‘Turned away for being 5lbs over’; Family says daughter publicly humiliated about her weight at Raging Rivers Waterpark
By Melanie Johnson
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GRAFTON, Illinois (KMOV) — An Illinois family tells News 4 their teenage daughter was publicly embarrassed on Monday at Raging Rivers Waterpark in Grafton.
“To have a company be responsible for such a massive mental impact on my daughter, it’s tough,” says her father, Andrew Batton.
Batton took his family to the popular amusement park with hopes of getting on the newest ride, the Mississippi Monster.
When the group made it to the top of the hill, Batton says a worker then asked his 13-year-old daughter to hop on a scale in front of strangers.
“The guy looked at us and to my daughter and said, ‘You need to step on the scale,” Batton says.
The ride has a weight limit of 200 pounds.
“She steps on the scale and she’s 205,” Batton says.
A Raging Rivers spokesperson says the decision was made to prioritize the safety of the guests. However, Batton says there were no signs indicating a weight limit.
“I was like, ‘There’s nothing on the media about that. Was this posted anywhere? He was like, ‘No. We’ve had some people getting hurt so we’re limiting the weight on the ride,” Batton says.
Raging Rivers tells News 4 that new water tubes for the Mississippi Monster water slide will arrive as soon as Wednesday. The equipment has been ordered to increase the weight capacity for the ride.
“The disappointment that she felt by not being able to ride the brand-new ride was definitely overshadowed by the public humiliation of being asked to step on a scale,” Batton says. “Then further than that, being told that you’re overweight.”
Batton and his daughter are both season ticket holders and say they don’t plan on returning to the waterpark anytime soon.
“Tears wound up in her eyes,” Batton says. “We as parents now have to undo the emotional damage that this corporate company caused us.”
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