Zip line regulations challenged after 4 deaths
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – As 12-year-old Bonnie Sanders Burney soared over a 40-foot ravine at her sleep-away camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the tether attaching her to a dual zip line snapped – plunging her to her death.
Burney is one of at least four people killed in challenge course incidents across the country this summer. The deaths have drawn attention to a regulatory safety net full of holes.
The federal government does not regulate the challenge course industry. Nor does it keep data on how many courses exist or how many accidents occur. While some states have codified regulations, others allow operators of zip lines and high ropes courses to self-regulate.
Burney’s death led the General Assembly to swiftly pass a law requiring the state to research possible regulations.
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