Two people were injured at Splish Splash Water Park Saturday when the raft they were in on the Alien Invasion ride flipped over, according to Riverhead Town Police.
Police said four people were riding in the raft at the time of the incident.
Joshua Wertz, age unknown, of Jamaica, Queens, suffered multiple traumas and was transferred from Peconic Bay Medical Center to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he is listed today in fair condition.
Delgia Eve, 23, of Elmhurst, complained of head, neck and leg pain, according to a police report. She was also transferred to Stony Brook, according to a PBMC spokesperson.Stony Brook was unable to provide any additional information about the patient.
The Alien Invasion ride, which opened in 2006, shoots riders in a tube raft out of a tunnel into a funnel-shaped structure, where the raft oscillates from one side to the other until it exits through the neck of the funnel into a splash pool.
Splish Splash general manager Mike Bengtson said he was unsure what happened that caused the raft to overturn Saturday afternoon.
“Unfortunately, the guests that were on the tube didn’t remember what happened,” Bengtson said in an interview today.
“We called Riverhead EMS and, as is our protocol, we closed [the ride], inspected it and tested it,” Bengtson said.
He said there had been no prior incidents on the Alien Invasion ride, which has since been reopened.
Splish Splash opened in Calverton in 1991. The Alien Invasion “tornado” ride is one of 13 rides at Splish Splash designed and built by ProSlide Technology of Ottowa, Ontario, Canada.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
