Amusement Park Accident Leads to Death of 10-Year-Old Girl
As reported on globalnews.ca, a 10-year-old girl died in an amusement park accident at the Deerfield Township harvest festival in New Jersey on Saturday, October 12. The child was ejected from a ride called Wisdom Super Sizzler and suffered serious injuries. The girl was airlifted to a hospital but was pronounced dead later that evening. A statement by the New Jersey State Police confirms that they are looking into the matter and that they have not concluded the cause or circumstances of the incident. The amusement ride operator shared on their Facebook page that they are cooperating with the investigation.
Amusement park accident injuries
Amusement park rides including water slides, bumper cars, roller coasters and others are responsible for thousands of injuries every year. According to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), about 8,000 people were injured badly enough in an amusement park accident in 2006 to require a visit to the Emergency Room. Amusement park injuries range from cuts and bruises to head injuries and death.
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) tracked injuries at U.S. and Canadian amusement facilities in fixed sites for their 2017 Ride Safety Report. They found an injury rate of 0.62 injuries per million rides.
While thousands of people take rides at amusement parks every year without incident, catastrophic injuries do happen. Serious amusement park ride injuries include:
- traumatic brain injuries
- neck or spine injuries
- broken bones
- internal injuries
- crush injuries
- amputations
- electrocution
- whiplash
- brain hemorrhages
- paraplegia/quadriplegia
- death
Causes of amusement park accidents
Common causes of amusement park accidents include everything from operator error; mechanical or design flaw or failure; design defects or limitations; loose, worn, or rusty cables, nuts or bolts; faulty or inadequate safety features; improper height or weight calculations or restrictions, and exposed electrical wires. Environmental factors such as proximity to salt water and high temperatures must also be taken into consideration when evaluating damage to rides that could have caused the accident.
A great personal injury attorney will understand and evaluate whether negligence was the cause of the accident.
Liability for damages
In an amusement park accident, the injured person may be able to bring a negligence claim against the park and its employees or a product liability claim against the manufacturer of a defective ride. In some cases, both types of claims are appropriate. If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury in an amusement park ride accident or carnival accident you should seek the help of an experienced amusement park accident attorney who can investigate the cause of the accident and fight for damages on your behalf.
Like many businesses, most amusement parks and carnival operators will not settle a claim unless they are sued. Never agree to settle a claim without the help of an accident lawyer who will help settle in your favor.
Seek the help of an amusement park accident lawyer
If you or a loved one was injured in an accident, you have enough to deal with. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a lawyer. Call the competent accident attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
