Update on case of permanent disability incurred at Wild West themepark | DENENA | POINTS
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Update on case of permanent disability incurred at Wild West themepark

Our amusement park injury lawyers wrote some months back about a case involving the disabling permanent injury of Old West reenactment actor Scott Harris by a live bullet in a Wild West gunfight at a New Jersey theme park in 2006. The theme park is Wild West City in Byram, NJ.
Scott Harris was playing the part of Wyatt Earp in the famed Gunfight at the OK Corral when the 17-year-old actor firing at “Wyatt Earp” struck him in the head with a live round. The young actor firing the bullet had been insufficiently trained and accidentally loaded his gun with live rounds left in a locker by another theme park employee rather than the blanks that the skit called for. Scott Harris has been partially paralyzed ever since the accident.

Our amusement park injury lawyers clarify that the prosecutors had two goals in the case: ensuring increased safety at the theme park, and getting park owners and operators to accept responsibility for the tragic accident. An article in the New Jersey Herald states that the court case resulting from the tragic accident has resulted in several plea deals.

  • Michael Stabile, one of the owners of Wild West City, has pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful possession of a handgun without a carry permit. The plea acknowledged transferring 3 handguns to actors without carry permits. The guns were used in the Wild West reenactments. The plea deal keeps Stabile and theme park manager Nathan McPeak out of jail. The original charge of aggravated assault against Stabile carried a possible penalty of up to 10 years in prison. McPeak had been charged with conspiracy and firearms violations that could have placed him behind bars for up to 5 years.
  • Prosecutors have agreed to recommend a 1-year probation for Western World, the company that owns Wild West City. The company also faces a possible fine of up to $45,000.
  • DeSean Sears, the actor who accidentally paralyzed Scott Harris, pleaded guilty several years ago to causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon. He served a 6-month probation.
  • A. Morales, the employee who left the live rounds in an employee locker after returning from a shooting range, went onto New Jersey’s pretrial intervention program designed for nonviolent first-time offenders.
  • Wild West City has pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and has also agreed to continue enforcing gun safety measures put in place after the 2006 accident.

Our amusement park injury lawyers note that the theme park’s enhanced safety measures comprise:

  • A ban on all live ammunition at the park, which entertains thousands of school children annually, and a ban on all weapons that can shoot live ammo;
  • Cowboy actors are only permitted to shoot blank-only guns;
  • Blank ammunition and all weapons must be located in one designated area at the park; and
  • The park must have a designated safety officer and will conduct random testing.

If you or a loved one were injured at a theme park, feel free to contact our amusement park injury lawyers for a legal consultation about your accident. Your free initial consultation and case evaluation could provide you with the knowledgeable counsel you need to make informed decisions regarding steps to take after an undeserved injury. Learn what you need to do to obtain a full financial recovery after your accident from those who caused your injury. Call or contact us online today.