amusement park accidentsDo you go to amusement parks? If you do, you may wonder how frequent or common amusement park accidents actually are. The truth is that accidents at amusement parks happen a lot more than the public might believe. Unless it’s a death, a lot of accidents may not make into the media either by concerted effort or by chance because someone doesn’t report them.

Amusement park accidents definitely happen more often than you might think. Even bumper cars and water slides can cause really serious injuries. Any ride at an amusement park does have the potential to injure people, whether something goes wrong with the ride or someone is not secured or a freak accident happens or it’s just naturally always having the potential for damages (like bumper cars).

Plenty of people have gotten injured on amusement park rides, and more have died. Neck, back, or head injuries can be common as many rides involve high velocities or repetitive movements or even physical contact. Broken limbs, torn ligaments and more can even occur. Some injuries resolve on their own, others require attention, and some include some serious injuries. Today we’re going into all of it, so read on to find out more.

8,800 individuals were reported to sustain injuries while riding amusement park rides in 2006. Scarily enough, these numbers are only relevant to injuries that went to the ER. That means that the total amount of injuries is likely far past 10,000 for that year and has probably only gone up on an annual basis as amusement parks have not gone anywhere in America. 3,500 people were injured from inflatable slides or bounces and 3,100 were injured on public water rides.

You can get serious injuries from riding rides that put exterior on the ligaments in the neck and head that can cause massive physical shock and even strokes. People have even gotten injuries to the head from the strain on the brain or G-forces from fast rides. It’s also not been uncommon for a tube to get stuck in a slide and the tube behind bumping you free with a nasty jolt. In very bad scenarios, drowning can occur.

Half of all these accidents include children. Kids 10 to 14 are likely to make up most of those injuries and make up 3 out of 4 victims that get injured from forceful ejection or falling for a ride. From 1987 to 2000, 51 people died from rides that were mostly roller coasters and of a whirling nature.

What are some of the common reasons why these amusement park rides malfunction? Mechanical failure is a frequent cause of these accidents. Or operators can fail to fasten people in correctly. Operating rides wrongly can also cause accidents, or a structural break can occur due to malfunction or poor maintenance. Riders can themselves be responsible for the accidents by behaving recklessly

If you or someone you love has gotten injured from a ride at an amusement park, you can file a negligence lawsuit against the park or employees or even product liability suit against a manufacturer. Contact The Law Offices of Payas, Payas, and Payas today and see what your options might be.