GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — A jury has awarded over $200 million to the family of a six-year-old girl who tragically fell from an amusement park ride in 2021, determining that the park’s negligence contributed to her death. This verdict marks one of the largest wrongful death settlements awarded to a single plaintiff in Colorado history.
Wongel Estifanos was riding the Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park when the accident occurred. The ride features a vertical drop, where riders are secured in their seats, which plummet more than 100 feet. According to the family’s lawsuit, Wongel was not properly buckled into her seat.
The suit alleged that park employees neglected to fasten Wongel’s seat belt as required, ignored a warning light indicating a malfunction related to her restraint, and ultimately overrode the alert to launch the ride. As the ride commenced, Wongel fell from her seat during the drop.
Following the ride’s descent, her uncle looked over and discovered Wongel was missing from her seat, leading to an urgent emergency response. Dispatch recordings revealed the harrowing situation: “Patient will be a 6-year-old female and she fell approximately 110 feet.” Responders reported that multiple distraught family members were present on the scene.
The Haunted Mine Drop was closed after the incident, but has since reopened under the new name “Crystal Tower” after implementing various safety modifications. In a separate investigation, the 9th Judicial District Attorney later decided against filing criminal charges against the ride’s operators, a decision that the family criticized, asserting that it rendered their daughter’s death “cheap and meaningless.”
During the recent trial, the jury took more than seven hours to deliberate before finding Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park and the ride’s manufacturer, Soaring Eagles Inc., as well as two employees, liable for Wongel’s death. In a statement, the park attributed significant responsibility to Soaring Eagles, asserting that the company failed to conduct necessary engineering and risk assessments that could have prevented the incident.
The park also expressed concern that the magnitude of the jury’s award could jeopardize its operations, stating that it threatens hundreds of jobs in the local community. Glenwood Caverns offered the plaintiffs its maximum insurance payout prior to the trial, but the family reportedly declined to negotiate.
The Estifanos family’s attorney expressed gratitude to the jury, stating that the verdict would help protect future guests at amusement parks. “Wongel’s parents are thankful to the jury for holding corporations accountable and are appreciative of the fair trial they received,” the attorney noted, emphasizing the support from the community throughout this difficult period.
At the time of her tragic passing, Wongel was a student at Stetson Elementary School and resided in El Paso County, Colorado.
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