Dreamworld sued by father over son’s fall from stationary attraction

A Gold Coast father says his young son has been left traumatised and facing multiple major surgeries after the boy fell from a photo opportunity attraction at Dreamworld, causing his arm to break in multiple places.

A Gold Coast father says his young son has been left traumatised and facing multiple major surgeries after the boy fell from an attraction at Dreamworld, causing his arm to break in multiple places.

The six-year-old boy’s dad, Josh, has launched legal action against theme park after his son, who The Sunday Mail has chosen not to identify, fell approximately one to two metres from Dreamworld’s stationary train attraction.

Josh says his boy fell from the attraction, which is used as a children’s photo opportunity, and onto the concrete ground below while the family was visiting the park’s new Night Market on June 11.

He said there were children “climbing all over the train,” which at the time of the fall, Josh claims had no signage or fencing around it and was poorly lit.

“He slipped off the train, the surface was concrete and he broke his humerus bone straight through,” Josh said.

“His arm took the whole brunt of the fall.

“We’ve been told from all the orthopaedic surgeons that it really is as bad of a break as you could get.

“The doctor said to us, if he did to his head what he did to his arm, we wouldn’t be in this situation. It’s a horrible thing to say, but it would be another fatality.”

The train in daylight. Josh’s son fell from it during the Night Market event on June 11

Josh said he worries for how his son’s arm will heal, as doctors have placed multiple steel rods into the bone and prepare the family for the possibility he may never make a full recovery.

“The medical bills could go on for another 10, 20, 30 years … and there may be multiple more surgeries because they likely will have to re-brake the bone again,” Josh said.

“So when (he gets older) does he just call up Dreamworld and say ‘hey, I need you to cover my medical bills again?”

Shine Lawyers Solicitor Vernesa Rogulja said the team were working to ensure Josh and his son weren’t out of pocket.

Josh said he worries for how his son’s arm will heal.

An X-ray showing pins in the six-year-old boy's arm.

“He’s had surgery and there’s the potential for a lot more surgeries, and it’s at no fault of the parents and we just want to make sure they’re not out of pocket,” Ms Rogulja said.

“It’s impossible to say what the medical bills are, it’s such early stages at the moment and it’s literally a guessing game as to what will be needed medically.

“We’re not talking about someone out for a big payday, this is a genuine case where a six year old has fallen.

“We don’t know what his recovery looks like yet.”

According to Josh, Dreamworld has since installed a fence around the attraction.

“It’s fortunate now it’s blocked off but we could have been in another situation of River Rapids if it was his head and not his arm,” Josh said.

“(The boy’s) arm could have saved the life of another child.”

A picture of the ride with a fence subsequently installed by Dreamworld, according to Josh.

A Dreamworld spokesperson said the theme park “acknowledges the recent incident in which a child climbed onto a stationary children’s photo opportunity and subsequently fell from it, sustaining injury”.

“Our thoughts remain with the child and his family, and we wish him a full and fast recovery,” a Dreamworld spokesperson said.

They could not provide further comment, referencing the family’s personal injury claim.