Injuries Can Happen Even At The Fair
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
While Florida is blessed with mild weather throughout the year, it’s during the summer, when school is out for children across the nation, that recreational activities are at an all-time high. Florida is fortunate in being the site of so many world class amusement parks but even beyond that, there are still old fashioned fairs with amusement rides that can make for a fun—cheaper—time than the expense of some of the bigger parks.However, even in the very public areas of a fair, there are still risks that people need to careful of. And sometimes, unfortunately, those risks come from the attractions themselves. As recently as July 26, in Columbus, Ohio, visitors to the Ohio state fair got a tragic reminder of this.
An Inexplicable Accident
One particular attraction, known as the “Fire Ball” was described by the manufacturers of the equipment as an “aggressive thrill ride.” It was a large ride that swung back and forth, similar to a pendulum in a clock, but also rotated the seats with passengers at about 13 revolutions per minute.
While the ride was in operation, one of the passenger cars broke off as the attraction was starting to swing back upwards. There were several people in the car, with one adult man dying, and several other people, including a 13 year old child, sustaining injuries, as the car broke and collided with other pieces of ride equipment on the way down to the ground. There are three more people in critical condition, with another two injured but in stable condition.
Perhaps the most baffling thing about this particular accident is that, according to the Ohio state fair, the Fire Ball was professionally inspected to ensure it met safety conditions, was approved, and was signed off for operation. Despite all that, the tragic accident with loss of life occurred anyway.
Investigations Ongoing
As to be expected, there is an investigation being conducted to try and piece together exactly what happened. There could be any number of causes for this accident, and while personal injury lawsuits—or even a wrongful death suit—could be in the cards for this incident, who is to blame will determine the course the case takes.
If, for example, the Fire Ball accident was a result of poor design, then it might be the manufacturer of the attraction that has to answer for this case, and it would be filed as a personal injury case due to a defective product. On the other hand, if the ride was not actually safe for operation, but someone was feeling lazy and decided to save time and approve its usage just to end the job more quickly, then this would be a case of negligence, and it would be up to the inspector—and possibly the fair itself—to answer for the injury and loss of life.
If you’re trying to enjoy yourself at a fair or other amusement park this summer, and you suffer a mishap, do the right thing. If the rides, attractions, or the fair itself are responsible for the injury get the justice you deserve and protect your fellow fair-goers. Make sure a good accident lawyer holds the people responsible accountable for their negligence.