CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — The EDGE Ziplines and Adventures in Castle Rock reopened one day after a collision sent a 10-year-old boy and a zipline guide to the hospital.
The incident happened around 6:15 p.m. Sunday on Zipline Number 10.
“We did have an incident yesterday," said Adam White, general manager of The EDGE. "They are extremely rare for us."
The collision happened following a radio miscommunication between two guides, according to White.
“Facts are still being gathered at this point, and we will share those with the right authorities when they become necessary,” he said.
The Castle Rock Fire Department initially said the boy and guide were critically injured, since the the collision involved speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour. However, The EDGE told Denver7 in an email the two were released from the hospital with "no major injuries" and reports of critical injuries were "grossly exaggerated."
White said his guide did suffer a concussion.
“We sent them in the ambulance just to be further checked out,” White said. “They were precautionary measures, and luckily everyone’s doing just fine. There’s nothing wrong with our infrastructure or any of our equipment. Just a little bit of a communications issue."
A verified GoFundMe online fundraiser has been created to help the guide. You can donate through this link.
Lila Chertman, a physician visiting from Miami, witnessed the incident. She said the guide was trying to pull the boy to the platform when another zipliner came flying in and collided with the two.
“[The guide] saw the impact was coming, and so he maneuvered to try to brace the boy and save him from the impact,” Chertman said. “His neck snapped back, his eyes glazed over. He was totally unconscious. His neck was hanging back like this. His helmet was off. Honestly, I thought that he was gone.”
The physician told Denver7 one guide radioed, "Do not send," to which the other guide said, "Copy." She also said there were injuries on different lines earlier in the day due to radio issues.
“Clearly, the system should include more than just radio communication,” Chertman said. “Who knows if she just heard the word, ‘send.’ To rely only on the walkie-talkie is not a good system. They could have cameras or binoculars — something else to safeguard the guests."
The Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS), which is overseen by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, is investigating the collision.
Chertman said she was shocked to learn that the adventure park reopened Monday.
“The poor guests that are there today probably have no idea that this just happened yesterday," Chertman said. "Even just out of courtesy to your employee who nearly died, just to stay closed for a day or two to just say, ‘Listen, something very serious happened. We care about our employees.'”
“We’ll certainly make sure it never happens again,” White said. “This is a bump, but we’re going to learn from it and get better and stronger from it. The business has been open for nine years, and we have an excellent safety record. We pride ourselves on that."
