Six-year-old girl dies on Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns

The Sandusky Register should open up a satellite office in Colorado.

Based on the news reports I have seen, I thought they already had!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

When I was in Utah there was scarcely an attraction that didn’t require a waiver, particularly if it was a high-thrill ski area attraction. Even the lifts made you sign.
I was a while into my day when I realized one waiver would do it and they’d give you a wrist band that seemed like it was honored everywhere.
Which gave me a sneaky feeling it was really more of an exercise and not something that would actually promote safety or prevent liability.

From my experience in helping put together liability waivers for a handful of activities, they aren't worth the paper they're printed on. With my first experience, a vendor provided a boiler plate one paragraph waiver statement and our lawyers bulked it up to 10+ paragraphs and said something like "use this, but it won't save you from any liability if something goes wrong."

To clarify Glenwood's use of wavers: every guest is required to sign a waiver before they are allowed into the gondola that takes you to the park.

I'm not in any position to comment on its legal standing or lack thereof, but it's not something the park requires signed for individual rides-it's signed to gain access to the entire park.

*Disclaimer* I'm merely speculating here based on images.

FWIW, the Drop Tower at CJ Barrymore's in Michigan uses only seat belts: https://cjbarrymores.com/attractions/outdoor/drop-tower/

I've ridden it and it's extremely fun. In fact, it took a ride or two of "hmm... something feels off about this..." before it dawned on me that it was the lack of OTSRs.

I don't know the manufacturer, but based on a Google Image search, the Haunted Mine Drop appears to be the same. Judged on the shape of seats, style of belts, etc. https://www.google.com/search?q=haunted+mine+drop&newwindow=1&sxsrf...ajUNPVhjdM

I also don't remember the specifics of the seatbelts, I would hope that they are the kind that require an operator key to open. (Or a pair of glasses, but a 6 yr old wouldn't know that.) However, in those google images they appear to be the style that can be loosened simply by pulling the "male" side mechanism, like just about every other ride belt.

...not that it should matter for a properly seated rider. The forces on a drop ride are strictly vertical, and an unsecured rider of any size should not be able to rise high enough during the drop to clear the 'horn' on the front of the seat. The safety belt(s) are insurance; in theory that ride should be reasonably safe without them. Not that I would want to ride it that way; there are too many things that could go wrong. But I wouldn't be too quick to blame the restraints on the ride for whatever it was that happened.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

If that was in response to me, I'm not blaming the restraint itself, just the fact that we all know how easy it is to get out of a seatbelt.

(Except Gonch maybe, winkeyface)

The drop rides at CJ Barrymore's and Glenwood were built by Altitude Attractions (previously Soaring Eagle), which was set up by Stan Checketts (of S&S fame).

https://www.altitudeattractions.com/

As regards the legal waiver, I read this this morning:

https://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/2021/09/08/glenwood-caverns-de...liability/

That website is atrocious.

From pictures online, it almost looks as if the ride has a double seatbelt? The picture linked by Tommytheduck looks like there is a black and grey belt on each seat.

Yes. There is the super safe one that locks into place and there’s a redundant one which is a more traditional adjustable strap.

From the waiver:

THE UNDERSIGNED recognize that seat belts are required on the ZIP LINE/RIDER, HAUNTED MINE DROP, GLENWOOD CANYON FLYER SWING, ALPINE COASTER, and/or GIANT SWING and PARTICIPANT agrees to wear a seat belt at all times while participating in the ACTIVITY. THE UNDERSIGNED understand and agree that a seat belt IS IN NO WAY A GUARANTEE OF SAFETY and that no seat belt can protect the wearer against all foreseeable impacts to the head or body, and that the ACTIVITIES and other related activities can expose the user to forces that exceed the limits of protection provided by a seat belt.

That is one of the most asinine things I've read in a long time. If the restraint isn't guaranteed to keep the rider in place then it should not exist in that form. I can understand if they get riders to agree that they can hurt themselves if they don't follow directions, but it says plain as day here that the forces of the rides might exceed the abilities of the seat belts provided.

I finally watched a POV of the ride, and it's all very morbid now considering the circumstances. (Spoiler alert?) The storyline is about a guy who got pushed down the shaft and fell to his death, and when you get to the bottom there's the skeleton that's left of him. He congratulates you on surviving.

If the girl fell out when the car dropped, everyone else in the car would be listening to this story (well, doubtful they would be listening to anything at this point) knowing that she was at the bottom of the shaft, and future riders will know that a little kid really did accidently die at the bottom of the shaft.

And yea; that waiver is literally telling whoever signs it that their seat belts don't really work 100% of the time...so good luck, and it's not our fault.

A closer look at the restraints.

That's what they used on the Absolutely Insane rides, which as I recall had sensors to make sure the pin was in far enough to be secured.

I dislike over-speculating about a situation such as this before even one fact is actually known, but if that pin-locking belt was in place it seems difficult to imagine it not doing its job when all we are talking about is a single drop; especially with the less-secure back-up also in place. I know tiny bodies are capable of squirming their way out of places, however, but still.

I hate this topic.

I assume you appreciate the irony that you state that you dislike speculation and then speculate in the same sentence.

That's why I called myself out on my own post. So yes, I appreciate it.

6-year-old girl who died in fall from ride was sitting on seat belts, report says

The report found that operator errors caused by inadequate training contributed to Wongel Estifanos's death at Glenwood Caverns.

https://www.9news.com/mobile/article/news/local/glenwood-caverns-fa...e5d867ac0a