Amusement ride accident lawyers note that ride inspection standards and processes throughout the U.S. vary widely. A broad array of voluntary standards and state, federal, and local laws governs amusement ride safety. Different states have different regulations and procedures governing the inspection of and accident reporting on amusement park rides. As recently as 2008, 6 states still had no safety regulations at all for amusement rides. The broad variation in the approach to ride safety makes it difficult to compile a good, nationwide picture of exactly how many accidents occur and what causes them.
Florida, for instance, allows large theme parks to conduct their own amusement park ride safety inspections. Texas requires rides to be inspected before they’re put into operation and at least one a year thereafter.
Theme parks, state fairs, special events, and traveling carnivals all offer exciting and potentially dangerous rides for our amusement. Our amusement ride accident lawyers believe that a consistent scheme of safety standards, inspections, and accident reporting could help provide a clearer picture of nationwide amusement ride accident statistics. A broader understanding of causes of the accidents could provide the basis for a coordinated approach to handling these accidents and their aftermath.
When the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) was given authority to oversee product safety in the U.S., its authority with regard to amusement rides was limited to traveling amusement parks such as mobile carnivals and fairs. The CPSC was allowed to gather statistics on ride accidents at other amusement parks, but had no authority to investigate them.
So when an amusement ride accident occurs that injures or kills someone, there’s no national response in place to assure that other rides containing the same defect or flaw can be corrected before they also injure someone. Our amusement ride accident lawyers point out that currently, it’s primarily the fear of heavy accident liability costs that motivates most amusement ride owners and operators to make the effort to ensure rider safety on their rides. Ultimately, that might be sufficient. Amusement ride accidents are statistically rare. But when they do occur, they tend to be particularly damaging, resulting in mangled or severed limbs or crushed body parts. The costs from such accidents is staggering.
If you or your loved one were injured on an amusement ride, you already know the enormous costs of such an accident. You might be entitled to a full financial recovery of your costs from the ride owner, operator and/or manufacturer. If you have questions, contact our experienced amusement ride accident lawyers at 877-307-9500 for a free and confidential legal consultation. We’ve been successfully handling such claims for injured accident victims for more than a decade. If you have questions, we have answers.