Thousands of individuals from all over the country travel every day to visit amusement and water parks. For thrill-seekers, these parks hold a certain appeal – the plummeting speed of a drop tower, the churning waves in a water slide, and the illusion of danger around every twist and turn of a rollercoaster. All of these elements are bound to get visitors’ hearts racing and adrenaline pumping. However, the joy from spending the day at an amusement park or water park can cause attendees to overlook the very real dangers that may be lurking.
If you, a member of your family, or someone you know has been seriously injured at a Kentucky or Tennessee amusement or water park, you need an experienced amusement park accident lawyer to fight for your legal rights. If your loved one was fatally injured, we will work to prove your wrongful death claim against the park. Injured victims deserve a legal team who can go investigate the scene, take photos of the amusement ride defects, gather evidence needed for your case, and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Injury victims should call our office at 800-800-4600 for a free case evaluation. You may be entitled to financial compensation for you or your loved one’s injuries, and Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers will fight to get every dollar you deserve.
In 2016, in the United States alone, emergency rooms saw an estimate of 30,000 injuries sustained by individuals who were in attendance at amusement parks, with some of those injuries even being fatal. This can often be caused by operation error during the setup process or while the ride is active, which can result in catastrophic injuries.
In 2013, at the NCS Fair in North Carolina, a ride known as the Vortex was immediately shut down due to a malfunction that caused five riders to be severely injured. The Vortex allegedly slowed to a stop, leading guests to believe the ride was over. When the restraints unlocked, the individuals who were on the ride started to get off, when the ride suddenly activated and started back up. Although signaled to stop the ride, the operator panicked and did not do so. Some riders were able to hold on and avoid injuries, but others were thrown off, falling from nearly the highest point of the ride and sustaining serious injuries.
Victims of the malfunction on the Vortex suffered brain, spinal cord and neck injuries due to the negligence of amusement park staff. Most of those injuries were so serious that, according to one medical expert’s evaluation, they were estimated to exceed $30 million. Unfortunately, as thrill rides become larger, faster, and more elaborate, they can also become more dangerous.
The most commonly encountered amusement rides at theme parks typically include roller coasters, water slides, drop towers, and whirling rides that spin at high speeds. Sadly, these types of rides can cause the most damage. Rollercoasters travel at extremely high velocities and can cause serious injury if passengers aren’t properly restrained before the ride departs. Broken bones, lacerations, whiplash, and traumatic brain injuries can occur if safety protocols are not followed. Warning signs should also be placed around the entrance of the ride clarifying any risks involved, as many rollercoasters can cause dizziness, seizures, nausea and mild injury. Finally, routine maintenance checks on every ride are essential to monitor all elements are functioning as intended. Any ride, whether it be a rollercoaster or a water slide, could become fatal for passengers unless properly maintained.
According to the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions), in the United States, the chance of being seriously injured on a ride at an amusement park is 1 in 15.5 million rides taken. Although the chance is low, the injuries that result from being injured on an amusement park ride can be catastrophic, from broken bones to neck injuries, lost limbs, and even fatalities.
In fact, the National Safety Council estimates that there were around 1281 ride-related injuries at North America amusement parks (including water parks) in 2021 alone.
Passengers can do everything right to keep themselves safe on a ride and still end up injured. Ride operator error, negligence, and miscommunication can all contribute to an injury. Many thrill rides are designed to maximize speed and force, which can jerk the body around in ways it’s not used to. This is especially true if a rider is not restrained properly or if they’ve not been given proper safety instructions by park staff. Even if a ride has been maintained properly, severe injuries are likely to occur if the proper safety measures aren’t followed or if ride operators are negligent in their duties.
For example, a park employee who runs a water slide may be responsible for instructing each individual on how to safely enter the ride and ensure they meet the proper height and weight requirements. If a child were to enter the slide with no instruction or didn’t meet the necessary height and weight, they could fall from the ride. Along the same lines, a park staff member in charge of a roller coaster may be tasked with checking each rider’s harness. If the operator fails to closely inspect the harness securing a child and it comes loose while the ride is in motion, that child could be severely injured.
According to the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission), three-fourths of the amusement park accidents involving children in 2006 resulted in the child falling or being forcefully ejected from the ride, therefore sustaining major injuries. In 2017, a 10 year-old boy was hospitalized after being launched off a three-story waterslide in California. Another 10 year-old boy was fatally injured due to a neck injury sustained from what witnesses thought to have been an ejection from his seat on a waterslide in Kansas in summer of 2016.
The top five most popular Florida amusement parks (including water parks) in the United States had an estimated attendance of around 29,000 – 57,000 visitors per day in 2019 (pre-pandemic). The operators and workers who are employed at these amusement parks see thousands of people per day, and repeat the same process of operating park rides and slides thousands of times per day. Although theme parks have a set routine in place to make sure they are taking the necessary safety precautions, there is always a chance for error that could result in injury.
It should also be noted that with that many people in attendance and moving around the park, the chance of unsafe conditions simply within the park, not even necessarily while riding the rides, are high. Drinks being spilled, cracks in the pavement, or broken benches (or chairs) that thousands of people have sat on can also result in injury. Common injuries sustained in amusement and water parks not having to do with the on-site rides can include slip and falls, TBIs (traumatic brain injuries), bruises, and different types of lacerations.
If you, a member of your family, or a friend has suffered an injury while attending an amusement or water park, you should immediately get help from an attorney for your case. We have a team of dedicated amusement and water park attorneys that have experience with accident claims from injuries sustained at Tennessee and Kentucky parks. Our legal professionals know the personal injury landscape and can guide you through the proper steps in your claim. Upon hiring our team, we will immediately begin working to prove how the park’s negligence caused harm. Injured victims deserve financial compensation for any damages incurred due to the accident, including medical bills, past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and any other expenses we can prove occurred because of the injury. If you or a loved one has been injured, call 800 800 4600 today for a free initial case evaluation.
The legal process can be complicated; seeking the services and assistance of an experienced amusement park accident lawyer can be the most effective means of proving a personal injury claim. Our local personal injury lawyers will work with you to gather evidence, get you the treatment you need, and prove your claim. We have five law offices across Tennessee in Nashville, Columbia, Gallatin, Clarksville, and Murfreesboro. We also have five law offices in Kentucky in Bowling Green, Lexington, Elizabethtown, and two in Louisville. If you are not located within those cities, we can travel to you. Call now for a free case evaluation. We are available 24/7, will gather additional details about your case, and determine what we can do to help.
Most personal injury attorneys, including our firm, work on a contingency fee basis. This means that there is no risk for you, as we do not get paid unless you do. When you hire our team, you will not owe us anything until we get you the compensation you deserve. You won’t owe us any upfront out-of-pocket expenses, just a portion of the settlement if we successfully obtain one for your case.
Amusement and water parks have a duty to keep their guests safe. When staff are inadequately trained, safety is ignored, and lives are endangered, those who are responsible need to be held accountable for their negligence. If you or someone you know has been injured at a Kentucky or Tennessee amusement park or water park, contact our experienced amusement park accident lawyers at 800 800 4600. Our team will put our decades of experience to use fighting to get the compensation you deserve.
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