Colorado jury awards family $205 million after 6-year-old falls to death from theme park ride

A Garfield County jury on Friday awarded $205 million to the family of Wongel Estifanos, a 6-year-old girl who fell more than 100 feet from Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park's Haunted Mine Drop during Labor Day weekend in 2021. The verdict, issued in Garfield County District Court, is among the largest wrongful-death awards in Colorado history and comes after a civil trial in which the family argued that operator negligence and ignored safety complaints led to the tragedy.

Estifanos, who lived in Colorado Springs, was visiting the park with her family when the incident occurred on the Haunted Mine Drop, a first-of-its-kind ride that drops riders into a dark underground shaft. Investigative paperwork reviewed by defense and plaintiff teams showed that Estifanos was not buckled properly before the ride began, and that she was seated on top of restraints left by a previous rider. An alarm sounded, but an operator overrode the system and started the ride, according to court documents. The ride drops riders roughly 110 feet into a dim shaft, and the experience is described as a rapid descent with the chamber lights out before the ride returns to the loading platform. The ride was permanently closed after the incident.

Following the 2021 tragedy, the family filed a 2022 lawsuit alleging not only operator negligence but also that Glenwood Caverns ignored repeated customer complaints about unsafe practices on the ride. Investigators concluded multiple staff errors contributed to Estifanos’ death, including failing to prepare the seat belts before boarding. The civil action named Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park and Soaring Eagle Inc., the manufacturer, as defendants. The park has argued ongoing safety practices and operations should be considered in assessing responsibility, while the manufacturer has emphasized safety certifications attached to the ride.

Glenwood Caverns marketing director Kimberly Marcum issued a statement saying co-defendant Soaring Eagle Inc. manufactured the Haunted Mine Drop with a defective restraint system that caused the tragedy, and that the manufacturer had certified the attraction as safe despite the alleged defect. Marcum added that the park was mourning Estifanos’ loss and was exploring all options to continue serving guests while giving back to the community. Fox News Digital reached out to Soaring Eagle Inc. for comment, but did not receive a response.

Prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges against Glenwood Caverns, citing the challenges of proving manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt. The civil trial, however, gave Estifanos’ family its day in court and produced a substantial verdict that attorney for the plaintiffs described as a step toward accountability and a warning to operators and manufacturers about safety lapses. Caplis, the family’s counsel, noted that the park had denied fault for years, while emphasizing that the trial sought to uncover what really happened and to prevent similar accidents in the future.

The verdict draws attention to safety practices at theme parks and the responsibilities of operators and ride manufacturers when failures occur. The Haunted Mine Drop, a ride once marketed as innovative for its underground plunge, has since remained a focal point in debates over ride design, maintenance, and the oversight of amusement attractions. The park’s management said it remains committed to guest safety and to serving the community as it navigates the aftermath of the incident and the legal proceedings.