Six-year-old dies on "haunted" amusement park ride after she was not strapped in
Glenwood Springs, Colorado – Six-year-old Wongel Estifanos was having a fun day with her family at an amusement park in Colorado when they decided to ride the Haunted Mine Drop. It ultimately cost the young rider her life – and her family wants justice.
The Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park has enjoyed millions of visitors for the last 15 years.
Opened in 1999, it has three roller coasters, including the highest elevation coaster in North America.
But its freefall ride, the Haunted Mine Drop, is one of its most popular. The tower-style ride drops 110 feet into a shaft in the ground for pure adrenaline.
On September 5, Estifanos boarded the ride, but mistakenly sat on top of the two seatbelts, instead of being strapped in.
The ride's operators are now accused of being inadequately trained.
A newly released report had found that the ride's safety system alerted the two operators to the seat belt issue and stopped them from dispatching the ride. Yet, they kept incorrectly fastening the seat belt, and launched the ride anyway.
Family raises funds for funeral and plans to sue the park
The Haunted Mine Drop returned with an empty seat. Estifanos is said to have fallen from the ride and was killed instantly, before rescue workers arrived.
The five passengers next to her were also in shock when they returned with an empty seat next to them, according to The Washington Post.
It has been reported that Estifanos' parents now plan to sue the amusement park, and are asking for other parkgoers who have had accidents at the location to come forward.
Although the family signed a waiver to enter the park relieving the operator of responsibility, a lawyer for the family says the employees were negligent and made several fatal errors.
The Estifanos family has set up a GoFundMe page to pay for funeral costs, which has already collected $78,000 for the "beautiful, caring, and cheerful girl."
The amusement park issued a statement saying they are "heartbroken" over the incident.
"Safety is, and always has been, our top priority," it read. "Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park has delivered more than 10 million safe and enjoyable rides."
They are reviewing the incident with independent safety experts.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire & 123RF/sakispagonas