleeding after a horror backflip on Thailand inflatable assault course. Callum Ryan, 21, said a "dodgy landing" made his lungs hit his ribs, causing his lungs to bleed and leaving him coughing up blood.
After the jump Callum and girlfriend, Beth Colley, 19, travelled from the Grand Canyon water park, Chiang Mai, to Pye, on a three-and-a-half-hour coach journey. When they arrived, Callum was feeling so unwell he went to the nearest hospital - but claims it was closed and he was told to head back in the morning.
The next day he was given an X-ray and told he'd dislocated his ribs and damaged his lungs. Callum then had to head back to Chiang Mai - to the Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. He was kept there for a few days while he was assessed.
Callum, a digital creator from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: "It is a hot spot for tourists and I thought it would be great fun. There was a big bouncy cushion at the waterpark that you jump on to and I thought: 'Let's give it a go.'
"My girlfriend, Beth, went first - there was a five-metre drop to jump on the cushion - she did a backflip into the water from the cushion which propelled her into the air. I thought I'd do a backflip and I got the two biggest lads to jump on the cushion at the same time.
"They said they have never seen someone hit the height that I did - I landed in a dodgy way, flat on my back. As soon as I landed in the water, I knew I'd done something wrong.
"I swam up underwater and the second I hit the air, I had a handful of blood. Straight away within two or three seconds, I coughed up a handful of blood and that went on for 30 minutes."
When Callum hit the water his lungs hit his ribs, which caused the lungs to bleed internally. Callum said he was "a little worried", took some time out and went back to enjoying his day.
After their day out, Callum and Beth then headed to their next stop on their travels at Pye. The couple were on a four-month trip, travelling to Dubai, Vietnam, Bali and Thailand.
Callum said: "I felt really sick and ill, when I got there I wasn't feeling good. I went to the hospital and they said: 'Sorry, we are closed, you will have to come back in the morning'. I went back in the morning, they gave me an X-ray and they said how I dislocated my ribs and damaged my lungs."
Callum and his girlfriend carried on with their travels. Callum said he did debate heading back to the UK, but it would have been too expensive to get back.
He said: "After we were in Pye we went to Chiang Mai to get to the airport, so I had to do the journey again. We then flew to Hanoi in Vietnam and travelled the whole of Vietnam."
Callum's costs were covered by health insurance, totalling up to 2,855 Thai Baht (£65.66) and he has since made a full recovery. He said he didn't think he would take the risk he did at the waterpark after his injury.
He added: "But when I am in that environment I get silly. I am an adrenaline junky for that type of stuff."
