Our ride accident attorneys occasionally write about those tragic occasions where riders fall out of amusement park and carnival rides to their deaths. The carnivals and amusement parks almost always try to blame these accidents on “rider misconduct.” But often as not, the cause of the tragedy is ride operator inattention, a failure to observe necessary safety procedures, or a failure to properly inspect rides for safety.
Most recently, our ride accident attorneys have been reviewing the tragic incident at least year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo where Brian Greenhouse fell to his death from the front car of the Hi-Miler only hours before the Rodeo Carnival was set to close for the year. The front car from which he fell had been reported by other riders to have a lap bar that would come unlatched during the ride.
In February of this year, a young girl fell to her death from “La Tour Eiffel” drop tower ride in the Hopi Hari amusement park in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Recent reports indicate that this fatal accident was completely preventable. The girl had been seated in a seat of the ride that had not been used for 10 long years. The seat had been out of use for so long because the over the shoulder restraint system did not function.
Apparently, the maintenance workers assigned to check the rides for safety prior to the amusement park opening time had failed to clearly mark the defective seat “Out of Service” on that day. And because that particular seat had been unused for so long, it did not have the secondary seat belt restraint system installed, which had been recommended by the ride manufacturer in 2002.
That the park even left the defective seat on the ride seems to be quite negligent. Just leaving the seat in place, with only an “out of order” sign manually attached (or not) by maintenance workers each day seems to beg for disaster. And why weren’t the ride operators trained to check that seat themselves to be sure it could not be used. That would seem a prudent secondary safety precaution if the park were going to rely on maintenance workers to place an “out of order” sign each day.
Reportedly, a video taken after the girl’s tragic fatal fall shows the shoulder restraint flying open mid-ride, as it must have done on the day that she died. Her death was both needless and preventable. The entire Hopi Hari amusement park was closed for the inspection of all other rides and for review of employee training procedures.
Our ride accident attorneys hope that the family of the girl who so untimely met her death doesn’t back down on holding Hopi Hari owners and ride operators accountable for the needless death of their young family member. Only such accountability keep ride owners and operators from cutting corners on safety to maximize profits.
Those who have been injured because of ride owner or operator negligence can contact our ride accident attorneys for a free legal consultation regarding their injuries. We could answer questions you might have about how to pursue fair financial compensation for your injuries, and what obstacles ride owners are likely to put in your way. We have extensive practice experience successfully handling ride accident cases. We know the lame defenses the rider owners and operators could throw at you, and how to successfully combat them. Call today, 877-307-9500. Or use our web contact form to schedule your free consultation.