Amusement Park Accidents Increase During the Warmer Months

As the days get warmer, residents look for ways to spend more time outside soaking up the California sunshine. Spring break and summer vacation is the perfect opportunity for family trips to the local amusement parks. Many companies even enjoy these attractions for celebratory events. From the photo opportunities to the food and thrill rides, everyone loves the experience of stepping into another world and away from the stress of daily life. However, as the visitor counters steadily increase, so does the probability rate of an amusement park injury.

Although amusement parks adhere to strict safety inspections and standards, injuries and deaths occur regularly. According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), the number of injuries annually exceeds 36,000, about half of which are children. This number includes fixed-ride theme park attractions, water rides, inflatable rides, and those at fairs, which are relatively low, considering there are 335 million people successfully riding 1.8 billion theme park rides each year. This statistic breaks down to one seriously injured rider per every 24 million for fixed-site theme parks—many of which occurred in summer months. Injuries include:

• Head, neck, and back injuries;
• Death;
• Stroke;
• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI);
• Brain aneurysm;
• Lacerations, broken bones and torn ligaments; and
• Drowning.

According to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there is a common link between many of these injuries. However, this branch of service has a limited scope of reference, because the government has no authority to regulate fixed-site theme parks, such as Disney or Six Flags. The CPSC only has control over mobile rides, such as fairs and carnivals. Some states do have laws regulating fixed-site rides. Other parks rely on insurance companies for verification of compliance. Nonetheless, many injuries arise from the following:

• Improper ride operation;
• Mechanical failure;
• Passenger misuse; and
• Nature of the ride.

What begins as a fun day of creating memories becomes a nightmare if you or a loved one become injured at an amusement park. Millions of visitors expect ride operators to provide the utmost care and attention to their job, but ride-after-ride, hour-after-hour gives way to complacency. Even a split second of negligence can result in lives lost.

If a visit to an amusement park resulted in injury for you or a loved one, a San Jose, CA amusement park injury attorney could help. The attorneys at Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, L.L.P. have extensive experience holding operators and theme parks accountable for the damage they cause. Together we can explore your options. Call us today at (408) 289-1417 for your free initial consultation.

• NEISS Data Highlights - 2010
• How Often Does Someone Die on a Theme Park Ride?
• 8 terrifying amusement park accidents