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One child has died and another remains in critical condition following an accident on the Raging River ride at Iowa’s Adventureland theme park
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 06 Jul 2021
Adventureland has closed the ride while an investigation takes place Credit: Google Maps
An 11-year-old boy has died and another child is in a serious condition after a raft ride overturned at the Adventureland theme park in Iowa, US.
The accident occured on Saturday (July 3) when a boat on the park’s Raging River raft ride overturned with six riders on-board.
According to a statement from the Altoona Police Department, three of the passengers were rushed to hospitals in critical condition while a fourth passenger suffered minor injuries.
The boy, Michael Jaramillo, died on Sunday as a result of his injuries. As of Monday afternoon, a second child remains in critical condition.
"Altoona Fire and Police were on the property and responded immediately," said a statement from Adventureland Park released on Saturday. "We want to thank them as well as Des Moines, Ankeny, Bondurant, Pleasant Hill and Delaware Township Emergency Services for their fast response. Our thoughts are with the affected families at this time."
According to Adventureland, the ride had been inspected the day before the incident and was found to be in “good working order”.
"Adventureland is saddened to learn of the passing of one guest involved in the Raging River accident on the evening of 7/3/21," said a second statement from the park. "This investigation is ongoing and the ride remains closed. Adventureland is working closely with both the State and local authorities, and would like to thank them again for their efforts. At this time, we ask for your thoughts and prayers for the guest and their family, as well as for our team members who were onsite."
The death is the second to occur on the ride, which first opened in 1983, following that of employee Steve Booher, who in 2016 fell while helping riders get out of their rafts, fracturing his skull and suffering a major brain injury. He died four days later.
This is also the second accident to occur on a raft ride in recent years, following the death of an 11-year-old girl at Drayton Manor theme park in the UK in 2017.
In that incident, Evha Jannath was on the Splash Canyon Rapids Ride at the park during a school trip, when she was “propelled” into the water when her boat hit a barrier.
In 2019, an inquest jury was told she had been standing up and "reaching into the water", breaching the park's rules. Jurors were also told the emergency stop button for the rapids ride was not pressed for 10 minutes after staff were informed a child was in the water. The inquest concluded her death was accidental. In March, the former operator of Drayton Manor was handed a £1m (US$1.39m, €1.17m) fine in response to the tragedy.
An investigation into Saturday's incident is ongoing and the ride will remain closed during that time.
Theme park
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