Parents of Girl, 6, Who Died on Park Ride Demand Justice After DA Declines to File Charges

The parents of Wongel Estifanos — a 6-year-old girl who died last September after suffering a fall on a Colorado amusement park ride — are demanding justice after the district attorney declined to press charges.

In a letter dated January 25, 9th Judicial District Attorney Jefferson Cheney declined to file charges after Wongel’s family filed a wrongful death suit in October 2021 against Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park alleging the fatal accident “was the result of multiple operator errors.”

Days after Wongel’s death, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Oil and Public Safety released a report alleging the girl was not buckled into the attraction by the park’s ride operators.

However, Cheney wrote that “the office of the district attorney cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt any one person or entity acted with criminal negligence or was criminally reckless beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“My conclusion is strictly based upon the standard of evidentiary proof applicable in a criminal prosecution,” he added.

In a statement obtained by People on Wednesday, Wongel’s family declared that the “criminal system failed our daughter.”

“Once again our daughter’s life has been treated as cheap and meaningless. First by the amusement park and now by the DA,” they wrote.

“We never wanted the people who killed our daughter to go to jail. But for the DA to let them off with nothing says our daughter’s life was worth nothing. Justice should be equal. Our little girl should matter as much as a big corporation,” they continued. “What a terrible message to send.”

While revealing plans to take the matter to civil court, Wongel’s parents added, “We want the full truth. We want justice for our daughter. We want to protect others. The criminal system failed our daughter.”

In their statement, the family also claimed that no drug tests were performed on the ride operators. However, in response, the district attorney’s office told People that they don’t have information about employee drug tests.

Later that day, Steve Beckley, founder of Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, issued a statement, saying that they “continue to offer our condolences to the Estifanos family.”

“I am so sorry for their loss and while I understand that my words cannot touch their grief, my heart continues to ache for them,” Beckley said. “As I have said before, safety is and always has been our top priority. We have always put people — our guests and our team members — above all else.”

“One accident is one too many, and we are taking steps to be sure that nothing like that can ever happen again,” Beckley continued. “In regard to the Sheriff’s Department’s report and District Attorney’s findings, we appreciate their hard work as well as the work of the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety Amusement Rides and Devices Division.”

As reported by CBS Denver, Wongel fell while riding the Haunted Mine Drop ride during a family vacation over Labor Day weekend.

The outlet says that a dispatcher requested EMS at the park “for a party that fell out of the shaft ride” over police radio messages. The dispatcher added, “The party is at the bottom of the shaft.”

The Garfield County Coroner’s Office said park employees initiated first aid until paramedics with the Glenwood Springs Fire Department arrived. Sadly, Wongel was confirmed dead.

Following her death, relatives created a GoFundMe for Wongel’s funeral and other expenses, and remembered her as “a beautiful, caring, and cheerful girl who loves Jesus so much for a 6 year old girl.”