One man was killed and another seriously injured as they tested a zip line on Hawaii's Big Island on Wednesday.
The man who was killed, a 36-year-old from Maui, was about halfway across the 2,300-foot line above a stream bed when a tower holding up one end of line collapsed. He plunged 200 feet into the rocky stream bed and died at the scene. The injured worker, a 35-year-old from Ohio, fell about 30 feet from the collapsing tower and was in critical condition at Hilo Medical Center, according to a statement from the Hawaii Police Department.
The two men were working on a new course at the zip line facility just outside Hilo when the accident occurred, their employer, Experiential Resources Inc. of Maui, said in a statement distributed by Hawaii247.com. On its website, the company bills itself as "the global leader in the designing and building of adventure courses, canopy tours and zip line courses."
The company that owns the zip line, Lava Hotline, told CNN affiliate KHON-TV that all lines at the facility would be closed pending an investigation.
“The course is being shut down for the next two weeks while we do an inspection and make sure that everything is totally safe,” company owner Gary Marrow was quoted as saying. “It’s been a really difficult day.”
“We will conduct a careful, thorough review to determine all of the facts in this case. We need to know exactly what happened and why," Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi said in a statement on Hawaii247.com.
Audrey Hidano, deputy director of the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, told CNN affiliate HawaiiNewsNow that zip line operators face little state regulation.
"It's not like a construction contractor. There's no licensing. If anything they register it as a business, pay your general excise taxes, pay your unemployment insurance and all that, but I don't believe there is a license involved in this," she said.
Any government regulation of zip lines would require legislative approval, she said.
at first I thought they said, zip gun, like a homemade gun. Wow, how sad for the one that died family, and I hope the injured one fully recovers.
4 of my friends were just over in Hawaii zip lining.
My condolences to the family of the deceased man and I hope the other young man recovers fully.
My sympathy to the family of the victim, and well wishes for a fast recovery to the injured man.
Hey, s kel.
He, Scottish Mama.
Hawaii: leaders in taking you as close to the beautiful view as you can get.
Even taking you straight down into it! Now THAT'S the sign of a true adventure global leader! 😀
Too soon Derp, too soon.
Pretty callous dude.
DerpDiggler! Long time no post!
Everything else is wireless,they can't do it to ziplines??
Darwinism at its finest.
how so? you must live a sheltered boring life.
Darwinism has nothing to do with early death per se. Darwin's theory states that those who have the most offspring are the "fittest" because they pass their traits on more than those with less offspring. Did the people who died have many children or not?
No Maui Luau Before Zipline
how so? you must live a sheltered boring life.
sorry it was not meant for your post.. for bradfords.
And u want to zipline?
hey Banasy
Hey s kel.
Here at work we have been talking about zip line, due to two co-workers had done it.
Looks like fun. Now, I have to rethink it!
Very sad – but also what the heck – that company doesn't sound like they know what they are doing! I don't think I'll be going on any zip lines. It doesn't sound like they had any engineering done on the tower.
I love ziplining and wanted to try that one. Poor guy that sucks.
swingin thru the trees like a monkey – surprised more accident dont happen form this dopey activity