Venue reopens controversial ride after 2021 fatality

The drop tower ride at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park reopened this year after being closed for almost two years.

The tower ride was closed after a fatal accident in September 2021, which involved the death of a 6-year- old girl.

The ride has been restructured, redesigned and renamed. Although the same tower- style ride, it has undergone extensive structural and procedural changes, officials from the Glenwood Cavern Adventure Park said in an email.

“All structural and procedural changes have been performed by engineers that specialize in advanced amusement ride design as well as independent ride safety experts with experience inspecting rides around the world,” officials said in the email.

Formally called the Haunted Mine Drop, the ride has been renamed to Crystal Tower.

Queueing, restraints, instructions, signs, lighting and the operator control panel placement were all redesigned to give guests a clear view of the ride experience.

“Out of respect for everyone involved, we will not be giving interviews or distributing further ( information),” officials wrote in the email.

Modifications to the ride structure, ride restraints, queuing area and ride operator control station have been reviewed by the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, the state regulatory agency responsible for amusement rides and devices.

Drop tower ride modifications include:

• Complete enclosure of the ride carriage: The ride carriage enclosure moves up and down with the ride carriage, creating an elevator-type enclosure.

• New three-point restraint.

• New high-visibility shoulder and lap seat belt: The belts were added to create three-point restraint; they are computer-monitored to confirm belt engagement.

• New contrasting loop belt: This provides an additional means of confirming proper restraint position and engagement.

• The entire three-point restraint is retractable, providing better visibility and usability.

• Seat belt latch repositioning: The repositioning of the seat belt latching mechanism, which involved moving it to a higher position, means it is closer to the rider.

• Additional remote ride operator control panel.

• Guest queue and loading areas: These changes will open visibility of ride operations to guests before and during entry into the ride loading area.