Is Safety a Concern at Carnivals and Amusement Parks?
According to WSIL, locals are talking safety when it comes to the Williamson County Fair and Du Quoin State Fair after a recent death of an 18 year old on a carnival ride. A fun night at an Ohio Carnival turned tragic for one young boy and many others. When you think of summer, we think of water parks, local carnivals, and other amusement parks such as Six Flags. Should parents be worried about their child’s safety on these rides?
According to the IAAPA, there are 413 amusement type parks in the U.S. In 2015, there were an estimated 335 million guests and approximately 1,502 of those were injured. Since 2010, there have been 22 fatalities. IAAPA claims that the chances of being seriously injured on a fixed-site ride at a U.S. amusement park is 1 in 16 million.
Most Dangerous Amusement Park Rides
This report was from data in 2009. The data will vary from year to year.
- Roller Coasters: 495 injuries or death
- Water Slides: 439 injured or killed
- Boat Rides: 93 people injured
- Wooden Roller Coasters: 87 people injured
- Water Park playgrounds: 84 people injured
- Alpine Slide: 72 injured
- Car Ride: 72 injured
- Flume Ride: 72 injured
- Slides: 69 injured
- Carousel: 60 injured
Most Common Injuries from Park Rides include:
- Head, neck, and back injuries from bumper cars, spinning rides and roller coasters
- Death from being thrown from a ride
- Drownings at water parks
- Brain injury from extremely fast speed of from detached objects hitting riders head
- Broken bones or torn ligaments
Causes of Amusement Park Injuries
- Improper operation of the ride such as stopping it too quickly
- Mechanical failure of the ride such as lap belt breaks loose or roller coaster car detaches
- Passenger misuse or failure to follow instructions such as rocking on a Ferris wheel, standing up during ride, or not tightening a seatbelt
- Nature of the ride in general can cause injury. A roller coaster or spinning ride could cause hemorrhage or major headache, etc.
Safety Regulations for Rides
Unfortunately, there are six states without oversight and includes Alabama, Mississippi, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah. The Illinois Department of Labor does not allow any ride to operate unless it passes inspection. All rides permitted are insured, inspected, and meeting applicable safety standards before they are allowed to operate in Illinois. Illinois is also one of the state who investigate the accidents.
Personal Injury Attorneys
If you have been injured at an amusement park, give our experienced Illinois personal injury attorneys a call at 618-932-2772 or contact us via our convenient online form.