411: Injuries at Amusement Parks

Amusement parks are generally destinations filled with fun; places on which families descend in anticipation of a day of thrill and, well, amusement. Unfortunately, though, as many of our clients have learned the hard way, amusement parks can be dangerous places if proper precautions are not taken.

As South Florida personal injury attorneys, our lawyers at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg have represented numerous individuals who have gone to amusement parks only to leave with broken legs or broken arms, dislocated shoulders, broken ankles, etc. How can a place touted as a center of fun be, in actuality, a hub for disaster? Basically, incidents resulting in injuries at amusement parks are due to two prime issues: negligence and product liability. Negligence on behalf of the amusement park comes in many forms, including failing to post a warning sign (i.e., saying that individuals with a heart condition should not ride a certain ride), failing to post signs that demonstrate the true risks associated with going on a certain ride, improperly training a ride operator, improperly operating a ride, failing to maintain safe ride and walking conditions, etc.

These aforementioned examples of negligence on the part of the amusement park can result in great personal injury – and even death. Say, for example, you go to an amusement park with your family and you all go on a ride that turns out to whirl a great deal. The ride whirls so much that, at the end of the ride, you realize that your child has slammed against the wall of the ride and seriously hurt their arm. Your child should never have gotten on that ride to begin with, and it was the amusement park’s responsibility to post appropriate warnings and screen individuals going on the ride to ensure that no children were allowed to board. If the amusement park failed to act properly as described above, they might be on the hook for the injuries your child sustained on their ride.

On the other hand, many injuries that take place at amusement parks are due to product liability matters – in these instances, the fault lies in the design or manufacturing of the product. For example, let’s say you are on a ride that spins around and, on one spin, the safety rail that is there to keep you in your seat snaps off of the front of the cart in which you are sitting and you are tossed from the ride; as a result, you seriously injure your leg. Most assuredly, this injury is the fault of the designer and/or manufacturer of the ride, who constructed a cart from which the safety bar can fly off in the middle of a ride, causing injuries. That company, the one that produced the ride from which you were tossed, might be liable for your injuries.

While amusement parks can be wonderful sources of fun, they can also be the sources of considerable grief and anguish. If you’ve been injured at an amusement park, reach out to our personal injury attorneys to see how we can help you. To schedule a free consultation, please call us at 561-266-9191 or e-mail us at daronberg@build.simple.biz. 

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