Girl injured falling 40 feet to ground when safety net fails at Wis. amusement park attraction

12-year-old girl injured on Wis. ‘free fall’ ride

MADISON, Wis. — Police say a safety net under a “free fall” attraction at a popular Wisconsin amusement park failed to catch a 12-year-old girl who plunged more than 40 feet before hitting the ground.

The girl was seriously injured in the Friday fall at the Wisconsin Dells and was hospitalized. Police and hospital officials declined to identify her.

Lake Delton Police Chief Thomas Dorner says the safety net on the Terminal Velocity ride at the park’s Extreme World area wasn’t set high enough to catch the girl.

Extreme World owner Bill Anderson says it was the first accident in the ride’s 8-year history at the park.

The park describes the ride on its website as offering an “unattached, controlled free fall.”

The ride will be closed while police investigate.