A father says his 13-year-old daughter was publicly humiliated about her weight after she was turned away from a waterpark ride

• A father is calling out an Illinois waterpark and claims his daughter was publicly weighed by an employee.
• Andrew Batton told KMOV that his 13-year-old was turned away from a new ride at Raging Rivers Waterpark.

A father in Illinois is accusing a local waterpark of weighing his teenage daughter before turning her away from a ride.

According to St. Louis local news station KMOV, the incident occurred at Raging Rivers Waterpark in Grafton, Illinois on July 11. Andrew Batton told the outlet he accompanied his family, including his 13-year-old daughter, to the park in hopes of trying the newest ride, the Mississippi Monster.

When the group reached the top of the hill to get on the ride, Batton said an employee asked his daughter to be weighed in front of everyone, according to KMOV. The ride has a weight limit of 200 pounds, the outlet reports.

"The guy looked at us and to my daughter and said, 'You need to step on the scale,'" Batton said, adding, "She steps on the scale and she's 205."

Raging Rivers spokesperson Jimmy Holmes told KMOV in a statement that the park's goal is "never to embarrass anyone," but that it takes precautions "to ensure the safety of our guests while enjoying our slides and attractions."

The statement continues: "Signage is located at the base of the slide, alerting guests of this restriction. In addition, there is a scale that all guests who choose to ride the attraction must step on to ensure they meet the safety requirements for the ride. We will continue to follow manufacturer guidelines for safety while offering our guests a fun experience at Raging Rivers Waterpark."

The park also told KMOV that new water tubes and equipment for the Mississippi Monster have been ordered to increase the weight capacity for the ride.

Representatives for Raging Rivers Waterpark did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Batton said he didn't observe any signs displaying the weight limit, but a worker told him that some parkgoers were getting hurt, prompting the weight limit enforcement.

The father also told KMOV that he and his daughter, who are season ticket holders, don't plan on returning to the park anytime soon.

"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. Then further than that, being told that you're overweight," he said, adding, "Tears wound up in her eyes. We as parents now have to undo the emotional damage that this corporate company caused us."