A man broke his nose on a waterslide in Tenerife - leaving him with a £1,400 hospital bill. James Dudley, 30, smashed his face at Aqualand Costa Adeje earlier this month.
The medical student had gone down the Twister slide without incident twice before on that day. But it was third time unlucky - as he gathered too much speed and went headfirst into some stone steps.
James, who was on holiday with his fiancée, needed expensive hospital treatment. And although his insurers are paying out, he wants compensation from the Costa Adeje waterpark.
James, from Swansea, said: "I'd already ridden the slide twice that morning and it was fine. But I travelled much faster on my third go and flew down into the trough at a rapid pace - breaking my nose in the process."
James and his fiancée flew to Tenerife from Bristol last week for a romantic getaway. They arrived at the waterpark on April 22 went straight to the Twister - a four lane slide.
James went up and down twice but, on his third time, he felt himself going noticeably quicker than before. He then skidded to the end of the landing area at the bottom and smashed his face on the slide's steps.
James said: "You use a mat to slide down and you go face first. The previous two times, the water at the bottom had slowed me down as it was supposed to.
"But for some reason, this time, I skidded right over it. I smashed head first into the steps at the end of the trough and the top step caught my face and I broke my nose.
"Blood immediately started gushing out into the water and on to the mat - it looked like something out of a horror movie. I eventually caught the attention of one of the lifeguards, and a medic came over, who then wheeled me into the first aid room.
"They decided I needed treatment so they refunded our entry tickets and booked me a taxi to the nearest hospital."
James was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital, where they carried out X-rays and stopped the bleeding from his nose. He'd also badly bruised his torso from the impact, but thankfully he escaped with no broken ribs.
He was discharged and handed a £1,413.57 bill from the hospital which his insurance has since covered. But James says the accident ruined the end of their holiday - and he's expecting compensation from Aqualand.
He says he's also not afraid to take legal action against the waterpark. James said: "X-rays showed I had a broken nose and bad bruising, and after a lengthy phone call with my travel insurer, I was able to get the costs covered.
"I was given a prescription for the pain, and told not to do any sunbathing - which was disappointing considering we were on holiday.
"So far Aqualand have only offered a ticket refund, but I don't feel that's not enough to compensate what happened.
"I'm inclined to take them to court. They shouldn't get away with this."
Aqualand Costa Adeje and owners Aspro Parks were approached for comment.
