As Summer Nears, Amusement and Theme Park Risks Become Real

In his latest blog post on ResortInjuryLawyerBlog, John Leighton reports on the risks in amusement, theme park and water parks.  With summer right around the corner, more families are taking to the parks seeking fun and excitement.  But this is not risk-free. In his post Mr. Leighton points out some of the more dangerous parts of these amusements.  Many are not obvious, such as the risk of predatory pedophiles who use amusement and theme parks as a built-in shopping center.  Leighton’s recent article on preventing child sex abuse also discusses this issue and provides some practical tips for preventing child sex abuse.

 

The bottom line is that before taking the kids to Disney World, Universal Orlando, Busch Gardens or any of the hundreds of amusement and theme parks, have a plan.  Know where your kids are.  Make sure they stay together with at least one child at any given time (the buddy system).  Never be alone with a single stranger. Avoid obvious dangers and poorly maintained rides and amusements (the rides are rarely inspected and there is little or no federal oversight).  Water parks are among the most hazard-filled and result in over 4,000 hospital visits each year.  Many of these are due to water contaminated with fecal bacteria, and others are due to lacerations and falls.  The worst involve serious injury and deaths, such as the decapitation fatality of a 10-year-old boy at a Kansas water slide.  Though this was a worst case scenario, parents must understand that all thrill rides and water slides pose some risk of harm to users.  Since as consumers we are rarely able to know the quality or extent of the maintenance (or proper design) of each ride, we have to trust the park to prevent these injuries and offer a safe environment for fun.

Leighton Law has litigated cases against many theme parks and amusement providers for their negligence in operating or maintaining rides.  We will continue to do so until injuries and deaths at theme parks are a thing of the past.

Make the summer a safe one for the whole family.