Parents Call for Urgent Safety Review at Victoria Park After Near-Fatal Incident
An eight-year-old girl from Kent is recovering at home after a terrifying zipline accident left her with a broken neck and confined to a full-body brace.
The incident occurred at Victoria Park in Ashford, where the newly-installed zipline – part of a £5 million revamp – flung young Lois Crook ten feet into the air, landing her headfirst on the ground.
Miraculously, Lois’s spinal cord remained intact, but the injury was severe: a C2 fracture, commonly known as a “hangman’s fracture”, which often results from high-speed car crashes.
Her father, Daniel Crook, 42, described the shocking diagnosis. “The peg on the C2 vertebra had broken. That’s the part that allows your head to turn. The consultant said it was the kind of injury you’d expect from a car crash, not something you’d normally see from a zipline accident at a playground.”
Lois, from Smeeth near Ashford, had to be transferred to King’s College Hospital in London after a long wait at William Harvey Hospital due to a lack of paediatric halo braces. She spent over 15 hours immobilised in neck blocks before surgeons fitted a custom halo brace, drilled directly into her skull with four pins.
Her mother, Emma Crook, 41, said their family day out turned into a nightmare. “I just saw Lois coming down the zipline and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s going quite fast’. Lois hit the bumper, and the bottom of it swung up – she just flew off and arced through the air. She landed headfirst on the grass.”
Lois is now confined to the brace for a minimum of 12 weeks. It causes her persistent pain, disrupted sleep, and limits her mobility. She requires help with basic activities and uses a wheelchair for longer distances.
Despite the trauma, Lois has remained positive. “It’s ruined all my Easter holidays. The pins in my head really hurt to start with, but the pain isn’t too bad now… I’m really missing going to school and seeing my friends, but we are planning a big party for when I am all better.”
Community Outrage and More Injuries Revealed
The Crooks took to Facebook to share their story and were stunned by the response. Multiple parents reported similar incidents involving the same zipline. Cases included broken bones, concussions, and other emergency visits.
Emma Crook voiced concerns over the repeated injuries. “We just want to raise awareness… There are a lot of accidents on this particular zipline. It’s particularly fast. The Council say it’s a ‘low-risk’ piece of apparatus. We don’t want it taken down, we just think it needs tweaking.”
Facebook posts echoed her fears. One mother wrote: “My daughter flew off it a few weeks ago and ended up in A&E with a concussion.”
Another added: “It picks up speed really fast. Luckily [my son] held on… but it could have been a lot worse.”
A local resident shared: “I ran to pick up a toddler that literally flew off. Once she hit the end of the wire, it flung her off. She slammed into the floor.”
Ashford Borough Council, responsible for the park’s £5m refurbishment in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, confirmed it is investigating the incident.
“We are aware of an incident involving a child at Victoria Park,” a council spokesperson said. “However, we are unable to provide a comment whilst investigations are ongoing.”
Lois’s parents, however, are pushing for swifter action. “It’s too dangerous,” said Mrs Crook. “The council needs to implement measures to prevent the zipline from reaching such high speeds. We just don’t want to see anyone else go through this.”
This horrifying event has cast serious doubt on the safety of a key feature in one of Ashford’s most popular parks. While Lois bravely recovers from an injury that could have changed her life forever, the spotlight now turns to the local authorities.
Families and community members demand answers—and more importantly, urgent changes to ensure no other child suffers in the same way.
