Hersheypark Horror: 9-year-old dies at The Boardwalk water park in gut-wrenching incident. Know what happened

A nine-year-old child died after a tragic incident occurred at The Boardwalk at Hersheypark, the company said in a statement late Thursday. The child died the water park in Pennsylvania despite “tireless efforts” to save the young guest, the company announced.

“From the moment our lifeguard team recognized that a child was in distress, they performed an immediate rescue, followed by continuous, coordinated life‑saving efforts by our lifeguards, on‑site first responders, and medical personnel,” John Lawn, CEO of Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, said. “The child was transported without delay to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where despite everyone’s tireless efforts, the child did not recover.”

“Our hearts break for this child and the child’s family,” he continued. “We extend our deepest condolences for their loss. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not release any personal details at this time.”


ALSO READ: Barron Trump’s soft side revealed in never-before-seen clip with Ivanka’s son and internet can't handle the cuteness

Hersheypark's water park death

Hershey Entertainment CEO John Lawn told New York Post that the lifeguards noticed a child was in distress at The Boardwalk, the park’s themed water attraction, when they jumped to perform an “immediate rescue.”

The child was rushed to the nearby Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Lawn did not reveal the attraction where the tragedy occurred.

Lawn said the safety of guests at the park “has always been our highest priority” and an internal review will be conducted.

“To every family who visits Hersheypark, please know this: your safety and well‑being drive every decision we make,” Lawn said. “We will thoroughly investigate this tragedy and honor the memory of this young guest by continuing our focus on ensuring the safety of our guests at Hersheypark.”

ALSO READ: Travis Kelce makes romance official with Taylor Swift with never-before-seen photos from secret dates, offseason ‘adventures’

The identity of the child is not yet revealed and the cause of the death was not immediately known. Lawn said an internal review will take place in the coming days and the park will fully cooperate with authorities.

“To every family that visits Hersheypark, please know this: your safety and well-being drive every decision we make. We will thoroughly investigate this tragedy and honor the memory of this young guest by continuing our focus on ensuring the safety of our guests at Hersheypark,” he added. Lifeguards employed by the park must complete a 24-hour class and maintain at least four hours of continued education per month of employment, according to the company.

ALSO READ: Yahoo mail down: Thousands report outage, hit by ‘Temporary Error 15’ outage in US

The recent tragedy marks only the second death ever linked to a ride at the century-old amusement park.

The first fatal incident occurred on August 25, 1977, when 16-year-old William Harter, an employee working on the park’s inaugural inverted roller coaster—the SooperdooperLooper—was struck and killed by a coaster train while repairing a switching mechanism around 2:15 p.m., according to the Lebanon Daily News.

While several guests have suffered injuries over the years, no other fatalities have been reported in connection with the park's rides.