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Jamaica Trip
OTHER INJURIES - Lynne Smiths' story in her letter to Rick's Cafe
May 21, 2007Rick's CafeTo Whom It May Concern:I am writing this letter in order to request compensation for the many medical bills I am facing and life-long pain and suffering I will continue to face as a result of my trip to your establishment on April 2, 2007. Additionally, I feel it is my duty to warn all travelers of potential harm from jumping from your cliffs. I planned a vacation for my sister and I to meet in Negril. We met on March 31st at the Grand Lido. This trip was long anticipated as my sister and I live in different states and juggle occupations, schedules, and families. The trip turned out to be a total disaster; it has affected my family and myself ever since and will continue to alter our lives forever. I am requesting compensation for my injuries that occurred at your establishment. This is the very least I expect for the physical, emotional, and financial upheaval I have been facing and will continue to face. On Monday, April 2nd, my sister and I took an excursion destined for a sunset cruise to your restaurant/bar. (This was our second day of our 9 day trip.) 'Wild Thing' was the tour company. We left by boat from their establishment in late afternoon. Upon arriving at Rick's, my sister and I swam to the cliff and climbed up for a full view. I am 43 years old and, before I jumped, I was in the best shape I have been in my life (weight lifter-before my trip). I am 5’7” inches tall and before my jump, I weighed 128 pounds. — If there is any doubt, I will be so happy to provide you with the photos from my trip (including the photo taken from the Wild Thing Crew when I actually jumped from the cliff). Several people were lined up to jump and were being instructed as how to do so by someone on your payroll. When it was my turn to jump, I was "told"--that to land straight, I should walk off the edge and keep my hands to my side. Well, I did exactly that (and, as mentioned above, have a picture to prove it). When I hit the water, I knew that I was in deep trouble. The "expert advice by your lifeguard” actually caused me to lean backward, thus hitting the water at a slant—causing my back to be fractured at T12. (My sister and several others on our trip witnessed my jump and I have photos for evidence.) Of course, I couldn’t swim back to the Wild Thing. I didn’t know what to do. My sister quickly decided to swim back to the boat for assistance. Even though your guard, who represented himself as an expert advisor on jumping, could see that I was in excruciating pain, amazingly did nothing to assist me. However, he did offer his judgment on my “jump” once I finally crawled my way up your stairs. His statement of, “You didn’t land right” was an incredible statement that only adds to your neglect. Although your employee witnessed “myself in a jump that didn’t land right”, he did nothing to assist me. With tears streaming down my face, no one came to my rescue. Finally, a very kind waitress came to my assistance and escorted me to the nearest taxi so I could return to my hotel. I was dressed in a wet bathing suit and did my best to position myself in the taxi while the air-conditioning was blasting on my already shocked body. Where in the world is your body board? I now KNOW that countless injuries have occurred at your establishment and I cannot begin to fathom how you are still in operation due to your complete negligence. I cannot remember walking back to my room. I know that it took an incredible amount of time. After opening the door and collapsing on the bed, my sister was immediately by my side (Wild Thing Tours had told her to swim back to Rick’s, and she then was taken by one of their shuttles to our hotel). The hotel nurse came to see me and immediately called a local doctor. This doctor called for an ambulance and administered an anti-inflammatory drug into my leg. The ambulance took over 1 hour and ½ to arrive. While waiting for transportation to the hospital, the doctor shared with us that my accident was nothing new to him. He told me that he had seen “countless” injuries from Rick’s occurring to others my same shape and weight. He went on to share that if I had been heavier, this wouldn’t have happened. Evidently, as my sister witnessed, I was leaning back a bit and landed at an angle—not anything that was new to hear from the doctor in Negril or the staff at the MoBay Hope Hospital in Montego Bay. The ambulance arrived and strapped me to a board, securing my neck. When I arrived at the MoBay Hope Medical Center, a doctor removed all of the boards and straps and told me he didn’t think that I would need to be medically evacuated to