Amusement Park Accident Lawyers in Miami

You should speak to an amusement park accident lawyer if you or someone you know gets hurt on a ride or the premises of an amusement park or theme park.

There are thousands of amusement parks and other theme-style parks in the United States. Florida itself is home to some of the most famous amusement parks in the world like Walt Disney World, EPCOT, Universal Orlando, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland. People from all over the world travel here for an incredible time with friends and family.

Amusement parks like to tout their records as being very safe, but the bottom line is that accidents happen, and people get hurt at amusement parks more often than you would think. Maybe it’s happened to you.

One moment you’re on a ride having the time of your life, and the next moment park responders are calling for an ambulance because you’ve hurt your neck or broken some bones.

Suffering an injury at an amusement park can ruin a good time, but it can also leave you or someone you know with lasting health conditions that take weeks, months, or years to treat. Some amusement park accidents are fatal.

If you or someone you love gets hurt at an amusement park, you may be entitled to damages to help pay for things like medical bills, time missed from work, and pain and suffering. A qualified amusement park accident lawyer can talk to you about what happened and whether you have a case.

Here is some helpful information on amusement park accidents and how an experienced lawyer can get you the compensation you deserve.

Amusement Park Injuries Happen More Often Than You Think

Of course, when you ask anyone who works at an amusement park if things are safe, they will likely respond with a confident, “Absolutely!” However, we know that’s not the case.

According to NBC News, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said it estimated that over 30,000 people injured at amusement parks went to a hospital emergency room in 2016. That’s 30,000 people in just one year. Think about it.

From 2010 to 2017, 22 deaths were caused by “thrill rides” (roller coasters and the like).

The point is, amusement park accidents aren’t likely, but they aren’t a fluke either. You can read more about injury lists here.

Negligence vs. Freak Accident

Sometimes the stars align, and something happens that no one could have predicted or prevented. However, that’s rarely the case when it comes to amusement park accidents.

You’ll read statements in the news from the parent companies talking about how this was a one in a million accident. However, there are often several factors that contribute to what happened and lead to severe injuries.

Negligence comes up in these types of situations frequently. An experienced amusement park accident lawyer will help you determine whether the park lived up to its obligations or failed its customers.

They will take a look at things like:

Inspections

Did park employees inspect the rides regularly? Inspections are critical to spotting any faulty mechanics or signs of malfunction. Did they properly document the inspections?  Were they meaningful inspections that would have revealed a malfunction or maintenance problem?

Installation

A lot of amusement park rides are safe after a certified contractor or the manufacturer installs them. They certainly don’t want liability if something goes wrong, and they go the extra mile to make sure their product lives up to their standards. However, it’s not 100%. Sometimes the manufacturer and the installers miss something or cut corners that lead to injuries.

Scheduled Maintenance

Amusement park rides, and especially thrill rides, are complex machines. They have a lot of moving parts. These aren’t the kinds of things that you can set and forget. They need regular maintenance to make sure everything is in order. Was all of the scheduled maintenance performed, and was it done on time?

User Errors

Were people on the ride acting irresponsibly or in a way that led to the injury?

Operator Negligence

Did the employee fail to deliver safety instructions? Were too many people on the ride, and was it running over capacity? High-performance rides usually have strict weight and number of people restrictions on them. What kind of employee was operating the ride? Were they skilled and trained? Were they under the influence of alcohol or drugs?

Negligent Security

Was there poor lighting? Were security guards unable to control crowds or prevent a security incident from happening? It’s the amusement park’s responsibility to keep patrons safe when they are in the park. If they don’t, then they can be responsible in a negligent security case.

These are just some of the things a seasoned amusement park accident lawyer will look at in your case. It’s vital to get to the root causes of your injury to improve your chances of getting the financial compensation you need for recovery and ensure that similar problems never happen again.

Amusement Park Slip and Fall Accidents

Not every amusement park accident is something as extreme as a roller coaster accident. No doubt much of the tens of thousands of people who went to the emergency room went to treat things that happened in the normal course of being at the park.

One of the main causes of accidents at amusement parks is wet surfaces that lead to slip and fall injuries.

Falling may not seem like a big deal to some people, but falling unexpectedly for someone older or in poor health can be devastating. Even if you’re a fit person, you can slip and twist your leg as you fall and the next thing you know, you’re headed in for ACL surgery.

It’s not always the flashy rides that cause injuries. People suffer injuries at amusement parks when things like fences, seating, and other equipment aren’t maintained the way they are supposed to. A significant injury that lasts for years can happen with poor signage and a bit of water.

Find an Amusement Park Accident Lawyer Who Can Help You Uncover Liability

When you’re ready to start building your case after an amusement park accident, your lawyer will help you start uncovering liability.

Find an amusement park accident lawyer with a specialty in these cases with a track record that speaks for itself. They’ll know where to look and how to gather the evidence you need.

What caused the accident will point to liability. Liable parties can include the park, its owners, parts manufacturers, people and companies working on the rides, park security companies, and other groups working on the premises.

Here’s What You Should Talk to Your Lawyer About

The attorney you hire and their accompanying legal team will have a big impact on the outcome of your case. Here are some tips on what you should discuss and how you can decide on the right attorney to represent you.

• Do You Have a Case?  First and foremost, you need a lawyer who will tell you whether you have a case. Whether you’re dealing with a significant whiplash injury or a slip and fall, an attorney should ask you questions about what happened, contributing factors, etc. to determine whether the case is worth pursuing.
• Past Settlements.  The firm you hire and the lead attorney should have experience dealing with amusement park accidents. They should also be able to demonstrate that they’ve successfully negotiated settlements out of court for clients in the past.
• Litigation. Discuss plan if things go to court. The legal team you hire should have experience litigating amusement park accident cases successfully and be willing to go to court if necessary.
• Communication Style.   Personal injury claims and getting the right settlement amount can take some time. It’s not going to happen overnight. What’s more likely to happen is that you and the lawyer you hire will work closely for an extended period of time. You should be confident they’ll respond to your questions and keep you in the loop about what’s going on.

Winning Compensation After an Amusement Park Injury

No one plans to get injured at the amusement park. It’s almost the worst thing that can happen. These parks are supposed to be all about fun and thrills.

However, we now know that injuries happen all of the time. A lot of them are preventable and the result of negligence or faulty manufacturing and other causes.

It doesn’t matter if you’re at a massive corporate theme park or a neighborhood summer fair. If you get hurt at a park, you may be entitled to compensation if your injuries require medical attention or cause you to miss work.

If you or someone you know suffers an injury at an amusement park, the team at Leighton Panoff Law is ready to help. We have years of experience representing Florida amusement park accident victims. Our team offers no-obligation consultations to discuss the details of your case. We don’t charge you anything unless we recover damages on your behalf. We have decades of experience handling cases against the major theme parks and have obtained substantial settlements and verdicts against Disney and the other operators.

Contact us today to hear how we can help and to discuss what your next steps should be.