Georgia dad says he had to save daughter after zipline wrapped around her neck at Adventure Park

A Georgia father said he had to save his 6-year-old daughter Tuesday when a ziplining rope wrapped around her neck at an adventure park.

Michael Wilbourn took his daughter, Bria, to the Urban Air Adventure Park in Newnan, part of Metro Atlanta.

She decided to check out the Sky Rider, a zipline attraction where visitors are strapped into a harness, hold onto a set of ropes and glide over the adventure park.

He eventually heard a little girl calling for her dad. The child said she couldn’t breathe. He soon realized it was Bria yelling for help.

He jumped over a counter, then jumped again onto a netted area to get closer to her.

“The zipline was tied around her neck about four times,” he said.

No employees came to help, he said.

Once his daughter was safely off the ride, he went to talk to the manager and told him they needed to do a better job. Wilbourn said the manager asked if he wanted his money back, to which he declined.

While he spoke to the manager, his daughter continued playing but later said her neck and back were hurting. The paramedics were called and noticed she had abrasions on her neck.

“I was just looking at her physical appearance and her face,” her father said. “I didn't think to pull her hair up to see what damage was done to her body. She had been strangled by something and there were abrasions.”

The day pretty much ended at that point, he said.

Missing: 13-year-old girl last seen in Denver on June 19 prompts missing-persons investigation

Kansas: A father of 13 saved his daughter after their raft overturned. He didn't survive.

What Urban Air Adventure Park is saying

Urban Air Adventure Park did not immediately respond to Paste BN’s requests for comment but told Atlanta television station WSB-TV that the company values customers’ safety.

“The uncompromising safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority,” the adventure park told the station. “We are so grateful that she was able to stay in the park and play.”

The company gets guests to sign a waiver before playing but has been the subject of lawsuits in recent years.

In 2019, a boy fell from a zipline ride at a Florida Urban Air location and his family sued. There have also been injuries in Nevada. 

In May 2022, an Illinois mom said she was on the zipline ride when the rope became tangled around her neck, according to the Kansas City Star.

The 6-year-old is shaken up, father says

Bria’s neck is still a little sore and her father thinks he may take her to see a therapist because it was a traumatic experience for her.

He said he watches his daughter play when she’s at adventure parks like this but as a customer and parent, he trusted that their employees would properly secure the harness. 

“I pretty much caught the aftermath,” he said. “(With) the same company, this is happening in different cities around the world. I don't think they’re measuring these kids. I think they just throw them on there.”