Our roller coaster injury lawyers note that in 2011, after Brian Greenhouse fell to his death from the Hi-Miler roller coaster at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (Houston Rodeo), questions were raised regarding the adequacy of the safety procedures and inspections used by Ray Cammack Shows (RCS). For one thing, the ride operator wasn’t actually looking at the ride at the time Mr. Greenhouse fell from the roller coaster car. The law mandates that ride operators observe the ride at all times while it’s in motion.
RCS said that it inspects its rides daily for safety. But that inspection process is an automated one, essentially a computerized diagnostic program, apparently designed by RCS. The company manually inspects all its rides during setup and takedown. And it hires an outside consultant to check the rides and safety features periodically. Reportedly in 2011, the outside safety consultant was on site at the Houston Rodeo several times to perform safety checks and inspections. But some riders of the Hi-Miler question whether that’s sufficient. Our roller coaster injury lawyers are inclined to agree with those riders.
RCS has experienced some ride accidents in the past. And several accounts indicate that RCS might not report ride accidents and issues as required. For instance, Houston media exposed that in 2004 RCS failed to report injuries received on the Euro Slide ride at the Houston Rodeo that year.
The roller coaster injury lawyers at Denena & Points wonder if anyone still remembers that in 2010, riders of the Hi-Miler at the Houston Rodeo were stuck on the ride for around 45 minutes because a crank shaft bent and automatically stopped the ride. In another incident from a previous year, a rider’s head hit the bar on the Hi-Miler. The rider suffered a broken cheekbone and broken nose.
In 2002, a 3-year-old boy fell from the Kite Flyer ride operated by RCS at the California State Fair. The boy suffered injuries from his fall but survived. Reportedly, RCS might have been operating the Kite Flyer ride under a 36-inch height requirement when the ride’s manufacturer (Zamperla of Italy) specified a 42-inch height requirement.
Our roller coaster injury lawyers remind you that roller coasters and other exciting, high acceleration rides are never perfectly safe. That’s part of their thrill. It’s also why ride owners and operators have to take extensive precautions to ensure your safety, make regular and careful inspections of the rides, and report ride problems and injuries so that officials will know if certain rides might be unsafe and need to be recalled. News reports over the years indicate the RCS might have chronic problems ensuring rider safety and reporting injuries and accidents.
If you become injured on a ride at the Houston Rodeo this year, contact our roller coaster injury lawyers for a free and confidential legal consultation. Our Board Certified Houston personal injury attorneys have special expertise with such injury cases and more than 12 years of experiencing fighting for the rights of injured clients. You can reach us at 877-307-9500 or through our online contact form on this web page.