A dream vacation aboard the world’s biggest cruise ship turned into a nightmare when a waterslide panel shattered mid-ride, leaving a passenger badly injured.
The incident occurred aboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, home to the record-breaking Thrill Island waterpark. Witnesses say the accident happened Thursday while a man was riding the Frightening Bolt, the tallest drop slide at sea, featuring a 46-foot plunge, trapdoor launch, and full 360° loop, The Sun reports.
According to passengers, a section of the slide’s acrylic glass burst apart as the man sped through it. “His leg and back were cut open pretty bad,” one witness reported. Footage from the scene shows water gushing through the damaged section onto the deck below as panicked passengers shout, “Stop the slide!” in an attempt to alert staff.
A photo taken afterward reveals a jagged hole where the slide wall had broken away. Fortunately, the rider did not fall through the gap, and cruise officials say he is in stable condition after receiving onboard medical treatment.
Royal Caribbean confirmed the malfunction, stating (via ABC News): “Our team provided medical care to an adult guest when acrylic glass broke off a water slide as the guest passed through the slide. The guest is being treated for his injuries. The water slide is closed for the remainder of the sailing pending an investigation.”
The accident prompted the closure of Deck 15’s slide area, and safety crews were seen inspecting the fiberglass-reinforced plastic structure manufactured by Wiegand Waterrides. The Icon of the Seas, which launched last year, is a 250,000-ton mega-ship carrying up to 7,600 passengers. Thrill Island boasts six massive slides, including Pressure Drop, Storm Chasers, Hurricane Hunter, and Storm Surge.
The Frightening Bolt mishap is the latest in a string of troubling incidents aboard the ship in recent weeks. Just two weeks earlier, a 35-year-old crew member allegedly stabbed a 28-year-old female colleague before jumping overboard to his death, according to Cruise News Today. Days later, another passenger fell from the edge of an infinity pool on the ship while reaching for his sunglasses, plunging to a lower deck. Incredibly, he walked away uninjured.
The Icon of the Seas is currently on a seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise and is scheduled to return to Miami on Saturday. Royal Caribbean has not yet confirmed when, or if, the Frightening Bolt will reopen.