DETROIT (WWJ) -- A Detroit woman has filed a lawsuit, after she claims her children were injured last summer while bouncing down Belle Isle's infamous Giant Slide.
The Detroit Free Press reports the lawsuit was filed in Wayne County Circuit Court on Monday by attorney Raquel Munoz of Vahdat Weisman Law, on behalf of Detroit mom Francetta Watson and her two children.
Named in the suit are the City of Detroit, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which managed Belle Isle, and park recreation manager Karis Floyd.
The mother claims, documents show, that her son and daughter, ages 10 and 8, got concussions while going down the slide during the attraction's 2022 grand re-opening, and that the injuries have affected her kids' ability to play sports.
Watson said she watched both of her children “go airborne and striking their heads multiple times on the steel slide," after she paid $1 per ticket for the experience.
According to the suit, the Freep reports, Watson said no one warned her or her kids about the dangers that the slide may pose — although viral videos later showed people bouncing off of it.
The 40-foot metal slide re-opened to the public on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, after it had been closed for several years due to the pandemic. That re-opening didn’t quite go as planned, as screaming riders went speeding down too quickly, popping into the air and slamming their way down the slide.
Such scenes were widely shared on social media, became the subject of a song by Gmac Cash, and eventually made their way to national TV, including The Today Show, CNN and Jimmy Kimmel.
WWJ Newsradio 950's Ryan Marshall reported park-goers were "really excited" after the DNR announced modifications were made to make the slide "safer" — including wetting down the slide to create friction — while some concerns remained.
"They were also telling people to not lean back in their burlap sacks, and that that way they wouldn't go flying in the air," Marshall said.
It's not yet clear when the Giant Slide may reopen for a 2023 season.
If it does, those interested can find a video with tips for riders provided by the DNR HERE.
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