‘STRICKEN WITH TERROR’

Lawsuit Details Horrific Moment Girl Was Killed on Theme Park Ride

The Colorado park knew of previous issues with seatbelts on its rides, Wongel Estifano’s family allege in their suit.

The parents of a 6-year-old girl who was killed on a vertical drop ride at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park has filed a wrongful death suit against the Colorado park. Wongel Estifanos fell to her death on the Haunted Mine Drop on Sept. 5 after operators failed to ensure she was properly buckled to her seat, the suit alleges. A computer flagged the issue, but an employee with less than three months’ experience manually reset it and dispatched the ride. Court filings detail at least two prior instances in 2018 and 2019 where “angry” and “terrified” customers emailed to warn the park of Haunted Mine Drop operators neglecting to properly secure riders.

The suit also details the paralyzing moment that Estifanos’ uncle realized his niece was not sitting next to him. After the ride’s first drop, “stricken with terror,” he spotted her body at the bottom of the shaft. “As Wongel’s uncle and other relatives on the ride screamed in horror and tried to get out of the ride to run to Wongel, the ride would not release them,” the lawsuit said, “and pulled them 110 feet back up to the top of the mine shaft.” A GoFundMe for the family has raised nearly $80,000.