What’s Next After an Amusement Park Accident?

Each year, thousands of people are injured at amusement parks, whether from water slides, roller coasters, slip-and-fall incidents, bumper cars, or some other reason. If you are harmed at a park or one of your family members is injured, it is important that you understand your rights and know what to do next. In certain circumstances where an injury is caused by the negligence or error of the park owner or management, the injured party may be eligible to bring a negligence claim against the park.

Amusement park accidents are actually extremely common. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported roughly 8,800 injuries on amusement park rides in 2006 alone, and an additional 3,100 were hurt on water slides. Surprisingly, children only account for half of these injuries, though the very serious injuries, such as when a rider falls or is ejected from a ride, are sustained mostly by children. Additionally, kids between the ages of 10 and 14 are the most common age group injured.

Common injuries include:

• Neck and back injuries
• Head injuries, including concussions
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Brain aneurysms
• Stroke from trauma to the ligaments in the neck
• Lacerations
• Broken or fractured bones
• Drowning
• Death

There are a number of ways people may be injured while at amusement parks. At water parks, the slides are often uncovered and there is nothing to strap into, which has caused riders to be thrown from the slide or to fall, often resulting in death or serious spinal injuries. Extremely fast rides, like spinning rides, can cause brain aneurisms or traumatic brain injuries from g-forces imposed on the brain. Alternately, slipping and falling while walking around the amusement park can be danger enough, especially if a slippery area is not marked or the grounds are not properly maintained. Falling objects can also pose a danger to park attendees and can lead to serious head injuries or broken bones.

Possible Causes of Injuries

The rules and guidelines for safety must always be followed in order to keep amusement park employees and guests out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, when a manager, owner, or worker does not abide by these guidelines, it puts everyone in danger. Amusement park injuries care most often caused by the following issues:

• Mechanical malfunction or failure of a rollercoaster or other ride.
• Improper operation of the ride, often caused by inadequate employee training. This can lead to incorrectly latched seatbelts, abrupt stops, control mistakes, etc.
• The nature of the ride is unsafe or hazardous. If a design is flawed or the ride is simply unsafe in nature, the park or ride creator may be at fault.
• Passenger misuse, usually due to a rider’s inability to follow instructions.

If you or someone you love was injured at an amusement park due to the negligence or error of the park or park employees, you may have a personal injury claim. Our lawyers may be able to help you pursue compensation for damages, including medical expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and material damages. Don’t wait to seek justice, learn more about your rights and how you might file a claim by contacting our firm.

Contact Berenson & Associates, P.C. to discuss your situation with our Albuquerque, NM personal injury lawyer.