Roller Coasting To An Accident Claim

You might not think heading to summer theme parks is a sure way to end up filing a law suit for an accident claim but every summer amusement park rides hold the risk of potential accidents with roller coasters often cropping up as the usual suspect especially after the numerous personal injuries at Alton Towers not too long ago.

What the accidents highlight is not so much the risk of going on such rides themselves but the safety checks that are vital and which need to be checked and double checked before a member of the public is allowed onto the ride in question.

The incident at Alton Towers resulted in early 30 accident claims after two front carriages of the Runaway Mine Train became separated and then rolled back into the remaining nine carriages.

Two women were airlifted to North Staffordshire Hospital suffering from whiplash and spinal injuries and nearly 25 people were treated for cuts and bruises following the near fatal accident. This was fortunate as the Ambulance Service surmised that the number of injuries could have been far greater.

Although the risk of accidents in the UK at roller coasters is always there it pales compared to the sheer scale of injuries and fatalities in the US. Yet with summer approaching, members of the public cannot afford to be flippant about going on dangerous rides. The UK is also seeking to emulate the US by making roller coaster rides that much more dangerous to ‘take it to the next level’.

Most people are not aware that there are literally thousands of amusement park accidents occurring each year caused by the hidden dangers in amusement park enjoyment. The risks are so prevalent that many of the large amusement parks add into their budget funds for accidents, this of course does not cover accidents that result in major injuries or wrongful deaths at their park and end in a lawsuit. The fact that they expect to have slight injuries that will end in a financial settlement would frighten the common park visitor if they read the budget reports. Common injuries include brain injury, wrongful death, facet joint syndrome, whiplash, fractured skull and eye injuries.

Numerous accident claims have been sought after by those who have been involved in theme park accidents and they are usually successful. The reason for this is that the owners/managers of such parks have a duty of care to regularly check their rides and make sure tough safety measures are in place and failure to maintain customer safety is a major health and safety breach

An accident claim can arise out of a number of different situations that can take place in the amusement park on a risky ride like a rollercoaster. For instance there may be broken or missing safety pins on a ride, structurally weakened parts - including seat belt restraints and amusement park workers unintentionally acting in a negligent way.

Saurav is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Accident Claim, Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.