Although amusement parks can be fun places to visit or work, accidents that occur at these venues can be serious events, resulting in serious injuries and even death. Amusement park injuries have been reported to include whiplash, neck and back injuries, heart attacks, broken bones, and severe internal damage. Visitors to amusement parks and park employees involved in accidents may be eligible to file a lawsuit to recover damages for their injuries.

Free Amusement Park Accident Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been injured at an amusement park, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the amusement park and we can help.

What’s the problem?

Most people think of amusement park injuries as serious accidents that involve the malfunction of a ride. While these cases grab your attention in the headlines, they represent but a small fraction of amusement park injury lawsuits. Instead, the vast majority of such claims involve much more routine injuries. The most common type of amusement park injury is the ‘slip and fall’ variety, where patrons injure themselves on sidewalks, shops, or during shows. These types of accidents can happen anywhere, such as slipping on a wet sidewalk or tripping over a carelessly placed garden hose. There are also amusement park lawsuits involving food poisoning or contamination that occurs at restaurants or food courts.

Amusement Park Injuries

Amusement park accidents can cause many different types of injuries. In some cases, these events are catastrophic and result in death. The most commonly-reported amusement park injuries include:

Head
Spine
Neck
Back
Leg
Broken Bones
Amputations

Roller Coaster Accidents

Roller coasters are some of the most popular and entertaining rides at amusement parks, but they also cause some of the deadliest and most terrifying accidents. In the year 2000 alone, there were over 10,580 emergency visits due to roller coaster injuries, and this number has steadily increased ever since. The laws governing responsibility in roller coaster accidents are extremely complicated, due to the fact that assigning negligence and blame in such cases is frequently challenging. If you’ve been injured in a roller coaster accident, contact the amusement park injury lawyers at Schmidt & Clark, LLP today.

Ferris Wheel Accidents

Towering ferris wheels are the hallmarks of amusement parks around the world, but few people realize how dangerous these seemingly innocuous rides can be. Ferris wheels are responsible for many types of injuries, but the most commonly reported are falls from unsecured cars or accidents involving the components of the ride. In July 2005, a Maryland girl fell from a ferris wheel after a cable came loose. Another accident in Ohio occurred due to the negligence of a ferris wheel operator who had a .114 blood alcohol level. These types of amusement park injuries can lead to serious injuries and even death.

What Types of Amusement Park Accident Lawsuits are Available?

Depending on the situation, a number of different types of lawsuits are available to individuals who have been injured at an amusement park. Although the specific claim depends on the nature of the accident that led to the injury, two of the most commonly-filed types of amusement park injury lawsuits are negligence and product liability.

Negligence - If an amusement park injury was caused by the carelessness or inattention of the park itself or an employee of the park, the lawsuit will most likely be for negligence. In such a claim, the plaintiff must prove that the law required the defendant to be reasonably careful, and that the defendant failed in this capacity, which led to the individual being injured. Examples of negligence in amusement park injury lawsuits include:

failure to post clear warning signs
posting signs that don’t adequately warn patrons of the risks involved
failing to properly train ride operators
failing to regularly inspect the rides
improperly operating a ride
providing incorrect instructions to riders

Product Liability - Other amusement park injuries may occur due to defective rides or components, and not by the negligence of the park or its employees. For example, the faulty design of a lap bar may cause it to unlatch while in use, causing the rider to fall to the ground. These types of defects may give rise to product liability lawsuits against the manufacturer of the ride or the maker of the component that failed. In these claims, plaintiffs must prove that the structure, equipment, or part was defective, and that the defect caused injury or death to the victim.

Do I Have an Amusement Park Accident Lawsuit?

The Personal Injury Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in amusement park accident lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new personal injury cases in all 50 states.