Water parks always seem like a fun time for the whole family. However, people don’t realize the risks may not make it worth it. Damp environments like pools and water slides are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Also, the rides injure thousands of people due to unposted warnings and unknown weight limits.
About Water Park Injuries
According to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), almost 10,000 people sustained amusement park injuries. However, this statistic is only the amount of people who needed to go to the ER. Therefore, the number must be higher. Also, inflatable amusement park rides (inflatable slides and moon bounces) injured 4,000 people and public water slides hurt another 4,000.
A majority of those injured are children. The ages of the injured are between 10-14. Children are also the victims in three-quarters of those accidents where a rider falls or is forcefully ejected from an amusement park ride. Over 50 people died from amusement parks.
Water Park Dangers
Over 85 million people visit American water parks every year. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission listed over 4,000 people visited the hospital due to injuries sustained at these parks. These ranged from scrapes and concussions to broken limbs and spinal injuries. In fact, water slides created more injuries than roller coasters. Just in 2016, a family at a water park in Kansas City, Kansa faced tragedy as their 10-year-old son died while riding a water slide dubbed the world’s tallest. According to the NY Times, the slide decapitated the child. The family even tried to get a bill passed to the state’s House of Representatives for stricter regulations, but it passed.
This isn’t an abnormality. There were 6 deaths at a New Jersey water park from drowning in a wave pool. After the deaths, the park closed, however, it reopened a few years later.
The Safety Record study said the most common industries are fractured arms, legs or extremities, lacerations, concussions, sprains and contusions. Even though there were over 4,000 people taken to the ER for water park dangers, however, those numbers do not include those who needed lifeguard assistance without a hospital trip.
Get Justice For Your Injuries
Amusement parks have a legal responsibility to keep patrons safe. However, when an amusement park injures a consumer, the property should be accountable. This includes reasonable preventative steps to deter injury. It is important to not personally determine your amusement park industry. Therefore, call the dedicated professionals at The Michael Brady Lynch Firm. We can help. The Michael Brady Lynch Firm has over 30 years of combined experience litigating personal injury and wrongful death claims. Our legal team is available to consult with individuals who have suffered an injury at any of the amusement parks or local fairs in Florida or also around the country.