11-year-old dead, 3 injured in ‘Raging River’ ride accident at Adventureland in Iowa

One of the four people injured at an Iowa amusement park Saturday when a ride malfunctioned has died, the park said late Sunday.

“At this time, we ask for your thoughts and prayers for the guest and their family, as well as for our team members who were onsite,” the park said.

At around 7:30 p.m., a boat on the Raging River ride “overturned,” according to Adventureland Park officials. There were six riders aboard, and four were hospitalized, with three in critical condition.

11-year-old Michael Jaramillo died from his injuries on Sunday, the Altoona Police Department announced Monday afternoon. Another juvenile remained in critical condition, according to the department.

Raging River is categorized as a “family” ride, according to the Altoona amusement park’s website, which includes a picture of the attraction, depicting six occupants sitting down facing each other in a circular, rubber boat.

“You will get wet, possibly soaked on this river rapids ride,” the website says. “A great way to cool off with the whole family!”

The ride was introduced in 1983, and had recently opened for the season, the Associated Press reported.

An employee was killed by the ride in 2016, the outlet reported. They fell onto a conveyor belt while helping people out of the boats, and died from their injuries four days later.

According to park officials, Raging River was inspected the day before the accident and “was found to be in sound working order.”

Still, the ride has been closed and will undergo “a thorough inspection,” the park said.

This story was originally published July 4, 2021 at 3:13 PM with the headline "11-year-old dead, 3 injured in ‘Raging River’ ride accident at Adventureland in Iowa."