Florida (which is what the doctor at my hotel had prepared me for). He was so sure of himself, that he took all of the physical support from my body, let the nurse give me Demerol, and then allowed me to walk. This was all before I had received an x-ray! I was very thirsty from the drugs, and my sister went to the nurse’s station and asked them to open a drink she had brought from our hotel (what she thought was a ginger-ale from our room’s refrigerator). They had no problem opening a “beer” for their new patient. Of course after the first sip, I didn’t drink it, but was astonished that they would even use a bottle opener and give my sister a beer which they thought was going to be given to their new patient. They didn’t x-ray me for another hour plus… I left the hospital on April 3rd with NO diagnosis, NO discharge instructions, just painkillers. I stayed in Negril until Easter Day, April 8th. Needless to say, I had seven days at the hotel in pain. But since the hospital gave me no diagnosis, I did not even think to depart early. Instead of enjoying a much deserved and relaxing vacation, my sister had to care for me night and day. As we became acquainted with others around our pool, these kind guests also helped me position myself and frequently brought me lunch/dinner. Everyone I came into contact with strongly advised me to “get a second opinion” as soon as I returned home. When I arrived home, it was late Monday afternoon, and I made an appointment with my family doctor — who immediately sent me to x-ray. I fractured T12 and was referred to an orthopedic surgeon. When I visited the surgeon’s office, he did additional x-rays and a MRI. I was immediately placed in a brace that I have to wear for at least three months. I am not allowed to lift anything that weighs more than 15 lbs. — which, of course, I violated and most likely caused more damage to my back when placing my own bags in my trunk when leaving Chicago. I hate to even think of the bills that will soon be pouring into my mailbox (I have already spent a small fortune), or even worse, the long-term damage I have done to my back. My bills to date are: 4/02/07 MoBay Hope Medical Center $150.00 I have missed weeks of work (I teach special education) and am finally able to sit at my computer for small amounts of time — this letter took almost six weeks to complete. When I returned home, my husband looked up “Rick’s Café” and the 2nd hit connected him to a woman who experienced the same horrific accident as I did. I have since been in contact with her. **When I last looked, my name is now on the site, but I have refrained, up to this point, to incriminate Rick's Cafe. I have included a bit of our correspondence. (Please refer to the attached enclosures). I thought that Rick's Café was reputable; however, I know that your establishment was obviously negligent in not providing a warning—any statement through your 'lifeguard/expert jumper advice employee stating that others have injured their backs in the past—This is the absolute least I would expect after discovering through both the Negril nurse/doctor and the physicians at the MoBay Hope Medical Center that “countless” injuries have occurred after jumping from the cliffs at Rick’s Café. The “guard” advised me as any lifeguard would at any theme park/water park I have frequented. I have a history of lower back pain and would have never jumped if I thought there was A CHANCE that I would be injured. The only thing I thought I was facing was my fear of heights. Now, I have fractured the middle of my back and chances are, I will never heal completely. I cannot do any household chores—even grocery shopping is now my husband’s sole responsibility. I cannot ride a bike with my child, play ball, or even sit up long enough to help him with his homework. My husband had to take care of us both and he has missed so many days of work. I will see my surgeon in another 3 weeks and pray that surgery is not in my near future. I cannot go without my brace for months—summertime has always been a time I have looked forward to, and now, I will not even be able to take my son swimming. I have never written a letter like this in my entire life; however, when one is faced with an uncertain medical future and medical bills that will need to be financed for years to come, AND most importantly, feel that my accident should have never happened (because I never would have jumped knowing any risk), I am stating the following: I feel I deserve reimbursement for your company’s negligence. I am a person who has never pursued legal action/financial reimbursement for any reason. Rick’s Café is totally responsible for my tragic accident. I expect to be contacted immediately. Sincerely, Lynne A. Smith Jamaica Info |