Man dies after falling from amusement park ride in horrifying incident caught on video
Farmington, Utah - The shocking incident of a man who fell from a ride at a Utah amusement park has ended in tragedy after the 32-year-old succumbed to his terrible injuries. A video of the moment that ended up costing him his life has gone viral.
Lucy Grace Astilla was at the Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington on August 14, celebrating a family member's birthday.
But the day suddenly turned into a nightmare when she noticed a man dangling from his chair on the Sky Ride.
The image was so bizarre that Astilla struggled to process what she was seeing.
"I thought it was a stunt, or he is a gymnast practicing for American Ninja Warrior, rehearsing, but then I noticed he didn’t have any equipment that would save him from a fall," she told local news Gephardt Daily.
She then began recording the scene on her phone and the video eventually ended up on Twitter, where it eventually went viral. As soon as realized the seriousness of the situation, Astilla also frantically tried to get the attention of park employees, begging them to stop the ride and help the desperate man.
But the screams told her she was too late. The man had fallen about 50 feet after losing his grip on the chair.
Amusement park passes on condolences
Astilla has since called the whole experience "traumatic."
"Last night, I was not able to sleep thinking about that man. I pray for him. I hope he can recover," she told Fox13 last Saturday, as the man was fighting for his life at the University of Utah Hospital.
Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe and on Monday, Farmington Police confirmed his death.
Authorities still don't know exactly how or why the victim ended up hanging from the chair and say they are still investigating.
The day after the accident, the Lagoon Amusement Park Facebook page posted an image of a flower, alongside a short statement: "We are saddened by an unfortunate incident that occured [sic] on the sky ride yesterday. Our hearts go out to the family and others associated."
Cover photo: Screenshot/Twitter/SomosUtah