An 11-year-old boy died Sunday due to injuries sustained on a water ride at Adventureland Park in Altoona, IA, according to the Associated Press.
The Altoona Police Department confirmed Monday that Michael Jaramillo, 11, died the previous day from his injuries and that another minor remains hospitalized in critical condition. Two other riders also suffered minor injuries on the ride.
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Jaramillo and the others were injured Saturday night when a raft carrying six people on the Raging River ride flipped over. Footage of the ride shows circular rafts floating down an artificial river feature. According to the Associated Press, the ride uses a conveyor belt to move its large circular rafts through artificial rapids. So far, the reason why the raft tipped over is unclear.
“It just breaks me,” Dee Sabic, a mother whose sons were on the ride just hours before the accident, told Local 5 News. “Like, I can’t even imagine how the family feels. At the same time, that could have been my kids.”
Emergency responders and witnesses helped free the riders and four were taken to a hospital for treatment, said police spokesperson Alyssa Wilson. At the time, four off-duty Altoona officers and medics were at the park and they were able to aid the response.
Wilson said investigators are looking into what caused the craft to flip. Adventureland representatives said the ride passed a state inspection Friday.
“The Raging River ride has been in operation for nearly four decades. It is a safe ride,” said Guy Cook, an attorney for the park.
However, another accident involving Raging River lead to the death of 68-year-old seasonal park employee Steve Booher five years ago. According to the Associated Press, Booher fell onto the conveyor belt below the water and became wedged between a raft and a concrete sidewall “where his head was repeatedly rammed until the ride’s operator shut it down.”
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Booher died a few days later from the injuries. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Adventureland $4,500 for a safety violation and the Adventureland Park insurer last December settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Booher’s wife.
Cook said there is no commonality between the incidents.
There have also been other complaints about other rides in the park, according to Iowa OSHA. As of Monday, the park was open but the Raging River Ride was closed said Local 5 News.
Jaramillo’s parents spoke about being trapped in the ride during an interview airing Tuesday on “Good Morning America.”