Colorado amusement park Glenwood Caverns shuts down after girl, 6, dies at drop ride
In a tragic turn of events, a fun day out at an amusement park turning into horror for on Colorado family. A six-year-old girl was confirmed to have died at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs on September 5. The park is now closed for two days, as officials investigate the death. Limited details about the incident have been released, but the park did confirm its closure on Facebook late on September 5.
Amusement parks have long proven to be venues of danger, but incidents have often been far and few in between. In mid-August, we reported on the death of a man at Lagoon Amusement Park, Utah after he fell 60 feet from a cable car. In early July, an 11-year-old died at Adventureland Park Iowa, after his water ride raft overturned. In March, the Six Flags park in Arlington, Texas became the venue for a shooting that killed one 16-year-old.
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Following the incident at Glenwood Caverns, the park immediately shut down and is now offering refunds to those that purchased tickets for September 6 and 7. Beyond that though, few details were available, with the park saying it was "out of respect and concern for all parties involved."
Girl dies at Haunted Mine Drop
At 10.26 pm on September 5, an incident occurred at the Haunted Mine Drop, the park confirmed in a statement on Facebook. "Authorities and emergency personnel have been dispatched and an investigation is in progress," the park added. The park did not confirm what happened, and who was the victim of the incident. The New York Post reported that the victim was a six-year-old girl, who was vacationing at the park with her family.
In its statement, the park confirmed it would be closed on September 6 and 7, and the website offers an email address to contact for refunds. USA Today reported the girl and her family were from Colorado Springs, and that she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. The Garfield County Coroner’s Office and Sheriff's Office are investigating the accident, with an autopsy scheduled "later this week", the article added. Until then, we won't have any ideas of the nature of the injury or the exact cause of death.
An incident has occurred on the Haunted Mine Drop ride that resulted in a fatality. An investigation is in progress. Out of respect for all involved, we have no further comment until details have been confirmed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved.
— Glenwood Caverns (@GlenwoodCaverns) September 6, 2021
The Haunted Mine, which opened in 2017 is reportedly the world's first-ever drop-ride to go underground. Visitors plunge 110 feet inside Iron Mountain, atop which the park sits. The ride has a minimum height requirement of 46 inches. Some reports indicate the park has a mandatory liability waiver visitors need to sign, but it is unclear as of now if that extends to the Haunted Mine Drop. The attraction is one of the latest to open at the park, and in 2017 was named the 'Best New Theme Park Attraction' by USA Today.
The Denver Channel reported that the shoulders of riders are not restrained, but there are seatbelts for the ride. YouTuber Taylor Bybee, who reviews amusement park rides added, "Theme parks are actually very, very safe ... these maintenance people that work at the parks are inspecting the rides every single morning and making sure everything is good to go. it’s extremely rare that something like this happens and it’s an absolute shame."