Seat-belt non-use
faulted in death
The Associated Press
DENVER, Colo. -- A 6-year-old Colorado girl who died in a fall from a theme park ride this month wasn't wearing the seat belts, and operators of the vertical drop ride didn't properly check the restraints before allowing it to begin, according to a report from state investigators.
Wongel Estifanos fell 100 feet to her death from the Haunted Mine Drop ride at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park on Sept. 5, according to the report released Friday from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
Investigators found the child was sitting on the two seat belts instead of wearing them across her lap, and two newly hired operators never noticed, despite doing checks. Investigators also found that an alarm system warned of a problem, but one of the workers reset the system and started the ride because they weren't trained well enough to know what to do about it.
According to the report, the ride includes two seat belts -- one that uses a buckle similar to those in vehicles, and another that uses a rod buckling system. Operation manuals for the rides say workers are expected to fasten both lap belts, but the manuals do not include instructions on what to do if an error occurs. The investigators said the workers were not trained on the operating manual, the alarm system or how to respond to a problem.
Dan Caplis, an attorney representing the Estifanos family, said the investigative report shows "this could have been so easily prevented." He said the family plans on suing the park and are determined to make sure this never happens again.
Park founder Steve Beckley said "safety is, and always has been, our top priority."
The investigation now goes to prosecutors for review and consideration of possible criminal charges.
Inspectors ordered the park to be closed after the girl's death while outside trainers were brought in to train staff on how to safely operate the rides. The park has since reopened, but the Haunted Mine Drop ride remains closed.
Bus line to pay
for rider searches
The Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Greyhound Lines Inc. will pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit over the bus line's practice of allowing U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents to board its buses in Washington state to conduct immigration sweeps without warrants, the state attorney general said Monday.
The bus company failed to warn customers of the sweeps, misrepresented its role in allowing the sweeps to occur and subjected its passengers to discrimination based on skin color or national origin, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.
The money will provide restitution to those passengers who were detained, arrested, or deported after immigration agents boarded buses at the Spokane Intermodal Center. The amount of restitution each individual receives will depend on the number of claims and the severity of harms suffered due to Greyhound's conduct, Ferguson said.
"Greyhound has an obligation to its customers -- an obligation it cannot set aside so immigration agents can go on fishing expeditions aboard its buses," Ferguson said in a press release.
Greyhound, based in Dallas, issued a brief statement saying it was pleased with the settlement.
"By agreeing to the consent decree, we will more extensively communicate to our customers the policies and procedures we already have in place to serve the citizens of Washington state," the bus company said.
The lawsuit was filed in April 2020, alleging that Greyhound allowed the sweeps aboard its buses since at least 2013. Greyhound publicly acknowledged the practice in 2018.
For years, Greyhound contended it was legally required to allow Border Patrol agents to board its buses. But in February 2020, a memo from then-U.S. Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost, confirmed Ferguson's contention that border agents can only perform no-warrant immigration sweeps on board buses with the consent of the company's owner or employees.