According to the police officials, the 6-year-old girl who died on a ride at an amusement park earlier this month was not strapped into the ride correctly, a report into the incident has revealed. The report concludes that the ride’s operators did not properly prepare the ride before allowing passengers to board. The seat belts had apparently been buckled during a previous ride when the seat was empty and were not unbuckled after that ride returned to the station.
The young girl died after going on the Haunted Mine Drop ride at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park over the Labor Day weekend. Police say the 6-year-old girl, Wongel Estifanos, fell from the ride and suffered fatal injuries on Sept. 5.
The attraction on Colorado carries six passengers at a time and drops down a shaft 110 feet into the ground.
The Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety released a report on the incident which happened around 7:15 p.m., concluding that the victim was not properly secured in her seat.
Operators of the ride apparently did not notice that she was sitting on top of her seatbelts instead of being properly strapped in.
When the ride’s system alerted the operators to the issue, they reportedly took “several incorrect steps” and dispatched the ride after resetting the seatbelt monitors.
The theme park was closed for two days after the incident while state officials inspected the ride and determined that the ride was operating correctly. The Haunted Mine Drop remains closed.
Park staff performed first aid on the little girl, who was visiting the park while on vacation with her family, until paramedics arrived and determined the youngster had died.
The report concludes that the ride’s operators did not properly prepare the ride before allowing passengers to board. The seat belts had apparently been buckled during a previous ride when the seat was empty and were not unbuckled after that ride returned to the station. Her family now plans to file a lawsuit against the adventure park.