DES MOINES, Iowa — Adventureland will not pay any fines after inspectors with the Iowa Division of Labor found 17 separate safety violations on the Raging River Ride, where 11-year-old Michael Jaramillo died and his brother and father were seriously injured in July.
That's because the Iowa Code does not allow for amusement ride safety inspectors to issue fines, according to a statement from the Iowa Division of Labor.
On July 3, the Jaramillo family's raft on the ride flipped over, resulting in the death of the 11-year-old Marion boy. His dad David and his brother, also named David, were seriously injured.
David Jr. was hospitalized for a month after the accident.
The inspection happened July 6 but the safety order was not issued until Nov. 12.
The violations listed on the safety order include "improper repairs and inadequate records documenting the history of both repairs and training." The order says the Raging River cannot legally be operated until 11 of those repairs are addressed.
The first violation addressed in the report says the weirs, or dams built in the ride, were replaced with incorrect parts that were not manufacturer-approved. No engineering was performed on weir replacements and another weir was detached from the trough of the ride.
Repairs on some of the rafts did not have manufacturer-approved patches. Instead, inspectors found Flex Seal was used to repair leaks.
There are three violations relating to evacuation listed on the order. The first says the evacuation plan itself was "deficient" and not updated with park changes. Evacuation access was also blocked by a fireworks setup, according to the report.
It also says there was inadequate training for ride operators and attendants, therefore, inadequate evacuation training.
RELATED: 'A young man full of joy, jokes, smiles and laughter': Community remembers Michael Jaramillo
On July 22, Local 5 spoke with the Altoona Fire Department about their response time to the accident, saying the biggest challenge was getting to the area.
“The units that could get that close to the raft were the ambulances only," said Lance Routson, deputy chief of operations for the department. "There were other units that responded, particularly two fire engines, that brought specialized equipment and people that couldn’t get any closer than about 200 yards."
Another report from the state on July 2 says the raft had been taken out of service for repairs just hours before the Jaramillos got on. Staff removed several boats from the ride at 3 p.m. and put them back into service just over two and a half hours later.
That same report shows the inspector deemed all aspects of the ride satisfactory. Raging River passed safety inspections over the last decade, even though the ride's restraints were marked as unsatisfactory in 2012, 2013 and 2018.
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WATCH | Adventureland tragedy: 11-year-old killed on Raging River ride