A 59-year-old woman died after falling roughly 40 feet from zip line ride at a Delaware state park on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
The woman came tumbling down from the forest tour zip line at around 1:40 p.m. at Lums Pond State Park in Bear, according to the Delaware State Police. The as-yet-unidentified woman had been visiting the Go Ape Treetop Adventure attraction at the time.
New Castle County paramedics treated her at the scene before rushing her to Christiana Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, WPVI-TV reported. Footage from the park about 45 miles southwest of Philadelphia showed state troopers examining the shuttered zip line ride.
The Delaware State Police, who said the victim’s name will be withheld pending notification of kin, are investigating. Police will release more information after their review, state police officials said in a statement.
Melanie Rapp, spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, told The News Journal they have few details and are also investigating.
The Treetop Adventure at Lums Pond features a two-to-three hour tour through the forest canopy with zip lines, suspended obstacles and swings between platforms, according to the Go Ape website. The highest platform is 48 feet up into the trees around the freshwater pond.
Representatives for the company, which operates 15 similar sites around the country, said Wednesday night that no more information was available about the woman’s death.
“The Go Ape team is deeply saddened by this tragic occurrence. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends and in particular to those who were on the course with her at the time,” company officials said in a statement.
“We will of course be cooperating with the authorities with regard to this incident. It would be inappropriate to comment or speculate on the circumstances of this incident until all of the investigations are completed.”
