A woman suffered injuries after she fell out of a ride at a New York City carnival in Queens. According to an NBC New York news report, workers who were dealing with crowd control failed to close the door properly. The 19-year-old victim said the ride started before she and her boyfriend were secured. She suffered a sprained wrist, bruises to her side and other non-life-threatening injuries. The woman and her boyfriend got into the basket of a spinning ride called the Zipper at the Astoria Park Carnival the night of June 9.
The woman told NBC that the gate to the basket was still open and that she was only halfway inside when the ride started moving. The woman’s boyfriend held on to the basket as the ride was swinging. While the woman suffered injuries, her boyfriend was lifted several feet into the air by the ride and had to cling to the basket, causing widespread panic. A consultant for the ride operator said this incident occurred because workers dealing with crowd control did not close the door properly before the ride commenced. The operator said they have posted extra staff at the ride after this incident.
Carnival Ride Safety Issues
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an estimated 30,900 injuries caused by amusement park attractions were seen by hospital emergency departments in 2016 alone. Millions of people visit carnivals, fairs and festivals each year, according to the Outdoor Amusement Business Association, which represents much of the mobile amusement industry. Since 2010, the CPSC reports that there have been 22 fatalities caused by rides, including one in July 2017 at the Ohio State Fair where seats came detached from a spinning pendulum ride called the Fire Ball, killing one person and injuring seven others.
While ride inspections are intended to help cut down on the number of accidents and injuries, that’s not always the case. One study, which recently tracked accidents and injuries resulting from amusement park rides, found that almost 21 percent of injuries took place on merry-go-rounds or carousels. Carnival rides have also come under scrutiny because of questions surrounding the frequency at which they are inspected and repaired for any safety issues.
The summer season is the busiest time for amusement parks and for carnivals, which feature rides at state fairs and summer festivals. All rides draw heavy traffic during the summer. They are turned on in the morning and run continuously into the night. Problems that arise with rides at both carnivals and amusement parks are not just mechanical. Human error including operator negligence or inattention plays a part in accidents as well.
The CPSC is the agency that is responsible for overseeing and investigating injuries at traveling carnivals and county fairs. The commission used to oversee all amusement parks. However, in the early 1980s, Congress removed fixed-site parks from its jurisdiction. Safety advocates say the amusement park industry has an extremely powerful lobby in the nation’s capital and actively seeks to limit the oversight and authority of the CPSC.
Injuries and Damages
The most common amusement park and carnival ride injuries stem from impacts and body strains caused by the ride’s motion, such as whiplash or smacking against part of the carrier as the ride makes a sudden turn. Females seek treatment for amusement ride injuries more often than males, with a majority of those being adult females. Head, neck, and back are the most common injury sites for amusement rides. Some of the most common injuries in ride accidents include head trauma, neck and back injuries, broken bones and lacerations.
Injured victims of ride accidents can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitative treatment, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Amusement parks have a responsibility for the safety of their rides as well as maintaining safe premises for their customers.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in an amusement park accident or if you have lost a loved one in such an incident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. For over 46 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Woman-Sprains-Her-Wrist-Falling-Out-of-Unsecured-Queens-Carnival-Ride-485087511.html