Personal Injury Lawyers > Personal Injury Blog > Premises Liability > Nine-year-old Child Injured in Carnival Amusement Park Accident

Personal Injury Blog

Nine-year-old Child Injured in Carnival Amusement Park Accident

A nine-year-old girl was thrown out of an amusement ride at a carnival at the California Mid- State Fair in Paso Robles.  Fortunately, the girl only suffered minor injuries.  The girl had been sitting in the car on the Super Himalaya ride, when she was flung from her car.

The ride includes a series of cars on a circular track.  The cars spin forward and backward at an angle.  The car that the girl was in was apparently going backwards, when she was thrown out and flung onto the platform.  There is no information about the speed of the ride at the time of the accident.  According to the operators of the ride, there was no malfunctioning of the ride, nor was there any problem with the lap belt that the girl had been wearing.  For now, the Super Himalaya ride at the California Mid State Fair has been closed down.  Investigators are looking at the cause of the accident.

Typically, in an amusement park accident, California premises liability lawyers find that there’s very little riders could possibly be doing to injure themselves.  People are properly restrained before a ride, and unless a person is extremely foolhardy, there’s little chance that a person could injure himself on his own, or fall out.  It seems very likely that there was some kind of malfunction that contributed to this accident.  Investigators will likely look into the integrity of the lap belt that the girl was wearing at the time of the accident.  It seems that the lap belt did not restrain her, and she was thrown out at the car.

Summer is when the number of carnival and amusement park injuries increases in California.  Amusement parks fill up with people, mostly children, looking to have fun.  Unfortunately, rides can malfunction, operators can be negligent, and as a consequence, riders can be injured.  Typically, these accidents can involve serious injuries because of the speed of the ride, or the height it is at, or other factors.  It doesn’t help that ride inspections are inconsistent, and little attention is paid to the quality of the equipment, unless an accident has occurred.

It’s important for riders to be cautious when they get on a ride.  If the ride looks old, worn-out or creaky, avoid getting on it.  That doesn’t mean that a new ride that looks like it has been well maintained, cannot be involved in an accident.  Also, give the ride operator a look over.  If he seems unprofessional or lazy, avoid getting on that ride.  The ride operator has a major role in making sure that the ride functions properly.  Make sure that you follow all the operator instructions carefully.  Read all warnings and instructions about the ride, before you get on one.  Some rides are not recommended for pregnant women, those with cardiac problems and others.  Persons with such conditions should avoid getting on these rides.  Be careful about allowing your children on rides-the child must be the right age for the ride.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of premise liability. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

---

One response to “Nine-year-old Child Injured in Carnival Amusement Park Accident”

1. giorgio d'artagnan writes:
   

   There is no lap belt on such ride. Never was.

   @ July 30th, 2010 at 10:08