Amusement Park Accidents

The most common amusement park accident affects people under the age of 24. An amusement park ride is estimated to cause around 4,300 injuries each year. Fairgrounds, festivals, carnivals, amusement parks, and theme parks are among the sources of these injuries. Water park accidents are also common and require additional considerations to determine fault and liability. 

Accidents continue to happen at amusement parks even after thorough inspections are a standard procedure. While accidents are uncommon, they may result in severe injuries and death.

Injuries At Amusement Parks

An amusement park ride might affect anybody. Injuries are frequent owing to the fact that there are so many rides to select from.

The following are some of the most frequent park visitor injuries:

• brain aneurysms
• back and spinal cord injuries
• traumatic brain/head injuries
• stroke caused by an artery tear in the neck
• torn ligaments and broken bones
• paralysis
• deadly falls and drownings
• emotional injuries like PTSD

What Are The Most Common Causes of Amusement Park Injuries?

Most amusement park rides are safe, thanks in part to strict safety standards and routine inspections. However, these attractions necessitate a great deal of structural engineering work and all components must be trustworthy and effective.

Some Typical Reasons For Amusement Park Accidents Include:

• Mechanical Failure

Poor maintenance and mechanical failure are the most common causes of breakdowns. Cables can break, restraints can fail, and rides may cease unexpectedly due to some technical malfunction. Because many of these rides operate for more than 12 hours a day, attrition is unavoidable.

• Operator Error

Several amusement park rides are controlled by an operator. Traveling carnivals or fairs are the most common places for these catastrophes to occur. The operator might be high or drunk, fall asleep, become distracted, or commit some other egregious error.

Fixed location amusement parks are a significant business (Disney World), and they frequently have standards in place to ensure that employees meet requirements before operating the equipment.

• Instruction Failure

On an amusement park ride, a passenger must follow all instructions and guidelines given by the personnel in charge of the operation. Ignoring these measures or directions might lead to significant harm. For example, while riding, a user might stand up, unfasten bars or safety restraints, or sit incorrectly in a seat.

• A Defective Or Poorly Designed Ride

It might take many trips before a faulty or poor design is discovered. Some park owners, on the other hand, may be willing to take a chance and offer rides to the public before the ride has been thoroughly tested for safety. The death of someone riding on a defective or poorly designed ride is always tragic.

• General Slips And Falls

Accidents can happen at amusement parks that don’t take place on the ride. There are frequently ramps, platforms, or steps that visitors must use to access a ride. If these access points aren’t completely cleaned or kept dry and debris-free, people could slip, fall, trip, and sustain injuries.

Is It True That The Government Regulates Amusement Park Rides?

The type of park determines whether there is government regulation or supervision. Theme parks, such as Disneyland, and amusement parks like Cedar Point are examples of fixed locations. Traveling fairs or carnivals are mobile parks.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulates amusement parks. Only state and local governments regulate fixed-location amusement parks.

Lawsuits For Injuries Resulting From Amusement Park Accidents

There are several legal claims that you and your lawyer may bring after an amusement park accident. The claim will be determined by the nature of the incident, but two general sorts of claims are generally brought in these circumstances: negligence and product liability claims.

• Amusement Park Injuries Caused By Negligence

Amusement parks, carnivals, and theme parks all have an obligation of care to keep patrons safe. If an amusement park owner fails to safeguard a customer from harm, he or she is in breach of the law and may be held liable for negligence.

When someone at an amusement park, whether directly or indirectly, did not act in a reasonable or responsible manner, they may have committed negligence. Because of a park’s carelessness, the visitor, or in some cases the visitor’s family, may be able to sue for compensation and damages.

Your lawyer must establish that the amusement park was negligent and responsible for your injuries by demonstrating:

• The underlying cause of your medically verifiable injuries was caused by an avoidable unsafe situation.
• Your injuries were caused by an unsafe situation that the park was made aware of.
• The park did not repair, replace, or remove the life-threatening danger.
• You could have avoided your injuries if you hadn’t been in such a hazardous situation.
• Amusement Park Injuries Caused By Product Liability

If you were injured as a result of a ride’s manufacturing defect or faulty design, you might be able to bring a product liability claim on your behalf. If there is an inherent design fault with the ride, the manufacturer is responsible for making a faulty component or implementing an inadequate design.

Your lawyer must show that some equipment in the ride or the structure itself was faulty, and this flaw was the reason you were hurt.