Spectrum News reports that a boy was killed and two others were injured on a river raft ride at Iowa’s Adventureland amusement park in Altoona, Iowa, over the holiday weekend.
Investigators in Iowa are trying to find the cause of an accident at the popular amusement park on Saturday. July 6, 2021. The circular river raft on the Raging River ride was carrying six people when it flipped over. The boy, along with his mother and father and three other people who were passengers on board the raft, were strapped in, causing them to be trapped under the swift-moving current.
Firefighters and paramedics from the Altoona Fire Department were called to the scene. Firefighters, police officers, and park emergency crew members worked to free those aboard the capsized raft.
The crash victims were rushed to an area hospital for treatment. The 11-year-old boy died on Sunday as the result of injuries he sustained in the accident. Another child of undisclosed age remains in critical condition. According to authorities, two other people who were on board the raft suffered only minor injuries.
Park officials say that the ride uses a conveyor belt to move the large round rafts through the artificially generated rapids. Since the tragic incident, Adventureland Park has been closed, and park owners and management are said to be in full cooperation with investigators.
This is the second tragic incident that happened on the Raging Rapids ride at Adventureland. Another incident in 2016. A seasonal park worker fell onto the conveyor belt and became trapped between a boat and a concrete wall. The Iowa division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined the park $4,500 for safety violations that led to the previous fatal incident.