A four-year-old girl has died in a horrific accident at a popular waterpark in the U.K.. According to PEOPLE, Staffordshire police responded to an incident at Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent on Monday, August 4, about an unconscious young girl.
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Young Girl Dies After Found In “Critical Condition” At Waterpark
Officers arrived around 4:20 PM to find the girl in “critical condition,” as the police statement read. Before paramedics took her to a local hospital, Waterworld staff and West Midlands Ambulance Service personnel treated her.
Unfortunately, the young girl passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital. Police have since informed the girl’s family.
In a statement from Waterworld on Facebook, the park said it was “deeply saddened” by the fatal incident. “A girl of 4 years old was found unconscious and treated on Poolside by our Lifeguard & Management teams on site,” it said.
They attempted CPR as they awaited emergency services. Staff also requested all visitors to leave the pool “out of respect for the rescue operation.”
“It is with great sadness that we learned of this young girl’s passing later this evening,” it added. “All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times.”
Waterworld decided to close the park on Tuesday, August 5, out of respect for the girl and her family. They also revealed that anyone who booked to visit the park that day could easily refund their tickets.
Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Maskew from Staffordshire Police gave her own statement. “Our thoughts are with the family at this terribly sad time,” said Maskew.
“We are now making enquiries and looking to establish the circumstances of the incident. We would ask that members of the public avoid speculating in these early stages of the investigation and allow the family to grieve.”
This hasn’t been the only waterpark tragedy of the summer. Just over a week ago, a 9-year-old tragically died at a Hersheypark waterpark in Pennsylvania. While the lifeguard team attempted to rescue the child in distress, they were unable to save them.
Meanwhile, that same week, a toddler died on a water slide after slipping out of her father’s arms. This happened at a water park in Croatia where the 21-month-old girl fell from a height of 11 ft., 5 in.