A fun school day out in California ended in unimaginable tragedy after a group of teenagers decided to break the water park rules and attempt to defeat a school tradition record
What was supposed to be a day of fun in the sun at a water park ultimately descended into disaster. Napa High School students embarked on their annual senior class trip to Waterworld USA in Concord, California. Their goal was to set a new school record by the end of the day.
For years, the tradition had been for students to engage in “clogging” – squeezing as many people as possible into a water slide by pushing their legs to the side of the chute. The existing record stood at 76, achieved at a different water park.
As the day drew to a close, the students decided to ignore the lifeguard’s warnings, knowing they wouldn’t face any serious consequences if they got kicked out of the park at that late stage.
However, disaster struck when dozens of students piled into the 40ft-high Banzai Pipeline, causing a section of the slide to collapse under their weight, sending them crashing to the ground.
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Justin Aaron, an English teacher at the school who was grading papers at the base of the slide at the time of the incident, recalled: “I looked up and saw bodies flying through the air.
“They were landing in trees, on rocks and on the concrete…It was like it was happening in slow motion.”
As the chute buckled under three times its designed weight capacity, a cluster of students clumped together fell to the ground first, followed by others who crashed against wooden support poles before hitting the ground or other students.
In the tragic incident, which happened on June 2, 1997, graduating senior Quimby Ghilotti, aged 17, was killed and 32 others were grievously injured when around 30 teenagers gathered on one 20ft section of the water slide that catastrophically split open.
A spectator recounted the horror: “I saw a line of kids on the slide, and then more kids piled on, and then more kids piled on.”
They witnessed the disaster as it unfolded, saying: “The slide broke. It cracked, rolled and dropped. There were people hanging on as it was falling.”
Other witnesses shared the chilling sound of a loud crash followed by crunching noises and the anguished screams from the youths as they fell. Some clung desperately to the breaking structure, while those below were covered in debris and the injured piled up awaiting rescue.
“The scene was just horrific. All the kids were covered in mud and blood,” said another shocked bystander.
Quimby, fatally struck by a wooden pole during the collapse, passed away following the tragedy. School principal Lars Christensen, who rushed to the scene and identified her, fondly remembered the “wonderful lady”.
“A strong student, very active. We will certainly honor her passing (with a memorial service).”
One of the students who survived the catastrophe relayed their haunting experience: “The sound of fibreglass cracking is ingrained in my mind forever.”
Reflecting on the terrifying moments, they said: “I remember starting to fall and trying to grab onto something.”
The escape felt close, yet terrifyingly unreachable: “It was like the platform was just an arm’s length away, but I couldn’t reach it. As soon as I felt myself starting to fall, my brain shut off.”
Vice Principal Roger Ashlock, who oversaw the trip, described the disaster as a harrowing event that robbed many Napa High seniors of their youth, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
“Students lose the essence of their childhood, responding to the needs of the injured, helping to save the lives of their classmates,” he expressed at Quimby’s memorial service, which saw 800 people, including family, friends and senior classmates from Napa High School, gather at the school’s gym.
Despite the trauma, the school’s graduation went on as scheduled later in the month, with several graduates appearing in wheelchairs, sporting crutches, or donned in casts and neck braces.
The Banzai Pipeline was part of a larger attraction boasting six slides and was the tallest structure among the parks 10 water-themed challenges.
Those brave enough to take on the tower’s slides would experience an exhilarating 15-second spiral down to a pool only three feet deep.
SFGate noted that two lifeguards were on duty for the slides: one stationed at the summit and the other at the base, ensuring riders descended the chute solo.
Although Waterworld USA wasn’t found legally responsible, they still doled out $4 million in settlements to conclude the lawsuits filed against them.
After a near year-long closure, the Banzai Pipeline was revamped, rebranded and reopened for thrill-seekers.
The incident has been revisited in a recent YouTube documentary, sparking a slew of online comments.
One comment read: “I feel bad for the lifeguard who tried to stop them. When I was a lifeguard, people treated the rules like some stupid joke. It’s not a joke; it’s important.”
Another chimed in: “One of the rare ones where the company and staff did nothing wrong. I have sympathy for the lifeguard who tried to stop them.”
Reflecting on tamer times, someone else shared: “Incidents like this makes me glad that my senior class’s idea of a prank was simply tying a large teddy bear to the chair of our principal’s desk while he was at a dentist appointment.”
A person recounted an experience with emergency services: “I once spoke to a paramedic whose first call ever was this disaster. She said it was like a movie with people yelling for help from all different directions.”
Meanwhile, another individual disclosed their own perspective: “I was a junior lifeguard and I can safely say most people completely ignore us when they are in mortal peril and think they know better.”
They continued with some scary examples: “I’ve seen people tombstone into shallow water and break bones or paralyse themselves, take the entirety of the skin off the soles of both feet jumping onto rocks hidden by a thin layer of sand, and get swept out to sea on inflatables despite signage everywhere informing of riptides and currents.”
Concluding with a sombre note, they said: “I had to quit in the end, because I was exasperated at how little people cared about my words but then relied on me when things inevitably went wrong.”
