How Differing State Regulations affected the Vortex and Zumur Riders

You may have just read about the horrific accident on the Vortex ride at the State Fair in North Carolina that critically injured several people. Our carnival ride accident lawyers caution that due to the extreme thrills amusement rides create for their passengers, with high speeds, abrupt turns, steep inclines, and portions of the ride spent sideways or upside down, it’s an unfortunate fact that on the rare occasions that something goes wrong with these rides, people can be severely hurt or killed.

Differing State Authorities over Ride Safety and What It Means for Riders

One of the problems with ensuring ride safety is the odd patchwork of state laws that govern ride safety. There is no overall federal authority for regulating rides and their safety. And some states have no regulations at all regarding amusement rides and no authority in charge of inspecting rides. You might want to learn a little about how differing state regulations affected the Vortex and Zumur riders before you jump onto your next thrill ride.

Our nationwide carnival ride accident lawyers at Denena Points, PC report that state authorities in North Carolina are still investigating to try to determine what went wrong with the Vortex to make it suddenly start up again while riders were unloading from the ride. Just a few weeks before that accident, you may remember that another serious problem occurred on the Zumur swing ride at the Oyster Festival in Connecticut.

The Zumur Ride in Connecticut Had been Properly Inspected just before its Serious Accident

In that instance, which was almost the opposite of what happened with the Vortex, the Zumur swing ride suddenly stopped in the middle of the ride. The force of the sudden stop hurled riders in their swings into each other and into the center support pylon, sending more than a dozen people to the hospital. Our carnival ride accident lawyers note that investigators determined that gears had worn down in the ride and caused a drive shaft in the engine to break.

But indications are that the Zumur ride had been adequately inspected as state regulations required, and that the ride owner followed all known manufacturer’s directions regarding maintenance of the ride. It seems that the successor in interest to the ride manufacturer, Chance Rides, might have been aware of the effect of long-term wear on the gears, but might not have notified ride owners until after the Zumur Oyster Festival accident.

When it comes to Thrill Rides, Concern for Your Safety is Strictly Voluntary

Due to the lack of overall regulatory authority over amusement rides in the U.S., ride safety standards are purely voluntary. (Though our carnival ride accident lawyers emphasize that most ride makers, owners, and operators comply in order to avoid potential financial liabilities from an accident.) And there’s no federal authority to compel a ride manufacturer to recall an unsafe ride or even issue a warning regarding the effects of certain long-term wear and tear. So even when a ride owner complies with all known maintenance guidance and all state safety regulations, a horrific accident still might occur due to ride defects or other causes. Go to Part 2 to learn about the specific requirements for ride safety in Connecticut and read about what happened with the Zumur ride.