A 6-year-old girl who died on a ride at a Colorado amusement park earlier this month was not strapped into the ride correctly, a report into the incident has revealed.
The young girl died after going on the Haunted Mine Drop ride at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park over the Labor Day weekend.
According to the report, the 6-year-old girl named Wongel Estifanos fell from the ride and suffered fatal injuries on Sept. 5.
The attraction carries six passengers at a time and drops down a shaft 110 feet into the ground.
The Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety released a report on the incident which happened around 7:15 p.m., concluding that the victim was not properly secured in her seat.
Operators of the ride apparently did not notice that she was sitting on top of her seatbelts instead of being properly strapped in, as per Fox News.
When the ride’s system alerted the operators to the issue, they reportedly took “several incorrect steps” and dispatched the ride after resetting the seatbelt monitors.
The theme park was closed for two days after the incident while state officials inspected the ride and determined that the ride, which opened in July 2017, was operating correctly. The Haunted Mine Drop remains closed.
Park staff performed first aid on Wongel Estifanos, who was visiting the park while on vacation with her family, until paramedics arrived and determined the youngster had died.
The report concludes that the ride’s operators did not properly prepare the ride before allowing passengers to board. The seat belts had apparently been buckled during a previous ride when the seat was empty and were not unbuckled after that ride returned to the station, as per the report.
Her family now plans to file a lawsuit against the adventure park, as reported by NBC News.
This is enough to put anyone off theme park rides for life, such a terrible tragedy.
I hope the theme park operators take measures to ensure something like this never happens again; no other family should have to experience such an unimaginable horror.
My heart goes out to her family. Rest in peace little one. Please share.
