A Colorado jury recently awarded $205 million to the parents of a 6-year-old girl who tragically died after falling from a ride at an amusement park. The incident happened in 2021 at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs, where the young girl, Wongel Estifanos, fell roughly 100 feet from the Haunted Mine Drop ride.
The ride is designed to drop riders down a mine shaft while they are strapped into their seats. However, investigators found that Wongel was sitting on top of her seat belts instead of having them secured across her lap. Two newly hired operators failed to catch this during their safety checks. On top of that, when an alarm system warned of a problem, one of the workers reset it and started the ride anyway, not knowing how to handle the warning due to insufficient training.
The jury decided that the amusement park, the ride manufacturer, and the two operators all share responsibility. Most of the financial burden, however, falls on the park itself. In response, a Glenwood Caverns spokesperson said they have worked with independent engineers to redesign the ride since the accident. She also mentioned the verdict could threaten the future of the park.
This case highlights serious safety lapses and raises concerns about staff training and ride oversight at amusement parks. It is a tragic reminder of how important it is to enforce safety rules and ensure proper training to avoid such heartbreaking accidents.