Surfer suffers whiplash and brain injury

Extra safety after surfer injured The company which runs Swanseas new £32m leisure centre has taken extra safety precautions on its surf ride after a top young competitor was hurt.

An accident apparently left Gwen Spurlock, 16, with a brain injury, and she has had an emergency operation.

She became ill after falling off the machine at its media launch at the LC.

Bay Leisure, which runs the LC, said it immediately took more precautions, with wetsuits and helmets compulsory, and there have been no other injuries.

Gwen, the reigning British junior champion, later complained of “bruising and headaches,” has since had surgery to reduce swelling on her brain and has been off school for 10 weeks.

“We were made aware some weeks back, via a third party, that she had apparently experienced a “whiplash” injury whilst on the surf rider and we immediately took extra safety precautions by making the use of additional protective equipment compulsory”

But in a posting on the Surf Solutions website she said despite her skills she fell repeatedly “which was funny at first but then became a bit painful - bruising and headaches are the consequences”.

Not long after, her condition deteriorated and she had to have two holes the size of 10p pieces drilled into her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain.

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 21:13:51 +0100

Whiplash Resources

Conrods evidence based whiplash information site listing the latest research in whiplash information

Definition of whiplash from the National library of medicine Whiplash is when the soft tissues of the neck are injured by a sudden jerking
or "whipping" of the head. This type of motion strains the muscles and ligaments
of the neck beyond their normal range of motion.