A Colorado family was awarded $205 million by a jury over the death of a six-year-old at a local theme park.
The verdict was issued on Friday at Garfield County District Court and is one of the largest wrongful death awards for a single plaintiff in the history of the state. The victim was identified as Wongel Estifanos, who was visiting Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park with her family over Labor Day weekend in 2021.
Colorado Family Receives $205 Million for Wrongful Death
However, tragedy then struck on the Haunted Mine Drop, where the young girl fell more than 100 feet to her death. Investigation paperwork showed that Estifanos was not buckled properly into her seat before operators started the ride.
She was instead seated on top of still-buckled restraints that were left by a previous rider. Despite a warning alarm sounding, an operator decided to override the system and start the ride regardless, according to Fox News.
The Haunted Mine Drop is known for being the first drop ride of its kind to drop riders underground, where they fall off roughly 110 feet into a darkened shaft. Previously, riders sat together on a bench-like seat in a dim chamber.
After they are secured with seat belts, the lights on the ride would be turned off, and the attraction simulates a ghostly presence, sending them falling into total darkness. The ride's free-fall ends with glowing lanterns illuminating the mine walls before riders are brought back to the loading platform.
The $205 million that was awarded to the six-year-old's family is split between $82 million in non-economic damages and $123 million in punitive damages. The ruling also makes the ride designer, Soaring Eagle, and Glenwood Caverns Holdings, LLC, liable for the vast majority of the payout, the Denver Gazette reported.
A Tragic Incident
However, roughly 2% of the non-economic damages fall on two ride operators who were involved in the six-year-old's death. Additionally, Glenwood Caverns was fined $68,000 by the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety.
The attorney representing the Estifanos family, Dan Caplis, said that the $205 million payout verdict will "save a lot of lives." He added that the child's parents are very grateful to the jury for "speaking the truth and holding this corporation responsible."
Following the accident, the marketing director for Glenwood Caverns, Kimberly Marcum, issued a public statement. In it, the company called the child's death "tragic," adding that the jury allocated significant fault to the other defendant, Soaring Eagle, Inc., as per CBS News.
