The family of an 11-year-old boy who died on a water ride at an Iowa amusement park last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the park.
David and Sabrina Jaramillo and three of their children filed a lawsuit Thursday against Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa, alleging that the park did not “properly maintain and repair its attractions.”
AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE ACCIDENT LEAVES BOY DEAD AND HIS BROTHER IN CRITICAL CONDITION
“The family now lives with the nightmare of the loss of a beloved child and brother, their lives forever altered,” the lawsuit reads, obtained by KWWL.
Six members of the family were on the Raging River ride at the park on July 3, 2021, when their raft overturned, trapping them underwater. Eleven-year-old Michael Jaramillo drowned during the incident.
The lawsuit alleges that a maintenance checklist for the water ride was not completed on the morning of the incident, in addition to several other safety issues.
The Raging River ride was inspected the day before the accident and deemed in compliance by the Iowa Division of Labor, the lawsuit detailed. An inspection conducted days after the incident by the agency on July 6 found that the park was in violation of 17 safety standards for the ride, including improper repairs.
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified monetary damages from the company that owned the park, Adventure Lands of America, its then-CEO Michael Krantz, and three park employees.
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A lawyer representing the defendants, Guy Cook, said that they would be addressing specific complaints from the lawsuit in additional court filings.
“Sadly, the tragic accident was the result of a number of extraordinarily unusual factors coming together,” Cook said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “For nearly 40 years, each Adventureland park ride has undergone a detailed annual safety inspection by the State of Iowa and rigorous daily inspections by park maintenance and ride operators. This includes the Raging River ride. Safety is, and always has been, the No. 1 priority at Adventureland.”
