Tragedy on Raging Rivers ride, Adventureland

[smpliving]

https://www.kcrg.com/2021/07/12/jara...land-accident/

David is now awake after being in a coma. Last week, Shields said David was alert and able to make gestures with his head. But now he says there’s a bigger concern. “He can’t see right now,” Shields said. “I don’t know why his eyes are damaged. I don’t know if it’s because of the water or lack of oxygen or both, there is an eye doctor working on him. We’re praying for his brain to be fully healed and that there wouldn’t be long-term brain damage, which would be a miracle from God.”

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by fezzador

I don’t think the park owner’s political affiliations have anything to do with this situation.

From what I gather, the first people to render assistance to the Jaramillo family were fellow park guests. Not park employees, not trained emergency responders. The park employees were standing by as if they were totally unprepared for such an emergency (and in all honestly, they probably were).

This is just the beginning of one huge legal fiasco, and it doesn’t bode well for the Krantz family. We’re likely talking an eight figure settlement that could jeopardize the park’s existence.

Who brought up anything political? It's a tragedy this happened and likely a freak accident. That being said, I am surprised this ride has been there this long. It is pretty dated now.

[fezzador]

Originally Posted by NDak15

Who brought up anything political? It's a tragedy this happened and likely a freak accident. That being said, I am surprised this ride has been there this long. It is pretty dated now.

There was a post about the family that owns Adventureland being significant donors to the GOP, but it looks like it's now either deleted or edited. It was a moot point and had no bearing on the situation.



Regardless, it's a massive failure for the park. It's a 40 year old ride now - parts eventually break down, and safety standards change. Witnesses said that employees were standing around instead of taking action, whether it involves rendering aid themselves, or at least paging the appropriate personnel who have the expertise to do so. It was other park customers who were helping the family first, so to me that signifies that the workers lacked the training to handle emergencies (and even then, common sense would suggest that if they lacked the training, that they find someone who IS trained to handled emergencies ASAP).


I would say that this disaster should serve as a wake-up call, but to be honest, how many wake-up calls are needed? Adventureland isn't the first amusement park to experience a ride-related fatality, and it may not be the last, but like malls, theme parks (except for the very largest) are dying a slow death and since Adventureland is not at all comparable to Disney World or even Six Flags, this may signify the beginning of the end for the park. There are rides even older than Raging Rapids that are still in operation (i.e. the Tornado, which IMHO remains the most iconic attraction to this day, mainly due to its combination of longevity and popularity).

[mofford]

It was revealed that the raft was "repaired" just a couple hours before the accident, the air bladder evidently had a leak and was resealed/patched. This sounds like something that was avoidable, UNLESS someone in that 2 hour span punched a hole in the raft, as an act of vandalism, which could be possible. I wonder what type of leak it had, I'm sure they will examine it carefully and determine the cause. I see no reason why they could not update the raft design in some way to keep it safe, a 40 year run is pretty good as it was, but I'm sure they could come up with something that won't leak/can't sink. I'm sure most of the expense of operating this ride, is the water pump that keeps the river "raging" and all the care and upkeep involved in keeping the channel flowing so the rafts move at the desired speed.

I don't think this ride will be permanently closed.

[smpliving]

Originally Posted by mofford

It was revealed that the raft was "repaired" just a couple hours before the accident, the air bladder evidently had a leak and was resealed/patched. This sounds like something that was avoidable, UNLESS someone in that 2 hour span punched a hole in the raft, as an act of vandalism, which could be possible. I wonder what type of leak it had, I'm sure they will examine it carefully and determine the cause. I see no reason why they could not update the raft design in some way to keep it safe, a 40 year run is pretty good as it was, but I'm sure they could come up with something that won't leak/can't sink. I'm sure most of the expense of operating this ride, is the water pump that keeps the river "raging" and all the care and upkeep involved in keeping the channel flowing so the rafts move at the desired speed.

I don't think this ride will be permanently closed.

https://www.kcrg.com/2021/07/16/stat...fore-accident/


“The Des Moines Register reports the crews removed several rafts from the ride because of deflated bladders.
The Jaramillo’s raft was fixed and back in service about an hour and 45-minutes before the accident. Investigators say the raft, “immediately began taking on water as the ride began.”

An attorney for Adventureland said air bladder problems or taking on water does not explain how the 17-hundred pound raft with a metal plate on the bottom capsized.”

[Florida2014]

Originally Posted by mofford

Finding it hard to believe it tipped over without some horseplay by the occupants. Maybe they crowded together on one side of the raft or did something to make it tip over. This is the main water ride at the park now, since they closed the log ride several years back, and would hate to see the Raging River permanently closed. But they do need to find out what happened. Wondering if all the occupants were from the same family, if so, they might be reluctant to confess to any horseplay and try to blame it on the park, to maximize a lawsuit payout. Sad that a kid had to die at such a fun place, wondering if he knew how to swim?

I'm pretty sure all amusement park rides should be safe enough that someone jumping up and down or "horseplay" as you put it, wouldn't kill passengers on the ride. If you read the account from the father, they were all buckled in and that was what actually prevented him from saving his sons.

Tragic, all around, but let's not blame an 11 year old boy and his siblings for his death while seated and buckled into a ride.

[smpliving]

“Saturday will mark three weeks since a deadly accident on an Adventureland ride. David Jaramillo has been in the hospital since the accident on July 3 on the Raging River ride.

On Thursday, David learned his younger brother, 11-year-old Michael, did not survive. Ryan Best, the Jaramillo family’s lawyer, said David has been moved out of the ICU and is now in a recovery unit at Blank Children’s Hospital. “He’s working on sitting up in the bed,” Best said. “I looked at a photograph where he was brushing his teeth, or working on brushing his teeth. They have transferred him to a chair a couple times with help.”

Doctors told the Jaramillo family, David could leave the hospital as soon as next week, but he would have to go to a rehabilitation facility for the foreseeable future. It’s unclear if David will be able to walk without assistance ever again.”

https://www.kcrg.com/2021/07/23/teen...eave-hospital/

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by fezzador

Maybe it's time to simply retire the ride. It's 40 years old at this point (just a few years younger than the park itself) and even with maintenance and upgrades, there is a world of difference between what was deemed safe in the 1980s and what's deemed safe these days. It's unfortunate that there's now multiple fatalities associated with the attraction, and even with clearly-written safety rules there's just no way to enforce them once the ride is underway. Far fewer people are going to be interested in this attraction going forward and it may not be worth re-opening even if all safety devices pass inspection. They're going to have to totally re-design it, or simply use the space for a waterless attraction.


Perhaps it's time to create a new waterpark in the Des Moines area since I don't think Adventureland is the place to go to fill the void left by White Water University.

Have you been to Adventure Bay? (the water park that is part of Adventureland) It's full of slides, pool with swim up bar, lazy river, huge wave pool, etc. It's way more than White Water University ever was.

[Florida2014]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Have you been to Adventure Bay? (the water park that is part of Adventureland) It's full of slides, pool with swim up bar, lazy river, huge wave pool, etc. It's way more than White Water University ever was.

Cascade Falls Water Park in Ankeny was decent too, kept my son entertained for most of the day when we visited.