Amusement Park Accidents

Cincinnati Amusement Park Lawyers

When a Fun Trip Ends in Tragedy, Our Cincinnati Injury Attorneys Are Here for You

Like most major metropolitan areas, Cincinnati has its fair share of amusement parks, water parks and attractions. Popular destinations include places like Coney Island Park, Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure and Soak City, to name just a few. Amusement parks can be a source of fun and excitement for families and children, but they can also pose risks for accidents and injuries.

Some common accidents that may occur at amusement parks:

• Ride malfunctions: Mechanical failures, design flaws, or improper maintenance can lead to accidents on roller coasters, Ferris wheels or other amusement park rides.
• Operator error: Ride operators may make mistakes, such as not properly securing safety restraints or starting the ride before all passengers are seated, which can result in accidents and injuries.
• Slip, trip and fall accidents: Wet surfaces, spilled food and drinks or uneven walkways can cause visitors to slip and fall, potentially leading to injuries.
• Trip and fall accidents: Obstacles or debris in walkways, poorly lit areas or uneven surfaces can cause tripping hazards and result in injuries.
• Falling objects: Loose items on rides or in the pockets of passengers, unsecured decorations or poorly maintained structures can fall and injure visitors below.
• Water ride accidents: Drowning, near-drowning incidents or injuries caused by sudden stops or changes in direction on water rides can occur.
• Whiplash injuries: Sudden stops, starts or changes in direction on fast-moving rides can cause whiplash or other neck and back injuries.
• Injuries from ride restraints: Improperly fitted or malfunctioning safety restraints can cause bruising, abrasions, injuries to internal organs or internal bleeding, fractures or other severe injuries.
• Collisions: Bumper car accidents or collisions between amusement park vehicles (e.g., trains, trams) can result in passenger or operator injuries.
• Food poisoning: Consumption of contaminated or improperly prepared food at amusement park concessions can cause food poisoning or other illnesses.
• Heat-related illnesses: Overexposure to heat and sun, especially during hot summer months, can lead to heatstroke, dehydration or heat exhaustion. You should discuss your situation with an attorney to find out whether the park’s owners or management may be liable for a guest’s heatstroke.
• Injuries on playground equipment: Children can be injured on playground equipment, such as slides or jungle gyms, due to poor maintenance, design flaws, rusty or sharp metal, hard surfaces underneath equipment or a lack of supervision.
• Trampling or crowd-related accidents: Large crowds or poorly managed lines can lead to accidents involving trampling, crushing or other injuries. Anxious, angry groups may also cause fights and injuries without adequate security.
• Assaults: Amusement parks frequently have large groups of semi-unaccompanied youth and adults. They can be inviting to criminals or predators who wish to take advantage of lax security. Parks may be liable for injuries caused by criminals who took advantage of inadequate security protocols.

While amusement parks have a responsibility to maintain a safe environment for their guests, accidents can still happen. If you or a loved one has been injured at an amusement park, it’s important to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney to evaluate your case and protect your rights. During your initial consultation we can analyze your situation and help you understand whether the park may share some or all of the blame for the injuries you or your family suffered.

Are Amusement Parks Liable for Guest Injuries or Do Guests Tacitly Accept Some Risk When Entering the Park or Getting on Rides?

Amusement parks are generally responsible for ensuring the safety of their guests and maintaining their premises and rides. The fairly likely risk of personal injury claims is why these parks carry large liability insurance policies. However, guests are not given unlimited liability protection for anything that happens when they’re on the park’s property. The circumstances and cause of the injury, the actions of the guest and the park’s safety measures or failures will have an impact on the validity of your injury claim.

Typical amusement parks generally don’t require guests to sign waivers like you might need to sign to go bungee jumping or skydiving, but they may post signs informing visitors that there are risks associated with particular rides or activities. Those signs are an attempt to transfer responsibility for potential injuries to injured guests. This preemptive strategy, known as “assumption of risk,” is far from airtight and there are many scenarios in which even signing a waiver doesn’t completely free ride operators of liability for certain injuries.

For example, even if you signed a waiver, you would still likely be able to hold an amusement park liable for injuries resulting directly from the park’s negligence or their failure to meet or exceed accepted safety standards.

Things can become more complicated when children are injured. Children may not follow clearly posted rules designed to prevent injuries, but a lack of staff or security may enable foreseeable misuse or recklessness to occur unabated. These situations often aren’t entirely clear without investigation and understanding of relevant statutes and precedent.