A British tourist who says she was left four inches shorter after smashing her back on a "Banzai" water slide while on holiday in Spain is fighting for £500,000 compensation.
Jennifer Proctor, broke her spine at the end of her "nightmare" holiday in 2019, suffering catastrophic injuries during her descent of the extreme 40-foot high slide at the Aqualand waterpark, in Mallorca.
She had to undergo an emergency spinal fusion in Spain to treat her injuries, and says the damage left her 5ft 7ins tall, four inches shorter than her 5' 11" height before the accident.
Before the tragedy Ms Proctor 27, of Leighton Buzzard, Beds, was training to be a teacher, but the accident left her struggling to pay for her course and tore her life apart.
She is currently not working.
Now she has launched a £500,000 damages claim against Spanish amusement park operators, Aspro Ocio S.A, as well as a firm of Spanish insurers, Liberty Seguros, alleging fault in management of the slide.
"One would not expect to use this water slide and come off it with a broken back," said Ms Proctor's QC, Katherine Deal, during a hearing at the High Court in London.
The issues of liability and compensation for her injuries are both disputed.
The 40-foot "Banzai" ride is designed to power users down the slide boosted by water jets at the top, with riders then "flying" across the water when they reach the bottom.
Ms Proctor, however, says she wasn't given proper instruction before beginning her descent down the chute on a bodyboard.
And after the accident, Ms Proctor - who was a keen swimmer - said she believed she was thrown off her board before even hitting the water.
On top of the gruelling surgery to fuse her spine, she then suffered a recurring septic infection for several months after treatment.
Her case reached London's High Court as lawyers discussed pre-trial issues involving analysis of Spanish law and expert evidence about the use of the water slide.
The trial itself is expected to be dealt with in line with Spanish law.
Although Ms Proctor has now recovered from her fractured spine, her injury has left a legacy of lasting chronic pain, said her barrister after the short hearing.
