An 11-year-old boy collapsed and died while waiting in line at the top of a water slide at an amusement park.
Richard Weinert-Soto was at Adventure Park in Visalia, California, when he dropped at the Sequoia Springs attraction around 5pm on Saturday, his mother, Maria Velasco, told KSEE.
‘This little girl comes and she tells me, “I think your little boy is laying up there”… and so I ran up there and he was blue and purple,’ she said.
Amusement park staff administered CPR on the boy and he was rushed to Kaweah Health Medical Center.
Despite life-saving measures, Richard was pronounced dead at 9.26pm.
‘Richard’s heart stopped while enjoying time at Adventure Park…he was having fun, running around…and being a normal kid,’ states a GoFundMe page for his funeral expenses.
‘He fought until the end and left many beautiful memories behind.’
Richard was born with both a heart and lung condition, according to the fundraiser. His heart was on the wrong side of his body and he underwent six successful open heart surgeries. He also suffered from chronic lung failure.
‘He was the happiest, most loving, and kind boy. He enjoyed singing at his church, talking about God’s love and making his friends and family laugh,’ the GoFundMe reads.
‘However, not many people saw the full picture and what Richard had to go through on a daily basis.’
Adventure Park acknowledged that ‘a child suffered from a cardiac emergency while waiting in line for the waterslides’.
‘We are asking for your prayers for the family and for all involved in this occurrence,’ stated the park.
‘Please know that the park was and continues to be a safe environment for the whole family and that this emergency was not related to the facilities at the park.’
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $24,000 as of Wednesday evening.
‘He was a friend to all,’ it stated, ‘And we would appreciate any help or assistance to lay our Angel Richard to rest.’
Richard died two months after another 11-year-old boy with a rare congenital heart defect suffered a medical emergency at Wild Rivers Water Park in Irvine, California, and died.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
