Amusement Parks Are Not So Amusing When Rides Cause Injury Or Death
Amusement parks are meant to be a place where families could and should have fun out doors, playing games and riding on roller coasters. Most of the time when we think about amusement parks we think of “KODAK” moments of smiles and laughs with our family. Roller coasters and other rides are typically safe to ride, but that does not mean they are free from disasters. The Pennsylvania catastrophic injury lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff and Bily have been researching and handling many amusement park accident injury and death claims since 1979.
Amusement parks are supposed to inspect their rides daily, but accidents can still occur. Sometimes the rides are outdated or in need of repair. Other times it’s a ride that is not inherently safe or becomes unsafe due to worker negligence or improper maintenance. In July of 2008, 4 people were injured in Denmark due to their roller coaster’s car came of the tracks and fell onto the cement ground below the ride. The roller coaster opened only a month prior to the accident. Even the newest of rides might cause a serious injury if improperly designed, installed, or maintained.
There have also been many deaths relating to people walking in unsecured and dangerous areas at amusement parks, such as an incident that occurred in June of 2008. A 17-year-old boy was at a Six-Flags on a church trip. He and a friend left the park for lunch, and were jumping fences as a short cut back into the park. The fences were marked as a restricted and dangerous area. Once over the fences, the boy was hit in the head by a roller coaster train and was decapitated. The train ride was going about 50 MPH.
Another incident occurred in May of 2008, a 13-year-old girl was on a tower-drop ride at a different Six-Flags. The ride was operating normally until a rusted wire snapped. The ride was still in operation when the wire broke and the wire severed the feet off of the young girl. This is a result of both improper maintenance (failure to replace rusted wires) and workers being negligent in the operation of the ride (failure to use the emergency stop in due time). Both ride operators were under the age of 18 and were improperly trained.
On July 15, 2008, at least 18 people were injured when a swinging ride collapsed due to a defective ball bearing, according to a news article. The park’s manager said that the ride was inspected in the spring for a security check up and no faults were found.
This writer has personally witnessed several catastrophic amusement park accidents and had a close call at an Ocean City, NJ amusement facility a few summers back when 2 people where killed as a result of an amusement malfunction just after I had taken my own children and nephews on the very same ride no more than 15 minutes earlier. Two cars of a roller coaster smashed into each other, causing the passengers to be ejected from the ride. The ride was brand new and inspected several times prior to the incident, yet the ride still malfunctioned. More information about this incident can be found in this news article.
I was at one time a “Peter Pan” who never wanted to grow up and a thrill seeker of the worst kind, enjoying the biggest and scariest of the roller coasters worldwide. Now, after reviewing and handling a number of amusement park cases, I have become a cautious and stalwart of public safety when it comes to thrill rides and their proper and safe maintenance.
Injuries at amusement parks are not limited to just roller coasters and rides, you could also be injured at a water park. Water parks are especially dangerous since everything is wet and could result in a physical injury if one were to slip and fall. Improper maintenance and worker negligence could result in slides breaking causing riders to fall several stories, over crowding in tubes or slides, or drowning in wave pools.
Injuries at water or amusement parks include falls from rides, heart failure due to extreme stress, entrapment between rides, back injuries, head injures (blunt force trauma), crashes and abrupt stopping due to ride malfunctions, rides or slides falling apart due to improper maintenance, negligent conduct by workers (such as improper ride admittance or operation), unsafe entry or exit from rides, and slips and falls on wet surfaces. Majority of amusement park injures could be prevented with proper ride maintenance and worker education to reduce negligence. Other injuries and accidents are listed on the Amusement Safety Organization's website.
The lawyers at the Pennsylvania personal injury law firm of Reiff and Bily are currently involved in a claim for a catastrophic injury where a young student on a school trip was trapped and pulled under a “Halloween Hayride” and was mangled due to inadequate supervision or training of the ride operators and inadequate site safety and crowd control. Simply put, the operators of the hayride had inadequate safety controls in effect to prevent an easily avoidable accident particularly in an area that was noisy and frequently visited by young children. Many of these amusement parks or recreation vehicles are simply accidents waiting to happen similar to a Wolf in Sheep’s clothing.
The Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at Reiff and Bily work on a contingent fee basis, charging a small percentage of the recovery. They will not get paid one cent unless there is a successful recovery. They have had handled many amusement park injury cases and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars from their opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages.
If you are in need of an attorney because you or someone you love has suffered due to a malfunctioning amusement park ride or negligent ride operation, please call the experienced personal injury and wrongful death attorneys in Pennsylvania at the law firm of Reiff and Bily.
