School is out, the temperatures are up and you made it your business to take the kids to a few carnivals and amusement parks this season. Though there are rides, games and a variety of attractions to keep you and your children busy, you may want to keep in mind that it is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Amusement parks may seem like the perfect environment for family fun, but they are also full of hazards that could prove dangerous to you and your loved ones.
Ride malfunctions, operator error and other incidents can happen that can cause you or your kids to suffer injuries or worse. As a parent, it is your task to protect your children from any foreseeable dangers, but how can you do that when it is not possible to predict which amusement park rides or attractions are safe?
Amusement park ride safety oversight
To limit the possibility of accidents and malfunctions, amusement park rides must undergo periodic safety inspections from the New York Department of Labor. These evaluations must take place before the date of public operation and may occur on a rolling basis afterward. Despite this mandate, some amusement park owners and ride operators allow potentially unsafe and failed safety inspection rides and attractions to open, putting the public at risk.
Issues that contribute to rider accidents and injuries
There exist a variety of ride/owner reasons that contribute to amusement park/carnival ride and attraction accidents and injuries, ranging from ride/owner operator error and poor maintenance to malfunctions and defects. When innocent riders become hurt as a result of ride owner and operator negligence, they pursue compensation for their ordeals.
Amusement park rides and attraction malfunction injuries are often severe. Victims who fall off these rides tend to sustain amputations, burns and mental trauma. Some injured riders are more fortunate and walk away with minor scrapes, bruises and tarnished experiences.
Not all accidents are avoidable. However, parents can minimize the risk and severity of personal injuries their children may experience by checking the safety inspection stickers on all rides, visually inspecting the rides for issues and listening to their instincts.
