BREAKING NEWS: Girl, 6, is killed in accident on Haunted Mine Drop ride at Colorado amusement park which plunges 110 feet into a mountain
An investigation is underway after a 6-year-old girl on vacation with her family died at an amusement park in the western Colorado town of Glenwood Springs after suffering fatal injuries on a ride that sends people dropping 110 feet into a mountain.
Few details have been released, but Suzanne Emery with the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park says 'an incident' occurred Sunday evening on the Haunted Mine Drop ride that caused the death.
The girl was visiting the park with her family from Colorado Springs, according to the coroner's office.
The Post Independent reports the park will be closed Monday and Tuesday.
'Out of respect and concern for all parties involved, we will not have further comment until all details have been confirmed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved,' Emery said in a news release.
A 6-year-old girl died while riding the Haunted Mine Drop at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs, Colorado (seen in the above stock photo)
The amusement park posted a message to visitors of its web site on Monday which read: 'On the evening of September 5th a fatality occurred at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. An investigation is ongoing. We are deeply saddened and ask that you please keep the family of the deceased in your thoughts and prayers'
Garfield County Coroner Robert Glassmire said park employees initiated first aid until paramedics arrived and determined the girl had died. The girl's name has not been released.
The Haunted Mine Drop, which opened in July 2017, is billed as the first drop ride to go underground, plunging riders 110 feet inside of Iron Mountain.
In 2018, the ride was named by USA TODAY as the best new amusement attraction of 2017.
It is billed as the world's first drop to go underground. Riders strap into seats and are then sent down 110 feet into a mine.
The ride can reach acceleration of up to 4Gs, according to the Post Independent.
In 2018, the ride (seen in the above stock image) was named by USA TODAY as the best new amusement attraction of 2017
It is billed as the world's first drop to go underground. Riders strap into seats and are then sent down 110 feet into a mine. The above image is a stock photo
Park visitors are required to sign a release of liability waiver before going on any rides or attractions. The above image is a stock photo
Park visitors are required to sign a release of liability waiver before going on any rides or attractions.
‘THE UNDERSIGNED agree and understand that there are risks associated with strenuous physical exertion and with participating in the ACTIVITY and that falls, INJURIES AND/OR DEATH may result from engaging in the ACTIVITY or any of them,’ the waiver reads.
‘THE UNDERSIGNED agree and understand that risks include, but are not limited to: use of equipment and ropes, equipment failure, improper use of equipment, slipping, falling, varied surfaces on the climbing wall, natural and manmade hazards, surface and environmental conditions, changing weather conditions, uneven and/or slippery ground or track conditions; varying slopes and surface conditions; variations in terrain; bumps, collisions with natural and manmade objects, the condition of the PARTICIPANT, dehydration, and high elevation.’
The sheriff's and coroner's offices are investigating the death.
The amusement park posted a message to visitors of its web site on Monday which read: 'On the evening of September 5th a fatality occurred at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. An investigation is ongoing.
'We are deeply saddened and ask that you please keep the family of the deceased in your thoughts and prayers.
'Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park will be closed Monday, September 6 and Tuesday, September 7.'
The park, which opened in 1999, is located in Glenwood Springs, about 160 miles west of Denver.
It bills itself as 'America's only mountain-top theme park.'
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