Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

A gentleman just presented to my office after sustaining a most catastrophic and life altering permanent injury that resulted from wearing water shoes on a water slide at a nationally renowned water park.

As an experienced water slide accident attorney, I have had a chance to investigate several accidents caused by a rider wearing water shoes on a water slide.

Imagine this scenario, you are traveling down a water slide at a high rate of speed and your body has been thrown about and all of a sudden, the rubber non-slip surface of your foot jams abruptly on the side of a water slide causing your bone to come protruding through your skin as you abruptly slow down and come to a halting stop. This is exactly what happened to one of our clients and a collective survey of many national and local water parks revealed that many parks still allow water shoes to be worn on water slides, and in fact sell them despite knowledge of this foreseeable risk.

Continue reading "Wearing Water Shoes on Water Slides May Result in Catastrophic Consequences" »

Despite the fact that the amusement park or manufacturer of the water slide tells you that it is a chance and freak occurrence, the same water slide accident that’s caused you injuries has very likely occurred numerous times before.

As a knowledgeable PA water park accident attorney, I receive a number of inquiries throughout the year from individuals that are seriously injured in water slide accidents. Many times these injuries involve burst fractures of the spine, broken limbs, or worse yet quadriplegia or paraplegia. It is not coincidental that many of the injuries occurred on the same water slide attraction operated by the same national water park company in different parts around the country.

Close to 2 billion people take amusement park rides annually and, unfortunately due to a patchwork of regulations, do so at their own peril. There has been a noticeable spike in fatalities and catastrophic injuries on fixed site amusement park rides, including water slides, and our experienced water slide accident attorneys, experts, and investigators typically see evidence of other similar instances involving the same rides. Of course amusement park operators claim that riders are imputed to understand that a water slide or amusement park attraction involves some risk but when the risk is concealed and the plaintiff is not made aware of the same after repeated instances of the same injury causing failure, then the operator and manufacturer of the ride may be held liable.

Continue reading "If You Have Been Involved in a Water Slide Accident, Chances Are the Same Accident Has Happened Many Times in the Past" »

I recently received an email blast advertising a number of inflatable water slides and other inflatable devices in the $200 to $300 range. While the advertisements quickly pointed out that these devices would “provide hours of fun and exercise” on long summer afternoons at very affordable prices and how easy they were to operate and even stressed that they are recommended for children ages 3 to 12, they failed to notify or warn potential buyers, users, and their children of the hidden dangers of serious injury and death that may be inherent with these products.

Recently, there was a recall of an inflatable slide which took the life of a young mother and catastrophically injured others. The CPSC reported that over 5,000 injuries were reported related to inflatable slides and bounce houses with the number increasing each year as inflatable amusement and slide products become increasingly more available at lower costs. Inflatables are often seen at birthday parties, block parties, festivals, and many pools. Every year, a number of people will be killed and catastrophically injured due to defects and failure to warn of these inflatable amusement attractions and toys.

As an experienced personal injury attorney in Philadelphia, I am all too well aware of the dangers in the use and operation of inflatable attractions including, but not limited to, inflatable slides. Although they are bright, colorful, and bring joy to parents’ and children’s hearts, as a lawyer who has seen the dangers of these products, I am often on the other side of the spectrum after a tragic accident or death has occurred. Each inflatable ride should have specific safety rules and warnings regarding operation and supervision. An inflatable slide and amusement must be properly anchored but worse yet, many of these rides are inexpensively manufactured in China or other countries where there are a lack of quality controls and safety standards. Although scores of injuries and deaths occur, I am certain that many more accidents occur with inflatables that go unreported.

State and federal officials will admit that they don’t know how many inflatable accidents occur every year on inflatable rides or attractions, and although I hate to be a party pooper, I will not allow my children to ever board one of the attractions and I feel confident telling my readers that I would never purchase one or allow friends that I care for to do the same.

The experienced inflatable slide accident attorneys of Reiff & Bily always offer a free, no obligation consultation to victims and their families who have been injured as a result of an inflatable accident or amusement accident. We have over three decades of experience representing those catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed as a result of defective products. We are recognized as the Top 100 Attorneys in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia and are honored to have been named in the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers.

I have been researching, investigating, and litigating amusement park accidents, water park accidents, and hayride accidents for over three decades. I have been attacked by many individuals stating that I am nothing but a greedy lawyer taking the fun out of life. Many individuals today who are riding on safer amusement rides or using safer products quickly point the finger at lawyers and without the fight of dedicated lawyers for consumer safety and protection many products manufacturers, or amusement park operators and amusement manufacturers would still be placing profitability ahead of safety concerns.

When I meet with parents of children who were catastrophically injured or died on an amusement ride or hayride and the owner/operator points the finger at an innocent child when in fact the amusement or attraction was improperly maintained, improperly inspected, or was operated by an individual with a questionable background who was improperly trained, I am astonished to see a public relations campaign attacking lawyers who only get paid if they are able to prove fault or negligence and win a case. I am astonished and surprised to read negative posts on blogs by people who don’t have a clue as to what really happened and who most probably would also seek legal representation and an independent investigation if they or their child was catastrophically injured or killed.

Our experienced amusement park and theme park accident attorneys always work only on a contingent fee basis and only charge a fee if we win the case. Many amusement parks claim that they regulate themselves and have proper motivation to insure safety and many state agencies that regulate amusement parks don’t have the budgets or technical expertise necessary to properly do their jobs. In fact, many theme parks and amusement park operators claim that state and local legislators lack budget resources and technical experience to carry out proper safety checks and investigate accidents and claim that they can do it better. I believe that if an amusement park or water park is operating safely and taking all steps to insure that amusement ride accidents do not occur, they should not be so afraid of a lawyer double checking the system. After all, a contingent fee amusement park and theme park accident lawyer will not take the case or get paid if, in fact, it can be determined that the owners and operators did nothing wrong. For those who complain that lawyers are taking the fun out of life and always blame the victims. Think about how you would feel if you were catastrophically injured or your child was killed at a theme park or amusement park that was said to be safe and carefully hid defects and problems from the public.

Checks and balances are a good thing.