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Iowa amusement park ride where boy died won’t open this year
Marion boy died after Raging River raft flipped over
DES MOINES — A ride at an Iowa amusement park where an 11-year-old boy died last summer will not reopen this year, the park’s new owners said.
Bill Lentz, general manager of Adventureland in Altoona, said officials have not determined if the Raging River ride will ever reopen, the Des Moines Register reported.
Michael Jaramillo died and his brother and father were injured on July 3, 2021, after their raft overturned and trapped them in the water.
Park owner Palace Entertainment has hired the ride’s original maker, Intamin Amusement Rides, to determine what would be needed to make the ride safe, Lentz said. That project could take several months, he said.
Palace Entertainment, the U.S. subsidiary of Madrid-based Parques Reunidos, bought the almost 48-year-old theme park in December.
Ryan Best, the attorney representing the Jaramillo family, of Marion, said recently his clients believe the ride should never be reopened.
The Iowa Division of Labor, which licenses amusement park rides, required Adventureland to make several changes and receive approval from the ride’s manufacturer or a certified engineer to reopen the ride.
Visitors arrive July 6, 2021, at Adventureland amusement park in Altoona. A boy from Marion died just days earlier when a raft flipped over on the Raging River ride. The park this week said the ride will not be open this season. (Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)
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