An 11-year-old girl who fell 18 feet from a climbing wall Saturday at Marlins Park in Miami has begun walking as her recovery from a concussion and serious bruising continues.
The Marlins had contracted with a vendor to supply the temporary attraction, and Emily Davis was the first one to the top after a game against the San Francisco Giants. However, a cable that was supposed to attach to a safety harness failed as Davis began her decent, and she slammed onto an unpadded concrete surface below. She was taken to a hospital, and the wall was shut down.
"The rock-climbing wall was closed immediately following the incident Saturday, and the matter is under investigation to determine the cause of the accident," the baseball club said in a statement Monday. "The Marlins will continue to prioritize safety for all activities taking place at Marlins Park. We wish her well in her continued recovery."
Well-wishes might not suffice for the Davis family, which is reportedly mulling a lawsuit. Jeff Davis, who says he was just hoping his daughter was alive when he reached her side, told a local NBC affiliate, "If I have a rock climbing wall at my house, and you come over to my party and your kid falls in my front yard, I would feel, I don't even care about who I hired, you're at my house, my yard, I would feel responsible."
There was no word as to the level of climbing walls as amusement features has long vexed the climbing industry in terms of its regulation.
