TROUBLED WATERS

11-Year-Old Boy Dead After Accident on Iowa Theme Park’s Raging River Ride

Back in 2016, a park worker fell off the same ride and died four days later.

An 11-year old boy has died after an accident on the Raging River ride at Adventureland theme park in Iowa on Saturday. Michael Jaramillo, the boy who died, and five others were on a raft when it capsized, according to local authorities. After the incident, four people were hospitalized and three were in critical condition. WHO-TV reported that the ride was inspected on Friday and was apparently working fine, according to Adventureland officials. “It will remain closed for a thorough inspection,” Adventureland said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the affected families at this time.”

The Raging River sends riders through rapids on circular rafts. The ride was the site of another fatal incident back in 2016, when Steve Booher died just six days after starting his summer job at the park. Booher fell on the ride’s conveyor belt as he was helping riders exit one of the rafts. He fractured his skull, suffering a major brain injury, and died four days later. The theme park was fined a maximum of $4,500 by Iowa’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration over the incident.