Carnival ride accidents can occur for any number of reasons. Almost all of the causes of carnival ride accidents ultimately trace back to negligence somewhere along the line. The causes that feature most often in the stories you see of amusement park ride accidents are:
Operator error: The operator of the carnival ride you enter might be both young and underpaid. You won’t know if their training on the ride has been thorough and extensive, or minimal. The operator may not be aware of all the safety risks should he or she make a slight mistake in operating the ride. The operator may not consider the consequences of overlooking a rule or two, like the ride’s height requirement to enter.
Recently, an unfortunate young man in Sautron, France made the news when the roller coaster he operated killed him. The man left the control booth of the moving roller coaster he was operating. The roller coaster ran over him and crushed his legs. Rescue workers amputated one leg at the scene to free him. Rescuers rushed the man to the hospital, where he later died from his wounds.
Rider mischief: Sometimes riders like to show off for their friends, or illustrate their personal daring through horseplay on an amusement park ride. Multiple injuries and fatalities from amusement park accidents over the years show that this is not a good idea. Most ride designs intend to give you that special thrill of ultimate acceleration as the rides drop at steep angles, take hairpin turns, spin, swing and speed through all sorts of twists and curves. The stresses this acceleration places on the rides and their riders are enormous. The ride’s safety restraints are designed to hold you in place through all of these thrills. But they only work if you use them properly. If you stand up in your car as you near the top of a tall Ferris wheel, you may well overbalance and fall to your death. It’s happened.
Structural design: Occasionally, design elements of the rides may create some safety concerns. For instance at Morey’s Piers (Morey’s Mariner’s Landing Pier) in Wildwood, NJ, the Sea Dragon pirate ship ride contained a big, steel center mast that fell and injured 5 riders. The mast was weighty and top heavy. The ride’s manufacturer had issued a recall on the Sea Dragon rides because the anchoring mechanisms could become worn and cause the mast to topple. And indeed, this mast in Wildwood, NJ toppled over just as the service bulletin suggested it might.
Maintenance: Because of the huge stress and strain that operating most amusement park rides places on the components of the rides themselves, it’s critically important that these rides be inspected for wear and be carefully maintained. In August 2011, at Schweizer Fest in Tell City, Indiana, two metal bars came loose from the Scrambler ride and sent four people to a local hospital with injuries. Ride component wear and maintenance negligence may well have been issues in this accident.
Statistically, amusement park rides are pretty safe. But that probably doesn’t’ make you feel any better if you are one of the few to have been injured on a ride, or if you’ve lost a loved one to a carnival ride accident. If the cause of your accident was not rider horseplay, then you may have a right to pursue legal action against those whose negligence caused the accident. You may be able to seek fair financial compensation for your injuries from the ride’s designers, owners, operators or other parties. We’ve been helping the injured victims of carnival ride accidents for over a dozen years. If you have questions about your accident, you can call us for a free legal consultation. We can discuss the particular circumstances of your injury and help you determine if legal action would benefit you. Call now: (877) 307-9500.