A 10-year-old boy fell from a zip line he was riding in central Florida and the disturbing incident was caught on tape, state investigators said Tuesday.
The incident happened Sept. 1 at the “Sky Rider” zip line at the Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park in Lakeland, officials said.
The boy, identified only as Elijah, fell about 15 feet, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services investigators, who said the victim was not properly strapped into his harness.
The department announced Tuesday that Urban Air would be fined $2,500, "which is the maximum fine per violation that we can assess to a company under our current law," agency spokeswoman Karol Molinares told NBC News on Tuesday.
Investigators examined video footage and interviewed employees and the injured boy.
"The leg straps can be seen not buckled," according to the investigators. "After dispatch, the patron is seen riding the Sky Rider, holding his body weight with his arms. When arriving at the first dip, the patron loses his grip and falls to the floor."
The family filed suit against park operators Monday.
“It killed me to watch it,” the boy's mother, Kim Barnes, told WFLA-TV, a Tampa NBC affiliate. “He didn’t deserve this.”
The boy has since been released from the hospital.
"His life is not the same anymore because of this,” Barnes said. “It’s affected him mentally and emotionally and physically.”
The company told WFLA in a statement that employees involved in the accident no longer work there and all remaining workers have been retrained.
"Urban Air is fully committed to the uncompromising safety and well-being of our guests and employees," the company said. "We are thankful to hear that the child is back in school and we will continue to keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers through his full recovery."
