Is this amusement park in Colorado to blame for a child’s death?
Amusement parks, they’re supposed to be a fun day out and about. You go on some rides. You eat food that is definitely terrible for you. You have some fun with your friends or family. At the end of the day, you either pass out in a hotel or you pass out on the drive home from a day full of fun. All over the country from Colorado to Florida, there is always an amusement park to enjoy.
Still, people get nervous going on rides at a park. It just feels unsafe at times. Nothing between you and the ground except a safety harness. While some rides are tested for safety reasons, you still just don’t feel very safe. If you really want to see how bad it goes, then check out Class Action Park over on HBO Max. Now, it looks like a Colorado amusement park has its very own tragedy that took place over Labor Day weekend.
What happened at the amusement park in Colorado? What details do we know about what happened? How often do amusement park accidents actually happen? Here’s everything that we know so far.
What happened at the Colorado amusement park?
According to CNN, a six-year-old girl was fatally injured while riding a ride at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park on Sunday, Sept. 5. The coroner’s office reported that the child, who was visiting the area from Colorado Springs with her family, was on the Haunted Mine Drop ride when the incident occured. The ride is billed as the world’s first drop ride to go underground.
In a listing for the attraction when it opened in 2017, it read, “Perched on top of Iron Mountain, the new attraction drops riders 110 feet down inside the mountain as they listen to ghostly mining tales from days gone by.” There is no word on what, exactly, the child victim died from on the ride. An autopsy is scheduled for this week, which will, presumably, give us more details.
The ride did have a 46 inch (116.84cm) height requirement in order to ride the Colorado amusement park attraction. In the statement from the coroner’s office on the incident, it read: “Immediately following the incident, Glenwood Caverns employees initiated first aid until paramedics with the Glenwood Springs Fire Department arrived and determined the child had died.”
How often does this happen?
You’re more likely to die in a car crash, then on an amusement park ride. If we’re being honest with you, which we are. But, well, deaths at amusement parks do tend to stick with us. According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the chances of you dying on a roller coaster are about one in 750 million. So, well, it is what it is at this.
Unfortunately, it’s cold comfort to the family of the victim, whose name has not been released at this time to the public. In a statement from the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, they said, “Out of respect and concern for all parties involved, we will not have further comment until all details have been confirmed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved.”
The amusement park in Colorado will be closed until Wednesday out of respect for the fatality. Unfortunately, details on the death will remain scarce until more about the young victim and how she died is released to the public. Our thoughts are with her family during this trying time.
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What do you think about fatalities in amusement parks? How do you think Colorado amusement parks stack up to others across the country? Share your thoughts in the comments down below to let us know what you think about things.
