A study of NEISS (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System) data at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio found that carnival rides injure 4,400 children under 17 each year. Our carnival ride injury lawyers emphasize that these injuries are serious enough that the children require hospital treatment. About 1.5% of the 4,400 injuries required extended hospitalization.

The study of the NEISS data required painstaking research through the injury data from 100 trauma hospitals nationwide. We note that sifting this hospital data was necessary because there is no consistent reporting requirement for amusement ride injuries in the United States. These 100 hospitals likely also represent only a small fraction of the total number of medical facilities at which injured children would have received treatment.

Each U.S. state has different reporting requirements for carnival ride injuries. 6 states have no carnival ride inspection or reporting systems. And some amusement parks aren’t required to report such data at all.

The True Numbers Remain a Mystery: On the Limited Availability of Reported Carnival Ride Injury Data

Our carnival ride injury lawyers point out that the study does not account for deaths from amusement rides because the NEISS hospital injury reports do not track fatality data. The researchers behind the study point out that lack of consistent reported injury data for ride injuries highlights the need for a consistent national reporting scheme for carnival ride injuries. Click the linkto learn more about current regulatory requirements for amusement rides and their safety.

The study followed 20 years of NEISS data, and represents the most complete carnival ride injury survey to date. The data accounts for amusement ride injuries at the mobile carnivals so ubiquitous in Texas during the summer, at fixed site theme and amusement parks, at fairs, and at arcades, malls, restaurants, stores, and other places offering amusement rides.

What Types of Injuries are these Children Suffering?

Almost one third of the children, 32%, were injured by falls relating to the carnival rides. 28% of their injuries were to the head and neck. 30% were soft tissue injuries. Our carnival ride injury lawyers mention that a great many of the injuries occur when a child falls and gets stuck between parts of a ride or in some other way gets hands, feet, or the head caught in a ride.

The large fixed-site theme and amusement parks were the site of 33% of the injuries, with mobile carnivals close behind at 30% or more, and arcade, mall, and store rides accounting for about 12% of the injuries. (Source: JoNel Aleccia, nbcnews.com, 5/1/13)

Read Critical Safety Tips for Keeping Your Child Safe on Roller Coasters and Carnival Rides this Summer

Download our free book with safety tips to help you keep your child safe on amusement park rides. And if you or your loved ones are injured on carnival rides and you need help, contact our carnival ride injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC for a free, no obligation legal consultation. We could discuss the accident facts with you and evaluate your eligibility for a just financial recovery for the needless harm you’ve suffered.

Just give us a call at 281-369-4363 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your free legal consultation. Our carnival ride injury lawyers have more than 10 years of in-depth experience successfully resolving complex injury and wrongful death cases for our clients, including tragic, high profile carnival ride fatality cases.

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