Child killed in water ride accident at Iowa amusement park

Authorities are investigating an accident at an Iowa amusement park on Saturday that resulted in the death of an 11-year-old boy.

Michael Jaramillo died on Sunday after the boat he was in on the Raging River ride at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa, flipped over. Another juvenile is hospitalized in critical condition, according to authorities. Two other riders sustained minor injuries.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jaramillo family as they navigate the heartbreaking loss of their child,” Altoona Police Department spokesperson Alyssa Wilson said in a statement. “Altoona Detectives are working with the State Inspector and Adventureland Park to understand this tragic accident.”

‼️ MEDIA RELEASE ‼️
Re: Adventureland Raging River Fatality, 21-001014
Released by: @AltoonaPD_Iowa Lt. Wilson & @altoonafd Deputy Chief Routson
Date: 07/05/2021@FoxBusiness @weareiowa5news @WHO13news @CFodorKCCI @DMRegister @CBSNews @NBCNews @CityofAltoonaIA @CNN pic.twitter.com/d6Bs3Bkavk

— Lt. A Wilson (@LtWilson252) July 5, 2021

The Raging River ride uses conveyer belts to move rafts through fake river rapids. When the boat carrying six riders overturned, emergency responders and witnesses helped to free them.

Four off-duty Altoona officers and fire medics who were working at the amusement park also “quickly responded,” according to Wilson.

The ride has been closed since the accident, according to Adventureland.

“Safety is the number one priority at Adventureland,” Guy Cook, an attorney for Adventureland, told The Associated Press. “The Raging River ride has been in operation for nearly four decades. It is a safe ride.”

Saturday’s death comes less than five years after another accident on the Raging River ride resulted in the death of seasonal employee Steve Booher, the AP reports. Booher was jerked off his feet while helping riders in and out of the boats, falling onto the conveyor belt and becoming wedged between a boat and a concrete sidewall.

His head was repeatedly rammed before operators turned off the ride. He died days later from what an autopsy determined was trauma to the skull and brain.

Insurers for Adventureland settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Booher’s family last year for an undisclosed sum, the AP notes.