Woman loses finger at Edmonton waterslide

SASKATOON A Saskatchewan woman says she lost a finger after her ring got caught on a waterslide at West Edmonton Mall.

Claire Clark was celebrating her granddaughter’s third birthday at the mall’s water park on Aug. 5 when Clark decided to take a ride on a slide called the Corkscrew.

She said she was grabbing onto a thin piece of mesh and foam padding at the top to push herself down when she got snagged.

“My ring caught on that thing that I grabbed and it ripped off my finger,” Clark said. “It was awful.”

Clark said the skin on her right ring finger was torn at the first knuckle and there was only bone on the rest of the digit.

She said she remembers going down the slide and holding her hand so she wouldn’t get blood everywhere. She lifted it to make sure it didn’t go under the water.

She said when she showed the injury to her husband, “I thought he was going to pass out, because it’s kind of ugly.”

My ring caught on that thing that I grabbed and it ripped off my finger …. I didn’t lose my life. So I’m happy about that.

Clark’s 28-year-old daughter found the finger and pointed it out to a lifeguard, who dove into the pool to retrieve it and the ring.

A plastic surgeon at the University of Alberta hospital told Clark there was nothing left to sew the finger back into and it had to be amputated. The surgeon did the procedure that day and Clark has six millimetres of her finger left.

Clark, who has three children and five grandchildren, said her finger hurt a little bit after it happened, but not very much.

West Edmonton Mall said it was unable to comment on what happened because of an internal investigation. Clark wants the mall to advise people who are wearing jewelry to take it off before they go down the waterslides.

She was back at work the same night she lost her finger, and plans on seeing an occupational and physical therapist.

“I didn’t lose my life. So I’m happy about that,” Clark said.