Spine surgeon urges holidaymakers to ‘think twice’ before diving into the sea or using water slides as ‘moments of madness’ can result in paralysis and even death
- Evan Davies, a spinal surgeon working in Southampton, gave the warning
- He said back-breaking injuries can cause paralysis and even kill people
- He spoke about the case of a 23-year-old who broke his neck on a water slide
Holidaymakers should think twice before flinging themselves down a water slide or off a rock into the sea this summer, a spinal surgeon has warned.
Evan Davies, a surgeon working in Southampton, said he is regularly faced with devastating injuries people have sustained on holiday.
People end up with broken bones, paralysed or even dead every year because of ‘moments of madness’ at home or abroad.
He brought up the example of 23-year-old David Briffaut, who was left paralysed after snapping two of his vertebrae in a water park in Spain.
Riding head-first down slides and jumping into unknown waters should be avoided, said Mr Davies, who operated recently on a patient who fractured his spine while diving on to hidden rocks in Croatia.
David Briffaut, pictured with girlfriend Penny Bristow, could face being left paralysed for life after an accident at the Aqualandia tourist attraction in Benidorm
‘It is so important that in the excitement of being on holiday, people remember life can change in an instant,’ the surgeon said.
‘That has been evident recently both in my own patient cases and in the news.
‘When you are relaxed and enjoying the moment with family and friends, undoubtedly that feeling of fun and invincibility can take over.
‘However as a spinal surgeon, I will often see the consequences of that moment of light-hearted fun – in the worst cases causing paralysis and, on some occasions, proving fatal.’
Spinal injuries are particularly devastating because the spine is essentially the body’s control centre.
It’s what connects the brain to the rest of the body so, when the nerves inside it are damaged, people can lose the ability to move or to feel things.
Nerves are also particularly slow to heal and difficult to operate on, meaning the effects of a spinal cord injury can last for years or never heal at all.
Mr Davies said he was ‘extremely concerned’ by the injuries Mr Briffaut sustained on a waterslide in Benidorm earlier this month.
Spinal surgeon Evan Davies said people should think carefully about the risks of going down water slides head first or jumping into the sea in unfamiliar places
Promising golfer David Briffaut (left) is seen whizzing down the Splash’ slide at Aqualandia water park in Benidorm on July 8 seconds before landing head first in the pool and snapping his neck
The junior golfer last week regained his ability to talk after a freak accident in which he passed out and had to be rushed by ambulance to intensive care.
He had been sliding down a waterslide head-first and his head was snapped forward as he hit the water, breaking his neck in two places.
Mr Briffaut’s uncle Mark Pooley revealed last week that is nephew had returned home to the UK and was awake.
‘David is back in the UK, having been transferred by air ambulance to a British hospital today,’ said Mr Pooley.
‘He is no longer under sedation and we are encouraged by the fact that he has been able to communicate with members of the family.’
Mr Davies, who is a consultant surgeon at University Hospital Southampton and the private Spire Southampton Hospital, said people should really think about the risks of what they’re doing.
He added: ‘What can often look on the face of it to be a quick and innocent thrill on these attractions can have potential to cause significant injury – that is something any impact head-on at high speed can cause.
‘My message would be to remember that health warnings won’t be high on the agenda at many holiday attractions and destinations.
‘And, in many countries, regulations and monitoring can vary greatly.
‘So carry out a quick assessment of your own when visiting attractions such as water parks and if you have a doubt about safety, avoid it.’
He also added that he has to treat people almost every year who have injured themselves by diving into shallow water.
‘We must continue to raise awareness of just how dangerous it can be for people to dive into water abroad in places they have no knowledge of and end up crashing into rocks,’ Mr Davies added.
‘I have just recently operated on my first patient of the summer who fell foul of this and there will no doubt be more.
‘Sometimes no level of surgery can recover the damage caused in a moment of madness.’
HOW CAN SPINE INJURIES PARALYSE PEOPLE?
The spinal cord is a long rope of nerves which runs from the base of the brain through the spinal column of the skeleton down to the pelvis.
The nerves inside are vital for sensation and movement and control everything from touch and vision to bodily functions and muscle movement – whether deliberate or automatic.
If nerves in the spine are damaged by physical injury, such as a fall or car crash, or by disease (some types of cancer or genetic defects may damage the back) the patient can lose certain functions.
When nerves are damaged or broken they lose their ability to transmit electrical signals. This effectively either disconnects them from the brain or means only some signals get through.
Because the brain is the body’s control centre, if it cannot communicate with certain parts of the body they lose their sense of feeling and ability to move.
Therefore, people with severe spinal injuries may be left with paralysed legs and arms, lose the ability to feel certain parts of their body, or lose control of their bladder or bowel, for example.
Nerve injuries are complex and difficult to predict – the body regrows nerve fibres in some circumstances but it is a slow process and patients may take years to recover, or never do.
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