A mother in the United States is suing an adventure park after her zip line harness slipped around her neck and nearly strangled her during her son's birthday party. According to the Independent, Evelyn Rapier filed a lawsuit against the Urban Air Adventure Park in Bloomingdale, Illinois.
The 23-year-old said that her time at the park back in November started out fun as her family celebrated her three-year-old's birthday. She informed that she geared up in a harness and took a ride on the indoor zip line. However, her harness came loose and slipped up her body and wound up wrapped around her throat, effectively dragging her through the air by the neck, Ms Rapier claimed in the lawsuit.
Speaking to Fox23, she said, "As I swung through the air with the harness choking me, I thought I was going to die. All I could think of was my family, friends and especially my young children watching this."
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Ms Rapier laid the blame for the incident on the park and its staff. In a statement, she said that she was thankful that she found the strength to pull the harness away from her neck and survive. "But a lot of people, especially children would not have been able to do this," she said as quoted by the Independent.
"I want to let people know this ride is dangerous and that the adventure park and its employees are careless and do not make safety a priority," Ms Rapier added.
Following the harrowing incident, Ms Rapier was treated for injuries consistent with strangulation, which included a roper burn around her neck. Her lawsuit claims that the adventure park did not properly maintain the ride and its equipment and that its employees who were operating the zip line did not ensure her harness was secure.
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On the other hand, Urban Air Adventure Park said in a statement that all of its staff members were retrained following the incident. In a statement, it assured that the safety and well-being of guests and employees is Urban Air's "highest priority". It went on to say that one injury is one too many, but added that ride safety is a "shared partnership between the park and their guests". "It's essential they follow posted and verbal guidelines and instructions," the adventure park said.
Ms Rapier's lawsuit does not specify the compensation she will seek.
