A 9-year-old child died after an incident Thursday at Hersheypark amusement park in Pennsylvania, the company’s CEO said.
A lifeguard team noticed a child “was in distress” at The Boardwalk at Hersheypark water park, Hershey Entertainment CEO John Lawn said.
The team performed an “immediate rescue, followed by continuous, coordinated life-saving efforts by our lifeguards, on-site first responders, and medical personnel,” Lawn said in a post on Hersheypark’s Facebook page.
The child was taken to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, “where despite everyone’s tireless efforts, the child did not recover,” Lawn said.
The CEO did not say what caused the child’s death. The company will conduct a “thorough internal review and “cooperate fully with authorities,” Lawn said.
Derry Township police said they are assisting Hersheypark and the Dauphin County coroner’s office with their review into the death.
“We are still on the early stages of this process, and we are working to gather all of the facts in the incident,” the police department said Friday. “Our thoughts and our hearts are with the family and friends of this young life, lost too soon.”
The county coroner’s office declined to comment on the case Friday.
Hersheypark is a 119-year-old entertainment venue in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Its water park, The Boardwalk at Hersheypark, opened in 2007 and features 16 water attractions – including water slides, a lazy river and a wave pool.
Lawn did not saw where in the water park Thursday’s incident happened.
Hershey Entertainment’s CEO expressed his “deepest condolences” to the 9-year-old’s family and assured visitors that the safety of guests is paramount.
“To every family that visits Hersheypark, please know this: your safety and well-being drive every decision we make,” Lawn said in his statement. “We will thoroughly investigate this tragedy and honor the memory of this young guest by continuing our focus on ensuring the safety of our guests at Hersheypark.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
