Iowa amusement park's former owner settles lawsuit over 11-year-old's drowning
An Iowa amusement park's former operator has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of an 11-year-old boy who drowned on a water ride in 2021.
A company that previously owned Adventureland park in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona, along with its former CEO and three managers, reached a settlement with the family of Michael Jaramillo on Sunday. Jury selection had been scheduled to start Monday for a trial over the lawsuit brought by the family. The settlement terms are confidential.
Michael Jaramillo, his parents, two brothers and another family member were strapped into a 1,700-pound (770-kilogram) raft on the Raging River ride on July 3, 2021, when it flipped over. All six hit their heads on the surface under the water, but Michael Jaramillo and one of his brothers could not get out of their seatbelts and were trapped, head-down, underwater for about 10 minutes, according to the family.
The lawsuit alleged that for years, Adventureland failed to properly maintain and repair its rides, including the Raging River. It also said the park continued to operate the water ride on the day of the accident despite reports of serious problems.
The park's former owner, Adventure Lands of America, former CEO Michael Krantz, and the three managers, denied that the ride had been operated improperly or insufficiently supervised. But Fred Dorr, an attorney for the family, said Tuesday that their lawyers believe they built a strong case that the park and its employees were responsible.
'Imagine the terror going on in those kids' minds,' Dorr said. 'And then you turn to the jury and say, 'What's that worth, to watch your child die like that?'
An attorney for Adventure Lands of America did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment Tuesday. However, in answering the lawsuit, the defendants said the accident resulted from 'a series of unexpected and intended factors' and that, in the 38 years the ride operated before the accident, no raft had overturned.
Krantz is a member of a Des Moines-area family that began operating Adventureland in the 1970s and sold it and other affiliated assets months after the accident to the subsidiary of an international amusement park company based in Spain.
In March, Herschend, a company based in the Atlanta area, purchased the Spanish company's U.S. properties, including Adventureland. Herschend operates the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee and Silver Dollar City near Branson, Missouri.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
18 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
EPA holds hearing on fate of contaminated Waukegan site
Citing concerns of asbestos-contaminated material surfacing adjacent to the infamous Johns Manville site due to a freeze and thaw cycle, the EPA held a public meeting in Waukegan on Wednesday sharing proposals to best monitor and clean the 1-acre area. A few dozen residents and local officials gathered at Waukegan City Hall for the presentation by David Nadel, remedial project manager with the EPA. A public comment period on the proposed plan will run until June 27. The Johns Manville site, about 350 acres sitting along Lake Michigan, was once home to a manufacturing facility that contaminated the area with asbestos. Johns-Manville ceased operations on the site in 1998, according to the EPA, and its former manufacturing buildings were demolished in 2000 and 2001. Today, it's one of five Superfund sites in Waukegan, areas that the federal government recognizes as especially hazardous and manages cleanup efforts. The area discussed on Wednesday is a relatively small, roughly 1-acre section that is within the Illinois Beach Nature Preserve, known as Operable Unit 6, or OU6. Representatives of the EPA emphasized during the meeting that the areas in question are not readily accessible to residents, and area neighborhoods are not at risk of exposure. Material contaminated with asbestos was discovered and removed from a road in OU6 in 1998, but more fragments were found the following year. The freeze and thaw cycle of the area was causing the contaminated material to come to the surface, Nadel said. This is especially dangerous because weathering can cause the asbestos to become more 'friable,' he said, meaning it can be more easily broken down and spread. Two potential action plans were presented. The first, estimated to cost $554,000, consisted of 'periodic manual removal' of asbestos contamination and disposal at an approved facility. This would also include visual monitoring, maintaining existing access restrictions, land-use control and maintaining existing fencing at the property line. However, that option doesn't 'provide adequate warning to authorized users or trespassers' of the hazards, according to Nadel, and lacks measures to evaluate effectiveness beyond visual monitoring. The second proposed plan, which is estimated to cost $967,000, would expand on the previous plan, including enhanced monitoring, additional access control and new signage, among various other efforts. The EPA considered the second the 'most effective remedy in the long term.' Residents shared comments and concerns during the meeting. One, pointing to the area's sizable Spanish-speaking community, asked if there would be translations of communications offered going forward. An EPA representative responded positively to the recommendation during the meeting. OU6 is subject to controlled burns, and residents discussed what risks those could pose for the area. While Nadel said they had found asbestos air contamination increased during burns, it remained under what is considered the safe limit. Some were concerned about the future of the site, noting the decades of work already done and questioning when the site will be safe. Lake County Board member Mary Ross-Cunningham, whose district includes the site and who attended the meeting, said she hoped it would one day be determined to be clean sooner rather than later. 