Calypso in court to face safety violation charges

Lawyers for Calypso Theme Waterpark were in court Thursday to face 20 charges stemming from alleged safety violations.

During the short appearance, the park’s lawyers received information disclosed by lawyers for the Technical Standards and Safety Authority.

The TSSA laid the charges in July following a year-long investigation into safety at the Limoges, Ont. waterpark.

The charges, which have not been proven in court, stem from incidents on the Pirates Aquaplay, Steamer and Bobsleigh slides in 2011 and 2012. Some of the incidents resulted in serious injuries.

Two of the charges relate to an incident on the Orange Bobsleigh on June 19, 2012, the day two men were taken to hospital after one bobsled-style inflatable tube crashed into another. One charge alleges the operator didn’t run the slide safely, sending park visitors down on a tube while another was caught in the slide. The other alleges the operator didn’t have the knowledge, training or experience needed to operate the slide, and failed to make sure the slide was clear before sending down the second tube.

On Tuesday, the TSSA also charged Calypso with not shutting down a slide called the Steamer after repeated incidents “that constituted an immediate hazard to the safety of a person.” Several other charges were filed against the park in connection with not reporting an incident where people were injured on the Steamer in 2011.

The park also faces charges of not having enough operators and attendants, and insufficient training for operators and attendants. Some of those charges relate to Calypso’s Pirate Aquaplay slides, described on the park’s website as a “magnificent ship designed for youngsters to lose themselves in hundreds of water games.”

Each of the charges carries a maximum fine of $1 million.

The case will be back in court on Oct. 3.

Calypso is also facing several civil lawsuits from people who allege they were injured while visiting the waterpark.