Amusement parks are always a very popular spot for a fun outing during any season. They decorate for each holiday and special events, but are not typically considered to be unsafe. Unfortunately, accidents always have the potential to occur at them. There are a little over two thousand amusement park injuries reported every year, with over 75 percent of them occurring during the summer months when school is out. Because there are no state or federal agencies dedicated to enforcing ride standards, steps to prevent these injuries are usually taken. Accidents that occur in an amusement park are often guarded in a secretive way by the parks because they do not want the negative publicity generated by lawsuits. Victims of amusement park injuries may find it difficult to file a lawsuit against the park because there could be several different types of legal areas involved. This includes premise liability, personal injury, and product liability. There is no system in place to organize reports of amusement park accidents. The amusement industry is extremely unregulated, from carnivals that come in and out of town to theme parks that have stayed in the same city for decades. This means that the parks themselves are forced to police injuries and accidents, which makes it very easy for them to keep minor injuries or accidents a secret from the public.
Common amusement park injuries include slip and falls (this generally occurs in water parks), food poisoning, and being hit by broken machinery. The most common cause of injuries at amusement parks is when customers are not strapped in safely on a ride. This is especially common among young children because amusement park operators do not always double check seat belts, and young children might not know how to properly click themselves in safely. If you were injured by a negligent ride operator, failure on park security’s part, a dangerous design of a ride, defective ride components, fault safety harnesses, or tripping hazards, you could be entitled to compensation. If you or a loved one has sustained an injury due to any of the above circumstances, do not hesitate to contact a personal injury attorney such as the Personal Injury Lawyer Coeur d’Alene, ID locals trust for more information about amusement park lawsuits. If the amusement park could be held liable for your injury, you may be able to file for compensation (and receive medical expenses or lost wages) under a civil lawsuit.
Thanks to authors at Injury in Idaho for their insight into Personal Injury Law.