Iowa amusement park where 11-year-old boy died will never reopen

ALTUNA, Iowa (AP) – The ride at the Iowa amusement park where an 11-year-old boy was killed in 2021 will never open again, according to park owners.

Bill Lenz, general manager of Adventureland, said in a letter posted to the park’s website Friday that after spending several months reviewing the safety of the Raging River ride, officials have decided to shut it down for good.

“The decision was made after several months of studying the attraction in close collaboration with its manufacturer to determine what improvements each would need to meet our performance standards,” Lentz said in a statement. “Based on this review, the best way forward is to close Raging River and focus on improving the Adventureland experience elsewhere.”

Michael Jaramillo died and his brother and father were injured on 3 July 2021 after their raft capsized and they were trapped in the water. The ride uses a conveyor belt to move large round rafts over the rapids.

The park was sold to Palace Entertainment after the boy’s death, with Lentz taking over as CEO in 2022. Palace Entertainment is a subsidiary of the Madrid-based Parques Reunidos in the United States.

The Jaramillo family filed a lawsuit against Adventureland and its former owners in June 2022, and a separate lawsuit against the State of Iowa in September 2022. The lawsuit will be preliminarily considered next spring. The former owners claim that the ride was safe.

CONNECTED: Iowa attraction under investigation after second death in 5 years

State officials cited the park in November 2021 for 17 security breaches related to Jaramillo’s death. The Des Moines Register says the violations included the use of Flex Seal in place of approved patches to fix leaks in the rafts’ floating chambers that keep the attraction afloat, and failure to properly document or test the repair.

In 2016, 68-year-old seasonal worker Steve Bucher was killed after he fell when the ride suddenly began to move. He was stuck between the boat and the concrete side, he was repeatedly rammed head first. He died a few days later.