A Colorado jury has awarded $205 million to the family of 6-year-old Wongel Estifanos, who tragically died in 2021 after falling more than 100 feet from the Haunted Mine Drop ride at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.
The verdict, reported by The Denver Post and local affiliates of NBC and CBS, comes four years after Wongel’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging negligence by both the amusement park and the ride’s manufacturer. It is among the largest single-plaintiff wrongful death awards in Colorado’s history.
The Fatal Incident
On Sept. 5, 2021, Wongel boarded the Haunted Mine Drop with family members. According to the lawsuit, employees failed to secure her seatbelt, disregarded a warning light signaling the issue, and manually overrode the system before launching the ride. Wongel fell out of her seat as it plummeted 110 feet.
When the ride stopped, Wongel’s uncle turned to check on her only to realize, to his horror, that she was gone. Emergency responders described the harrowing scene in dispatch recordings, detailing efforts to reach the bottom of the shaft while surrounded by 20 distraught family members.
Jury Verdict and Damages
The jury found Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, Utah-based ride company Soaring Eagle Inc., and two ride operators liable. The award includes $41 million in wrongful death damages split between the park and Soaring Eagle, and $123 million in punitive damages against Glenwood Caverns.
Attorney Dan Caplis, representing the Estifanos family, said inadequate training for ride operators was central to the verdict:
“With these rides, you have mandatory safety rules that a park is required to follow, and there was very significant evidence at trial that the operators were not being required to follow some of these rules.”
Park Response and Fallout
Glenwood Caverns denied liability throughout the case and has since criticized Soaring Eagle for what it called a “defective restraint system” and failure to disclose prior safety incidents.
The park warned that the size of the award could jeopardize its survival and hundreds of local jobs.
“While the jury allocated significant fault on Soaring Eagle, Inc., the size of the verdict award puts the existence of Glenwood Caverns at serious risk,” the park said in a statement.
The Haunted Mine Drop was closed after Wongel’s death but has since reopened under a new name, Crystal Tower, following safety modifications.
Family Reaction
Wongel’s family, who lived in El Paso County, expressed gratitude to the jury and Garfield County community. Their attorney emphasized that the verdict sends a powerful message about accountability and could prevent future tragedies.
“Wongel’s parents are very grateful to the jury for speaking the truth and holding this corporation responsible,” Caplis said.
The case has reignited national discussions about amusement park safety standards and whether state regulators should strengthen oversight of high-risk rides.
