Overview

• A Garfield County jury on Friday awarded $205 million to the parents of Wongel Estifanos, who was killed in a 110-foot drop on the Haunted Mine Drop in 2021.
• Jurors placed significant fault on Soaring Eagle Inc., the ride’s manufacturer, alongside Glenwood Caverns’ parent company.
• A state investigation found operators were not trained to recognize a seat-belt error and launched the ride without securing the child, with records indicating a warning alarm was overridden.
• Glenwood Caverns claims the restraint system was defective and alleges the manufacturer failed to disclose two prior ejections involving the same design.
• The park says the verdict threatens its ability to operate and local jobs and says it offered all available insurance funds before trial, as prosecutors earlier declined to file criminal charges.