Although estimates vary, the number of amusement park guests who suffer physical injuries on rides is in the thousands. These injuries vary from minor abrasions and muscle strains to fatal falls and heart attacks.
Some amusement park rides thrill riders by making them feel as if they are being pushed to the brink of their physical limits. Riders with pre-existing health problems may suffer injuries during their rides. Additionally, amusement parks have limited control over rider behavior. Rule-breaking riders might sustain injuries due to improper use.
However, some types of rides may present greater injury risks because of their speed, forces, height, design, or operating environment. These are five of the most dangerous amusement park rides.
1. Roller Coasters
The amusement park industry categorizes ride injuries into those that occur when the ride is in motion and those that happen while getting in or out of the ride vehicle. When you focus on those that occur during the ride’s motion, roller coasters cause more injuries and deaths than family/adult rides and children’s rides.
Roller coasters impose enormous g-forces on riders’ bodies. These forces can also put stress on a rider’s body, causing neck and back strains, joint sprains, and even concussions.
Roller coasters also require safety restraints. Riders can sustain injuries, such as bruises and abrasions, when they slam into these restraints. They can also be injured when defective restraints fail, causing them to fall or be subjected to unintended forces.
2. Water Rides
Water-based thrill rides pose risks similar to roller coasters. Rapid movements can stress the rider’s body, aggravating existing conditions or even causing new injuries.
However, boat rides, raft rides, and log flumes pose a threat not found in roller coasters. Specifically, riders who fall from ride vehicles could drown.
Additionally, water-based rides cause riders and ride vehicles to get wet. As a result, riders can slip and fall when exiting ride vehicles.
3. Bumper Cars
Bumper cars are not restrained by tracks. As a result, riders are free to hit other vehicles or the curb enclosing the ride area. Even low-speed crashes can cause whiplash, facial injuries, seat belt bruises, and concussions.
4. Children’s Rides
Children’s rides are designed for smaller riders. They are also tamer, without the g-forces of thrill rides. However, younger riders have weaker muscles, meaning that even a gentle stop might cause a child’s head to whip forward as if they were involved in a traffic accident.
Small children are also less coordinated. Child injuries can occur when they fall or slip while entering or exiting the ride vehicle.
5. Slides And Water Slides
Slides and water slides pose several risks to amusement park guests. They can fall from the towers they must climb to reach the top of the slide. They can fall off the sides of the slide. They can collide with other riders on the way down or at the bottom of the ride.
Rough slides can cause riders to suffer bruises, abrasions, or even fractures when they bounce on the slide’s surface. In a worst-case accident, the slide can even launch the rider from the slide.
Call Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers Today For A Free Consultation With A Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer
Amusement park accidents can result in serious injuries and significant financial losses. Depending on the circumstances, an amusement park, ride operator, manufacturer, maintenance contractor, or another party could potentially be liable when negligence or a defective product contributes to an injury. If you were injured because of another party’s negligence, you may have options for pursuing compensation.
Reach out to Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a Jacksonville personal injury lawyer.
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Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers – Jacksonville
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Jacksonville, FL 32202
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