Hospitalized teen will miss Swift's Cincy show; Mom asks fans to swap tickets
MADISON TWP., Ohio — Olivia Kozuszek, 15, has been waiting to see Taylor Swift live on her Eras Tour for months. She and her mother have tickets to the July 1 show at Paycor Stadium but they can't go. A horrific accident at the Land of Illusion Aqua Adventure Park has her stuck in a Dayton hospital for the next few weeks.
While celebrating her 15th birthday at the park on June 21, Kozuszek fell more than 20 feet off an inflatable into the water and likely injured her spine, the Madison Twp. Fire Dept. said.
Now, Kozuszek's mother, Heidi, is asking Swifties to swap tickets.
"If you know anyone that would be willing to trade me tickets to a later show please let me know," she said in a Facebook post. "I will fly her wherever so she can see Taylor."
Heidi said her daughter, a cheerleader and softball player at Valley View, already made friendship bracelets and had her outfit picked out for Saturday's show.
Kozuszek likely won't be out of the hospital in time to make it to Swift's Kansas City shows but if a Swiftie in Denver, Seattle, Santa Clara or Los Angeles is willing to make a last minute trip to Cincinnati Saturday, reach out to Heidi on Facebook.
In the days since the accident, a GoFundMe page has been established to assist the family with medical expenses. Nearly $9,000 has already been raised.
Heidi said she’s “very overwhelmed” and “grateful for the love and support from the community.”
Land of Illusion Adventure released the following statement regarding the incident:
"Right now, our care and concern are with the guest and her family involved in Wednesday’s incident. A guest experienced an injury while sliding down one of our inflatable slides. As a park deeply committed to guest safety, we adhere to stringent standards and regulations set by the State of Ohio authorities. Safety is our utmost priority, and we strive to create a safe and wholesome family experience for those looking to add more outdoor activities for family fun." Land of Illusion Adventure Park Management
It's not the first time tragedy has hit at Land of Illusion.
On July 20, 2021, Mykiara Jones, 14, an incoming freshman at Middletown High School, drowned at the water park while swimming without a life jacket. Her body was found in the murky water 30 minutes after she was last seen that evening.
The next day, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said his office was "inundated" with complaints, including allegations that lifeguards in the park were not certified, life vest rules were not being enforced and that rescue equipment was not ready in the event of an emergency.
The Butler County General Health District said it also received a complaint about the park the same day Jones drowned. A person called the health department at 11:14 a.m. on July 20 — five hours before Jones' death — and said she was at the park on July 17 and it was “over capacity” with about 600 people and no adult supervision.
The following day, two representatives from the county health department met with Land of Illusion officials and made several recommendations based on swimming pool regulations.
Because the health department has no authority over the water park, it made “suggestions only,” according to the document obtained by The Journal-News. The health department's lack of authority is tied to the park's location — on a pond.
No state regulations exist to oversee the water park, because of that location, despite state and local agencies regulating nearly every other type of water recreation area in Ohio, from splash pads to municipal swimming pools to beaches.
There was also a question of whether the park was operating an unlicensed inflatable on its grounds that could have led the park to pay fines.
When ODA officials inspected the rides on July 16 — four days before Jones drowned — there were three devices (a bungee, rock wall and inflatable slide) that the park wanted to operate on the ground, she said.
Upon inspection, the facility did not have the required documentation to complete the inspections and receive licenses, and ODA said they could not operate, Boyer said.
Two days after the drowning, the water park hired an independent investigator to undertake an assessment and gap analysis of the park’s health and safety policies, procedures and programs, it said in a release.
The investigation, conducted by Dan Wood of Industrial Safety Services of Ohio, found no violations of law or regulations during the drowning.
Source: WCPO 9 Cincinnati
