2 more lawsuits target Mammoth Park’s Giant Slide
Share this post:
Two more individuals are suing Westmoreland County, claiming they were injured while riding the rebuilt Giant Slide in Mt. Pleasant Township’s Mammoth Park.
Danielle Hunter-Campbell of Mt. Pleasant Township claims she dislocated and fractured her left ankle on Feb. 9; and Christina Savisky of Youngwood says she fractured her right calf bone on Oct. 22, 2022.
In addition to the county — which owns the park where the 100-foot steel racing slides are located — the slide designer, builder and installer are named as defendants in the 12-count lawsuits, according to court documents.
The businesses named in the suit are: Environmental Planning & Design LLC. of Pittsburgh; Goric Playgrounds/Goric Marketing Group USA of Belmont, Mass.; Jeffrey & Associates Inc. of Indianola; and Valorie A. Stas, whose late husband, John M. Stas, owned Custom Contracting of Mt. Pleasant Township, which installed and assembled the slides.
Both women are seeking more than $30,000 in damages for what they claim were the negligence of the defendants, the breaches of warranty on the metal slides and the loss of companionship by their spouses — Sara Hunter-Campbell and Douglas Savisky.
The two suits are the sixth and seventh lawsuits filed against the county alleging the slides are unsafe. The county spent about $1.1 million for the slide complex that includes a children’s slide. It opened in July 2020 and closed a month later for safety improvements and more signage before reopening in June 2021.
Their lawsuits allege that the slides lack a deceleration zone, side rails, netting, guide rails, landing area materials, warning signs regarding proper usage and other protective safety equipment. Both lawsuits claim the women reached the bottom of the slide at a high rate of speed, were unable to slow down and twisted their ankles upon landing.
They also claim the county allowed the dangerous and unsafe slides to be on park property for an unreasonable amount of time.
Both plaintiffs are represented by Pittsburgh attorney Richard Talarico, who represents several other defendants in similar cases. He could not be reached for comment.
Melissa Guiddy, Westmoreland County solicitor, declined to comment on the lawsuit, as did a spokesman for Jeffrey Associates, which sells metal slides and accessories.
A spokesperson for Environmental Planning & Design and Goric Playgrounds, which manufactured and distributed the customized slides, could not be reached for comment.
Valorie Stas, who was listed in the lawsuit as living in Peyton, Colo., could not be reached for comment.