What to Do If You are Injured on an Amusement Park Ride

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Amusement parks, fairs and carnivals can be wonderful places to have fun while spending a day with your friends and family. Roller coasters, Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds and other rides offer hours of good-natured entertainment for people of all ages to enjoy. Sadly, things go wrong and people are seriously injured or killed on amusement park rides every year.

Serious underreporting of accidents

It might surprise you to know that the frequency with which things go wrong on amusement rides is difficult to know with any degree of certainty because accidents are underreported. For instance, the Ontario Technical Standards and Safety Authority attributes an increase in accidents on amusement rides from 89 in 2008 to more than 550 by 2015 to better reporting methods which track accidents that were previously unreported. Still, most injuries to patrons involving bruises or even broken toes are acknowledged to continue to be unreported.

Types of injuries people suffer on amusement rides

Riders at Ontario amusement parks or fairs can suffer a variety of injuries, including:

• Lacerations and bruising
• Fractures
• Torn ligaments
• Concussions and other head trauma
• Drownings
• Whiplash

Unsafe entry and exit points, improperly functioning safety bars and straps, structural failure, improper design, lack of proper maintenance and inadequate training of operators are some of the factors contributing to ride accidents.

What to do if you or a loved one is injured on an amusement park ride

You could be entitled to compensation for your injuries if you are the victim of an amusement ride accident. Here are a few steps you can take to protect your rights:

• Report your injuries to management: Do not leave the ride area until reporting the accident and your injuries to a manager. If you are injured and require medical care, ask someone to call for emergency medical personnel.
• Be careful what you say: When reporting an accident, stick to the facts as you know them. Do not speculate about what might have occurred.
• Take pictures when possible: If you are physically able to do so, take photos of the ride with particular attention to the source of your injuries. For example, if a safety bar or safety strap failed, take a picture of it.
• Get the names of witnesses: Eyewitnesses can support your account of how the accident happened.
• Keep accurate records: Beginning with the arrival of emergency medical personnel, keep track of the type of medical treatment you receive and the name of the physicians or others providing it.
• Contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible: Things can change very quickly following an accident, so the sooner a lawyer begins an investigation into the circumstances of the incident the more likely it is that evidence helpful to proving your claim for damages can be found and preserved.

Getting help when you are injured

The personal injury lawyers at Diamond and Diamond have experience handling all types of personal injury cases, including those arising from accidents on amusement rides for individuals throughout Ontario. We work for you to obtain the maximum compensation available. Contact our 24/7 injury hotline at 1-800-567-HURT or visit our website to speak to someone now about your right to compensation. Consultations are free, and we have offices conveniently located throughout Ontario.