Amusement Park Accidents: From Slip-and-Falls to Ride Catastrophes

San Jose, CAIt is often one of the most highly anticipated outings for a family, but in an instant an amusement park accident can change the lives of members of that family. Theme park accidents can be horrific occurrences that result in death or permanent injury to the victims. Such theme park injuries can quickly turn a happy family memory into a nightmare.

According to Ride Accidents (rideaccidents.com), one horrific theme park accident resulted in injuries to 23 people, including many children. The accident happened during the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee in Angels Camp, California. The ride involved in the incident, the Yo-Yo Chair Ride, crashed and injured 21 children and two adults. The most seriously injured child suffered permanent brain damage.

An investigation by the California Department of Industrial Relations found that the owner of the ride did not properly maintain it, allowing cap screws to become unfastened and resulting in the swing arms collapsing. Furthermore, the investigation reportedly found that the owner did not conduct proper inspections and certifications to ensure the ride was safe. A lawsuit filed after the incident resulted in a $3.375 million settlement.

Although thoughts of theme park accidents tend to bring to mind catastrophic events involving major rides and attractions, a review conducted by the Orlando Sentinel (03/30/09) found that often rides are not the focus of theme park lawsuits. In fact, one of the most common complaints about theme parks involves slip-and-fall incidents.

According to the Sentinel's review, 218 of 477 lawsuits—approximately 45 percent—filed against Central Florida's three big theme-park companies between 2004 and 2008 involved slip-and-fall complaints. That is compared with 101 lawsuits involving rides and 158 lawsuits involving accidents in shops, on streets or sidewalks, or during shows.

The review further found that most lawsuits were not filed until more than a year after the incident passed and were eventually settled out of court. Of the 477 cases included in the review, 360 were completed by the time the article was published. Of those, only seven went to trial. Most of the settlements were kept confidential. Of those released, settlements ranged from just above $4,000 up to $145,000.

In addition to theme parks, water parks and animal parks such as SeaWorld can face lawsuits if visitors are injured due to negligence on the part of the park's staff, maintenance crew or owners.