Colorado jury awards $205 million to family in death linked to Haunted Mine Drop

A Colorado jury on Friday awarded $205 million to the family of Wongel Estifanos, a six-year-old girl who died in 2021 after plunging from Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park’s Haunted Mine Drop ride. The verdict found the park liable in the wrongful death, saying staff failures and inadequate safety measures contributed to the fatal incident.

Evidence presented at trial showed Estifanos was not properly secured in her seat. She sat on top of a seat belt that had been buckled by a previous rider, and a safety alarm sounded during the ride. A park employee reportedly ignored the warning and reset the alarm before starting the ride again, leading to Estifanos’s fall shortly after the ride began.

State investigators determined that operators had ignored a safety alarm and started the ride despite the warning. Prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges in connection with the incident, and the Estifanos family pursued a wrongful death case that was moved from Denver to Garfield County District Court.

Soaring Eagle, Inc., the engineer and manufacturer of the Haunted Mine Drop, was also found at fault by jurors. The verdict allocated liability to both Glenwood Caverns and Soaring Eagle, with the park bearing a substantial portion of the fault. In the wake of the verdict, Glenwood Caverns has warned that paying the full amount could threaten operations and the hundreds of local jobs tied to the park. Soaring Eagle had certified that the ride met applicable standards, a claim the jury did not accept.

Following the tragedy, Glenwood Caverns redesigned the ride and relaunched it as Crystal Tower, a separate attraction with a new theme described by the park as a crystal-filled cave experience. The redesign included structural changes intended to improve restraints and safety monitoring, and the park has marketed Crystal Tower as a distinct ride rather than a refurbishing of the Haunted Mine Drop. Crystal Tower opened after the incident, and the park continues to emphasize safety reforms in its operations.

The verdict in this case underscores ongoing scrutiny of amusement-ride safety, particularly regarding restraint systems, rider screening, and technician compliance with alarms and warnings. Legal experts say the size of the award reflects the severity of the loss and the jury’s determination that preventable neglect contributed to Estifanos’s death. For the local community, the case raises questions about the balance between attracting visitors and maintaining high safety standards, especially in regional theme parks that are major employers in their areas.

The Estifanos family’s attorney said the verdict affirms that accountability is essential in ensuring safer experiences for guests. Park officials have indicated they will evaluate the ruling and its financial implications as they consider the park’s future operations in light of the verdict.