A 6-year-old boy, identified as Cesar Moreno, fell a frightening 40 feet from a zipline after his harness broke on June 25 at Parque Fundidora’s Amazonian Expedition in Nuevo León, Mexico, reported the New York Post. Miraculously, his family says the boy fell into a pool below the zipline and a kind stranger helped him out of the pool. He sustained only minor injuries, the news outlet reported. Government agencies in Nuevo León have closed numerous attractions at the park as officials investigate the incident.
According to a 2015 study conducted by the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, the rate of zipline injuries was 11.64 per 1 million population, compared to a 0.0127 injuries per 1 million population for amusement park rides in the US, per Robson Forensic.
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The boy miraculously survived the fall, thanks to a pool below, but his family alleges he nearly drowned and the park staff were not equipped to help.
Cesar Moreno’s sister, Nataly Moreno, shared that a kind stranger dove into the lake to save her brother after he fell and almost drowned in the process, but her other brother and her boyfriend helped them out of the water, per Daily Mail. Nataly also claimed the park did not have enough staff to help during the incident.
“The park does not have people trained for this type of situation, none were there to help get him out of the water," she said. "Terrible park, it's incredible how disastrous things can happen in the blink of an eye. I only thank God that my Cesar is well.”
Another family member shared that the park workers could not swim. As the New York Post reported Cesar’s relative, Mayra Hernández, said: “Thanks to the fact that we were close, we were able to get him to safety since a relative jumped in to get him out of the water. Due to the poor training of the staff, everything could have been worse. The harness burst in the middle of the ride!”
Attractions at the theme park have closed in response to the incident.
The amusement park announced on Monday that some attractions, including the zipline, have been shut down and the company operating the zipline is under review, per Daily Mail.
Daily Mail published a translation of part of the statement the park's management issued: “In this park's new era, the priority is the experience and safety of our visitors. So, we will continue to implement the necessary measures to guarantee that the companies rigorously comply with their contracts,” the news outlet reported. Park management added that it would stay in contact with the child's family to provide "institutional support" and “deal with everything related to the situation.”
Though the boy did not suffer physical injuries, his family alleges the incident has affected him mentally.
Nuevo León Civil Protection released a statement saying the boy was unharmed and able to leave the park and walk out with his family, reported Daily Mail. But the boy's family is alleging he has developed some mental health issues since the incident.
His brother said that Cesar’s physical injuries were minor from the fall but that he is “psychologically damaged” and “afraid” since falling off the zipline, per the New York Post.
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Readers were shocked and appalled at the incident and also confused why a 6-year-old was allowed to zipline.
Readers of the New York Post article covering the story were shocked at the boy's 40-foot fall, but also that a 6-year-old was allowed to go on it in the first place.
“First of all, who would put a 6 year old on a zip line that high!?" one reader wondered. "Aren’t there age restrictions for those types of activities!?"
Another commented: “Seriously? What on earth is a SIX year old child doing on a zip line, anywhere? What is wrong with parents these days? SMH.”
“Zip line accidents can happen any where and it does," someone else commented. "Even if you don't fall off, you can break bones, get sprains and bruises. It is not as safe. Hope the boy does well.”
Others were baffled that a harness could break under the weight of the 6-year-old.
One user wrote: “I hope this young boy will survive and recover fully. How does a zip line harness 'break' from the mere load of a small 6-year boy unless it was not properly secured to the trolley or had defective or seriously worn out components?”
