A 9-year-old child has died after an incident at The Boardwalk water park at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Thursday.
A Hersheypark spokesperson confirmed that the incident happened at the wave pool, which is closed on Friday out of respect for the victim’s family and the staffers who tried to save the child’s life.
Lifeguards immediately responded after noticing the child was in distress, a statement released by John Lawn, CEO of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company, said. He said they rescued the child and began performing “continuous, coordinated life-saving efforts.”
The child was then transported to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.
“Our hearts break for this child and the child’s family. We extend our deepest condolences for their loss. Out of respect for their privacy, we will not release any personal details at this time,” Lawn said. “The safety of our guests has always been our highest priority. In the coming days, we will conduct a thorough and internal review and cooperate fully with authorities.”
According to the Hersheypark website, The Boardwalk at Hersheypark is a water park with 16 water attractions, including several water slides, a lazy river and a 378,000-gallon wave pool.
The Hersheypark spokesperson said there were more than 100 Ellis & Associates-trained and certified lifeguards in The Boardwalk when the incident occurred on Thursday. Ten of those lifeguards were overseeing the wave pool, the spokesperson said.
The 10 lifeguards had “received the highest level of training and certification from E&A, known as Special Facility Training, which includes deep-water lifeguarding, Basic Life Support, AED use, supplemental oxygen support, CPR, and First Aid,” according to the spokesperson.
CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to local authorities for any additional information relating to the investigation. We are still awaiting a response.
