ALTOONA, Iowa — The ride at an Iowa amusement park the place an 11-year-old boy was killed in 2021 won’t ever reopen, the park’s homeowners stated.
Invoice Lentz, Adventureland’s normal supervisor, stated in a letter posted on the park’s web site Friday that after spending months reviewing the protection of the Raging River ride, officers determined to shut it completely.
“The choice comes after months of examination of the ride, working carefully with its producer to determine what enhancements every would want to satisfy our working requirements,” Lentz stated within the assertion. “Based mostly upon that assessment, one of the best path ahead is to shut Raging River, and concentrate on enhancing the Adventureland expertise elsewhere.”
Michael Jaramillo died and his brother and father have been injured on July 3, 2021, after their raft overturned and trapped them within the water. The ride makes use of a conveyor belt to maneuver giant round rafts via rapids.
The park was offered to Palace Leisure within the wake of the boy’s death and Lentz took over as normal supervisor in 2022. Palace Leisure is the U.S. subsidiary of Madrid-based Parques Reunidos.
The Jaramillo household filed a lawsuit towards Adventureland and its former homeowners in June 2022, and a separate declare towards the state of Iowa in September 2022. That lawsuit is tentatively set for trial subsequent spring. The previous homeowners have maintained that the ride was secure.
State officers cited the park in November 2021 for 17 security violations associated to Jaramillo’s death.
The Des Moines Register reviews that the violations included utilizing Flex Seal as an alternative of permitted patches to repair leaks in rafts’ flotation bladders, which preserve the ride afloat, and never adequately documenting or testing repairs.
