Personal Injury Blog

Roller Coaster Accident in Alameda County Leaves Seven People Injured

September 26th, 2011
Roller Coaster Accident

Roller Coaster Accident

An roller coaster accident at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton California has left seven people injured. The injured include five children and two adults. The accident occurred on Thursday afternoon, when the victims were on the Wacky Worm ride at the fair.

According to news reports, a chain above the roller coaster somehow broke and dangled. As it dangled back and forth, the chain struck several persons on the roller coaster in the face. Some of the people on the ride were able to duck and prevent injuries. However, the seven people who were injured, suffered cuts, bruises, and bumps. One of the children and one adult suffered injuries, that were serious enough to require a visit to the hospital for an evaluation. The other victims received emergency medical aid at the site.

The ride has been shut down, and inspections have already begun. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has given the go-ahead for repairs of the ride.

The ride is owned and operated by Butler Amusements. Currently, mechanics are waiting for a replacement part to arrive, and when that happens, Cal/OSHA will inspect the ride again, and if they are satisfied, they will clear the ride. For now, the focus of the blame seems to be shifting to the manufacturer of the ride. A professional inspector has already inspected the ride, and he believes that there was a defect in the chain. According to him, the chain was a fairly new one that was installed just 3 to 4 months ago. Another professional ride inspector is also being called into help inspect the ride. Alameda County Fair representatives say that it is not rider or operator error that was to blame in  this accident.

This is the second time in less than 10 days that there has been an amusement park accident involving a similar ride. On 23 June, a fair worker at the Sonoma-Marin Fair suffered a severed leg in an accident involving a similar ride called the Wacky Worm. The worker in that accident was on the tracks about 5 feet above the ground, when he was struck by the roller coaster. He lost his balance and fell under the cars, severing his leg in the process.

Hopefully, the Alameda County Fair authorities will look at this incident with the seriousness it deserves. If there was a manufacturing defect here, then it might be prudent to inspect the entire ride to see if there are other detective components that could increase the risk to riders.

Safety at county fairs and carnivals are a special concern to California amusement park accident lawyers. Safety standards can be wanting, and it’s not uncommon to find, poorly maintained rides. Besides the ride themselves, many amusement park accidents are caused by inefficient or ill-trained ride operators. This summer, thousands of Californians will visit amusement parks, fairs and carnivals. Check out a ride properly before you board one, and if the ride looks old, is creaky or is in poor shape, avoid riding on it.

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