RCI closes Sky Pad

ROYAL Caribbean
International closed its Sky
Pad last month after a man
was severely injured in an
accident on the top-deck
trampoline.
Sky Pad is a new
attraction that was installed
only last year on RCI’s
Independence of the Seas
and Mariner of the Seas. It
was also a feature of RCI’s
newest ship, Spectrum of
the Seas, which embarked
on its inaugural cruise
during April. Sky Pad has
been described as a ride
experience that combines
trampolines with bungee
jumping and virtual reality.
Casey Holladay has
allegedly filed a Federal
lawsuit against the cruise
line for US$10m (R143m),
claiming that the ride’s
bungee cords snapped and
threw him 20 feet to the
ground, breaking his pelvis
and causing permanent
injuries.
RCI said in a tweet that
the ride had been shut
due to the cruise line’s
commitment to safety.
Simmy Micheli, sales and
marketing manager of TIC,
says the insurance company
had a case two years ago
where a four-year-old boy
was left permanently brain
damaged after falling from
a trampoline. The claim
for his hospitalisation and
intensive care treatment
amounted to R2,9m.
“Freak accidents are not
the norm, just like being
bitten by wild monkeys in
Thailand or being gored
by elephants on a safari
is the norm. In fact most
accidents that we encounter
are from skiing, pavements
and stairs.”