An 11-year-old slipped off a zipline at an indoor adventure park in Scarborough. He’s okay — some bruising, nothing long-term. That’s the good news. What the company did next is not good news.
Here was their opportunity. Lead with empathy. Acknowledge the incident with genuine concern. Emphasize that safety is not a checkbox but a commitment. Assure other parents that this specific situation is being thoroughly reviewed. None of that is complicated.
Here’s what they actually said: ‘We are aware of the incident and it is currently under review with our insurers and legal counsel. Given that this involves a minor, we are not providing interviews or comments at this time.’
Under review with their insurers and legal counsel. Not ‘under review to make sure a situation like this never happens again.’ Under review with their insurers. If I were cynical — and I’m becoming so — I’d almost say this statement was written to guarantee a lawsuit. Congratulations to whoever drafted it.
And they didn’t stop there. The family’s belongings were still at the facility when they rushed to the hospital. Nobody from the company contacted them. Not to check on the child. Not to offer an apology. Not to acknowledge a family that had just had the worst day of their year.
This is what happens when lawyers write your public-facing communications and nobody thinks about the human beings on the other end.
The fix here was so simple. Call the family. Acknowledge what happened with genuine regret. Talk about safety, not insurance. Be a business that demonstrates it cares about the children who come through its doors.
Instead, they demonstrated the opposite.