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David and Sabrina Jaramillo took their family to an amusement park on Saturday to celebrate their oldest son’s birthday, hoping to “have a good time.” But a tragic accident while out on the water left one of their children dead and another in a medically induced coma.
“I’m never going to get the chance to watch him grow up or watch him graduate,” Sabrina Jaramillo told ABC News in an exclusive interview that aired Tuesday on “Good Morning America.”
“He has just been taken from us,” added David Jaramillo. “Love your children. You just don’t know when they will be taken.”
The Jaramillos had done several other rides before queuing for the Raging River at Adventureland Park, a family-friendly amusement park in Altoona, a suburb of Iowa’s capital, Des Moines. The parents boarded a raft with their 15-year-old son David, their 11-year-old son Michael, their youngest son Gus, and their niece, Mila. As they buckled on their seat belts and boarded the river rapids, their tube suddenly overturned, leaving them all trapped underwater.
“I see the silhouettes of my sons trying to grab hold of us, to grab us,” recalls the father. “They want us to help them. We couldn’t do it.”
Both parents, one of their sons and their niece eventually managed to break free and swim to the surface. But David and Michael were still stuck and no one could reach them.
“I’m drowning,” said the father. “The river was so intense, it was like a draw.”
The family cried out for help. Witnesses and first responders jumped into the water and eventually helped pull the other children out of the tube.
David and Michael were both taken to a local hospital in critical condition, while the others were treated for minor injuries. Michael died of his injuries on Sunday, while David remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Altoona Police Department.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jaramillo family as they go through the heartbreaking loss of their child,” police said in a statement Monday. “Altoona Detective is working with the State Inspector and Adventureland Park to understand this tragic accident.”
The Jaramillos described Michael as a “good kid”.
“His heart was bigger than him,” the father told ABC News.
“It was a baby and I feel like Adventureland stole my baby from me,” the mother added, bursting into tears.
Adventureland Park said in a statement Sunday that it was “saddened to learn of the passing of a guest.” An investigation into the fatal incident is underway and the ride remains closed for a “thorough inspection,” the park said. The Raging River ride was last inspected on Friday and “was found to be in good working order,” according to the park.
“Adventureland works closely with the state and local authorities, and would like to thank them again for their efforts,” the park added. “At this time, we ask for your thoughts and prayers for the guest and their family, as well as for our team members who were on site.”
An Adventureland Park lawyer insisted the Raging River ride was “safe”.
“The Raging River ride has been in service for almost four decades,” the lawyer told ABC News on Monday in a statement. “The ride was inspected by the State of Iowa the day before the incident and was in good working order.”
But this is not the first fatal accident to occur on this route. Seasonal employee Steve Booher, 68, was killed in June 2106 after falling on the conveyor belt while helping guests get on and off their rafts. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Adventureland Park $ 4,500 for a safety violation, saying the park should install devices to ensure driver assistants are safely positioned before operators let the rafts move forward, according to the Associated Press.
The Jaramillos have been hospitalized alongside David, waiting for their eldest son to wake up from a induced coma as he fights for his life. He will be 16 on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, their youngest son, Gus, struggles to cope with what has happened.
“He’s scared. It’s a nightmare,” the father told ABC News. “He closes his eyes and thinks of the water. When he wakes up he realizes the nightmare is true. So there is no peace.”
ABC News’ Alexandra Faul, Kandis Mascall, Darren Reynolds and Karolina Rivas contributed to this report.
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