Lois Crook, eight, was flung into the air by a zipline at Victoria Park in Ashford, Kent, and was rushed to a London hospital after suffering a serious neck fracture.

Despite the harrowing ordeal that left her with a custom halo brace anchored into her skull, doctors have said it's a miracle her spinal cord remained intact.

Her mother and father, hailing from Smeeth in Kent, are now urgently cautioning other parents about the "dangerously fast" zipline in the newly renovated playground.

Reports have surfaced of other children sustaining broken arms and concussions from falls on the same zipline, which is still operational.

Now recuperating at home, Lois endures the relentless discomfort of her bulky brace, which she must wear for a minimum of 12 weeks, making sleep a challenge.

Emma and Daniel Crook, Lois' parents, criticise the zipline at Victoria Park—installed as part of a £5m overhaul three years ago—for its excessive speed, which sent their daughter flying approximately ten feet skyward.

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) has acknowledged that an investigation into the distressing event that occurred last month (27/03) is in progress.

In the meantime, Lois' parents express profound relief that their daughter's injuries were not more catastrophic.

Nevertheless, with the zipline still active, their concern escalates over the potential for other children to experience similar frightful mishaps.

In a chilling account, Mrs Crook, an employee at Kingsfords Solicitors in Ashford with her husband, recounted the harrowing moment their family outing to the local council park turned into a nightmare.

"I just saw Lois coming down the zipline and I thought, 'Oh my goodness, that's going quite fast'," the 41 year old mum recalled.

She watched in horror as "Lois hit the bumper, and the bottom of it swung up – she just flew off and arced through the air.

"She landed headfirst on the grass. She must have been around 10 feet in the air."

Following the accident, although Lois remained conscious and was crying, Mrs Crook knew the situation was grave. "She was talking at first, but by the time we got to Orbital Park, she stopped speaking to me and just said, 'My neck hurts and I feel sick.'" The sense of dread intensified, "That's when I really started to panic."

Initially, Lois was rushed to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, where trauma staff, suspecting a spinal fracture, secured her neck with blocks.

Further examinations revealed a C2 fracture - known as a hangman's fracture due to its critical location at the top of the spine. Despite the severity, her spinal cord miraculously escaped damage.

Mr Crook, aged 42, clarified the extent of his daughter's injury: "The peg on the C2 vertebra had broken," he explained, "That's the part that allows your head to move.

"The consultant said it was the kind of injury you'd expect from a car crash, not something you'd normally see from a zipline accident at a playground."

Due to the lack of paediatric halo braces at William Harvey Hospital, Lois had to endure more than 15 hours in her neck blocks before being transferred to King's College Hospital in London the next day.

She spent a week at King's, where a tailor-made halo brace was surgically attached using four pins that were drilled into her skull - two at the front and two at the back.

The brace needs to be tightened every 48 hours after fitting and regularly checked to prevent complications.

"It was terrifying," Mrs Crook confessed. "I had no idea what a halo brace even was. "Then a nurse showed me a picture on Google. It was quite shocking to see."

Despite the ordeal, Lois's parents commended the care they received at both hospitals.

"The staff were fantastic," Mr Crook said.

"We were so fortunate there was no spinal cord damage, and the team at King's had a clear plan from the moment we arrived."

Mrs Crook revealed that, after posting about their daughter's accident on a community Facebook group, other parents reached out saying their children had also needed hospital visits after falling from the same zipwire.

"My husband contacted the council and posted something on Facebook," she elaborated.

"Other parents commented about their children being injured in recent weeks on the same zipline; broken arms, concussions and A&E admissions...

"I went there the other day and a little girl absolutely flew [on the zipwire]. Is it safe? Will other children end up injured?

"We just want to raise awareness. I'm not saying all zipwires are like that.

"But so many have said to me since that this one is absolutely lethal. There are a lot of accidents on this particular zipline. It's particularly fast.

"The Council say it's a 'low-risk' piece of apparatus. We don't want it taken down, we just think it needs tweaking.

One commenter on Facebook agreed that the zipline could be "ferocious", saying: "My daughter flew off it a few weeks ago and ended up in A&E with concussion."

Another mum said: "I didn't realise how fast this zipline was...

"My little boy came flying off it roo and he was only let go towards the end of the line.

"It picks up speed really fast. Luckily he held on and only fell a short distance resulting in his face being grazed but it could have been a lot worse."

Another local wrote: "It does seem to be a fairly fast zipwire. I ran to pick up a toddler that literally flew off of this one.

"Once she hit the end of the wire it flung her off. She went from mid-air and slammed the floor."

Lois now faces a host of challenges at home, including pain, disrupted sleep and difficulty walking.

She needs help bathing, getting dressed and even getting up from chairs.

The youngster can only manage short walks unaided and relies on a wheelchair for longer trips. Despite her challenges, Lois, a pupil at Brook Community Primary School, has maintained a remarkably positive outlook throughout her ordeal. However, she acknowledged that her fall from the zipline has presented her with numerous difficulties.

"It's ruined all my Easter holidays," the eight-year-old said. "The pins in my head really hurt to start with, but the pain isn't too bad now. It can just be hard to get to sleep at night.

"I'm really missing going to school and seeing my friends, but we are planning a big party for when I am all better," she said.

The family must return to London for regular check-ups, and last week, a loose nut on the brace prompted an urgent trip back to King's.

"Because her head can't move at all, she's really top-heavy and vulnerable to falling," Mrs Crook added. "Physio has helped a bit, but she still struggles.

"It's going to be a long journey ahead, but we are just taking each day as it comes."

Mr and Mrs Crook now aim to raise awareness about the risks posed by playground ziplines like the one at Victoria Park, hoping that no other family will have to endure what they have.

"It's too dangerous," Mrs Crook said. "The council needs to implement measures to prevent the zipline from reaching such high speeds.

"We just don't want to see anyone else go through this."

A representative for ABC, the company responsible for the park's makeover with assistance from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, stated: "We are aware of an incident involving a child at Victoria Park.

"However, we are unable to provide a comment whilst investigations are ongoing".