'That'll be a big hit for Waukegan residents,' Ross-Cunningham said. She voiced her support for the cleanup proposal and praised the EPA for its continuing work to monitor and clean the site.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Miller wraps acquisition of reinsurance broker AHJ Holdings
Specialist reinsurance broker Miller has completed the acquisition of AHJ Holdings, the parent company of Alwen Hough Johnson and AHJ Europe. The deal, first disclosed in February, has received all regulatory approvals. AHJ, founded in 1973, is a specialist reinsurance broker with expertise in property, casualty, marine, energy and several niche insurance markets. The acquisition is expected to enhance Miller's treaty reinsurance capabilities and extend its market reach into the Nordic, Caribbean and North American regions. Miller Group CEO James Hands said: 'The acquisition of AHJ significantly accelerates our reinsurance strategy. The dedicated expertise which AHJ brings strongly complements our leading specialty offering and will allow us to bring our combined capabilities to a greater number of clients. It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Gary and the AHJ team to Miller.' The reinsurance teams of Miller and AHJ will combine to operate as AHJ Miller. This joint venture will be co-led by Gary Masters and Shaun Sinniah. AHJ Miller will offer reinsurance services across industries including accident and health, cargo, construction, delegated authorities, healthcare, marine, professional and financial risks, property and casualty, renewable energy, and sports and entertainment. Masters stated: 'We are delighted to become part of the most exciting growth story in the specialty broking space. Miller's culture and reputation as a uniquely client centric business mean we could not have found a better home. 'As part of AHJ Miller we will be able to bring additional services to our clients, such as Miller's highly regarded facultative and capital advisory capabilities, while benefitting [from] a platform that will enable us to further grow across our existing products and geographies.' The acquisition aligns with Miller Group's strategy to grow its reinsurance business. In 2024, the company expanded its operations through the acquisition of 4809 Brokers and Bruzon, a Spanish reinsurance broker. "Miller wraps acquisition of reinsurance broker AHJ Holdings " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Four dead in crash after Spanish police chase ram raiders
Four people were killed when a gang of suspected ram raiders crashed into oncoming traffic during a high-speed police chase on Spain's Costa del Sol on Thursday. In an attempt to evade police cars, a van carrying the three alleged thieves swerved onto the wrong side of a motorway near Torremolinos and collided with a vehicle driven by an off-duty police officer. The three suspects are believed to have died instantly. Their bodies were removed from the wreckage by firefighters. The fourth victim, a police officer, was 'extracted from his vehicle by local police officers but later died', Malaga emergency services said. Identified only as Antonio, the 48-year-old officer was a member of the so-called Gotham Group, a branch of the Spanish police that works secretly at night to combat crime in the tourist hotspot. He had been driving towards his home in Benalmádena after finishing his shift. Police had been on the lookout for a gang believed to be behind a series of night-time ram raids on pharmacies in the Malaga area. Just before 5am, an alarm alerted officers to a break-in at a pharmacy in the Puerto de la Torre area of the city. The intruders deactivated the security shutters before forcing open the front door, but did not manage to open the safe before police raced to the scene. They escaped along the A7 coastal motorway towards Marbella, with patrol cars in pursuit. After speeding along the wrong side of the road to throw off the pursuit, they crashed into the off-duty officer's car when they took an exit near Torremolinos's Palacio de Congresos conference centre. The officer's car caught fire on impact. The National Police Force and the SUP, a Spanish police officers' union, sent their condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Antonio. The interior ministry said the government was 'deeply saddened by Antonio's death'. Malaga's pharmacy association called for improved security to halt a 'crime wave' affecting chemists in the province. Four or five similar break-ins have been reported in the region over the past month. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
