Ex-owner of Iowa park settles drowning lawsuit

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    The previous operator of an amusement park in Iowa has decided to settle a lawsuit concerning the tragic drowning of an 11-year-old boy on one of its water rides in 2021. The legal case involved the Adventureland park, located in Altoona near Des Moines, its former CEO, and three of its managers. The settlement, finalized this Sunday, followed an agreement reached with the family of the deceased boy, Michael Jaramillo. Initially, the lawsuit trial was set to begin Monday with jury selection, but the terms of this settlement remain confidential.

    Michael Jaramillo was on the Raging River ride with his parents, two brothers, and another family member on July 3, 2021. The raft they were in, weighing 1,700 pounds (770 kilograms), unexpectedly flipped, causing all of them to hit their heads on the water surface. Michael and one of his brothers, unfortunately, couldn’t free themselves from their seatbelts and were trapped underwater for approximately 10 minutes. The lawsuit claimed that Adventureland had neglected proper maintenance and repairs on its rides over the years, including the Raging River, and failed to halt operations that day despite knowing about existing safety issues.

    Nonetheless, the former park owner, Adventure Lands of America, along with ex-CEO Michael Krantz and the three managers, disputed claims of unsafe operations or inadequate supervision of the rides. However, Fred Dorr, the family’s attorney, stated on Tuesday that their legal team successfully demonstrated the park and its staff’s negligence. “Imagine the terror in those kids’ minds,” Dorr expressed. “And then you face the jury and ask what the value is of witnessing your child die like that?”

    An attempt to obtain comments from Adventure Lands of America was not immediately fruitful, as a phone message left for their attorney went unanswered. The defendants, in response to the lawsuit, contended that the incident was the result of a series of unforeseen events, highlighting that no rafts had overturned during the ride’s 38 years of operation until then.

    Michael Krantz is associated with a Des Moines-area family that managed Adventureland starting in the 1970s. They proceeded to sell it, along with other related assets, to an international amusement park company based in Spain months after the accident. Subsequently, in March, Herschend, an Atlanta-area-based company, acquired the Spanish firm’s U.S. properties, including Adventureland. Herschend is known for operating Dollywood in Tennessee and Silver Dollar City near Branson, Missouri.