Do you intend to take your children to the amusement park this season? You may have to rethink the safety of your choice. Recent research suggests that amusement parks, a perennial summer favorite for safe thrills, may actually be significantly more dangerous than consumers originally thought.
In one of the first studies of its kind, research in Clinical Pediatrics tracked nearly 5,000 preventable amusement park injuries. The findings showed that the most common park injuries were falls, broken bones, sprains, whiplash, and serious cuts. Nearly 100 incidents occur every week across the country in these venues.
While most people fear roller coasters, the largest and speediest rides available, the study surprisingly suggests that these are among the safer offerings at the park. Roller coasters account for only one tenth of serious wounds sustained at amusement parks. This may be due to the more frequent maintenance and higher quality materials used on these more complex rides.
Parents should be especially cautious when watching their youngest children at the park. Another counter intuitive finding in the study was that a large plurality of children injured in these accidents were under the age of 6, despite riding some of the most seemingly-benign attractions at the park. Many of these slower, smaller rides were shown to be deceptively perilous.
The most dangerous ride? The carousel. Thought it appears to be innocuous, this particular attraction accounted for over twenty percent of all amusement park injuries over the course of the study.
Amusement parks are already attempting to reassure consumers of their safety precautions before the rush of the peak summer season. Park officials have released statements proclaiming the safeness of their rides, stating that 98% of the highly infrequent injuries are treatable at the scene with common first aid and do not require any higher-level care.
Ella McDonald discovered the potential danger at amusement parks firsthand. Her daughter Lisa’s trip to the park was ruined when she fractured her wrist, resulting in a trip to the hospital. “I could tell it was broken even before we saw the doctor,” McDonald said.
Lisa may have gotten off lightly compared to some of the other children who suffer even more serious injuries every year.
It is up to the consumer to determine whether they are willing to take on the risk, but this study represents progress toward informing patrons about the chance of injury inherent in visiting an amusement park.
A day of enjoyment at an amusement park can be interrupted by an unfortunate injury, the consequences often reach beyond a disappointed and frustrated child. Serious injuries can all be difficult to deal with, both in terms of money and emotional duress. An experienced attorney can help one navigate these situations and help you obtain any compensation you may be entitled to. Contact experienced, amusement park injury attorney Jeffrey Killino today.
