You may have heard about the accidental release of excessive amounts of chlorine into wave pool water at the Sacramento, CA Raging Waters water park. What amounted to a chlorine gas attack sent 20 people (including 9 children) to local hospitals with burning eyes and respiratory tracts. A defect in a pump mechanism that supplies the pool with necessary chlorine disinfectants is the culprit in the chlorine gas attack. Investigators say that one of the 2 pumps that circulate water through the filtration system broke. But an electrical problem in the pump that injects chlorine into the pool caused it to keep pumping chlorine into the system. When chlorine overwhelms the water into which it’s injected, the excess chlorine that the water capacity can’t absorb becomes airborne as chlorine gas.
Chlorine gas has been used as a weapon of war since WWI. When you’ve gone to the local water park to escape the heat of a raging summer sun, you definitely don’t want to see a chlorine gas cloud hanging above your head. Yet that’s exactly what happened in Sacramento. Water park employees and guests were trapped between a raging summer sun on one hand and raging waters emitting poisonous gas on the other hand. They quickly made wise choices and evacuated the pool in haste.
News reports indicate that this particular water park has a pretty clean history regarding accidents and safety violations. But defective equipment can cause accidents at any time. Poorly trained employees can also cause accidents and injuries. The water parks and amusement parks that seek to draw crowds to spend their money at these venues have an affirmative duty to ensure the safety of those they’ve lured to their grounds with promises of fun and excitement.
If a water park or amusement park has injured you or your loved ones by neglecting this duty of care, you can come to us for experienced legal help. We have a solid track record of helping clients in need because of high profile amusement and water park accidents. Don’t let raging waters ruin your summer. Let us help you calm those waters.