11-year-old’s father explains what he saw after deadly Adventureland ride incident

ALTOONA, Iowa (KCRG) - Police in Altoona say an 11-year-old died after a raft on the Raging River at Adventureland flipped over.

Michael Jaramillo died from his injuries.

It happened at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Officials said four people were initially hospitalized with injuries, with three in critical condition.

Michael died on Sunday.

His brother David, who turns 16 tomorrow, is reportedly in a medically induced coma.

Their father spoke to ABC News about what happened that day.

“When it flipped over, all of us were trapped in the seats and seat belts,” David Jaramillo said. “I see the silhouette of my son’s trying to grab each other, grab us, they want us to help them. We couldn’t do it.”

This is the second death at this ride in just the last 5 years.

In 2016, a worker helping riders in and out of their rafts died after falling onto the conveyor belt that moves the rafts.

The Raging River ride is closed while authorities investigate the boy’s death.

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for the family.

Copyright 2021 KCRG. All rights reserved.