Lital Maman, 30, says a routine vacation at a hotel in Israel in November turned into a serious injury when she was hit hard on a water slide by her then-boyfriend. What began as a shared ride on the slide ended with two fractures in her spine, an ambulance ride to the hospital, and months of rehabilitation.
Maman said the pair were allowed to slide together and went down “hugging.” Partway through the descent, she separated from him and reached the bottom first. “I was about to get up and he hit me,” she said. According to her account, he came down behind her, slammed into her with great force, and threw her into the water. “I felt paralyzed,” she said. “He pulled me and I couldn’t speak.”
Paramedics took her to the hospital, where she said a doctor urged her to try standing and walking. “I screamed in pain,” she recalled. Doctors found two fractured vertebrae in her spine. She was hospitalized for several days and wore a rigid medical brace for two months. Maman said the impact was so strong that “even the doctors were shocked that I was on my feet.”
Six months after the accident, Maman said the bones have healed, but the physical and emotional consequences remain severe. She is still not back at work and continues to suffer intense pain and sleepless nights. She said she wants others to understand the danger of a slide that may appear harmless. “The only thing I thought about was thanking God that I am alive and on my feet,” she said. “It made me appreciate every moment.”
