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As a parent, a theme park visit will be on top of your wishlist for your kids. The experience is thrilling for the young and old alike, and parents love it as much as the kids. But carnivals at amusement parks are not always fun because mishaps can happen at any point. In fact, thousands of children reach emergency rooms with amusement park-related injuries every year. As a parent, you must be aware of the risks and threats to prevent them in the first place. The good thing is that most theme park injuries are avoidable if you are watchful enough. Moreover, you can seek compensation from the theme park if your child sustains injuries due to the negligent behavior of its employees. Let us share the theme park risks every parent should be aware of.
Dangerous rides
Some amusement park rides are inherently risky, and accidents may happen no matter how careful you are. For example, roller coasters are among the most dangerous rides. You may buckle up to stay safe, but there are chances of back and neck injuries due to jolting movements around the track. You may even sustain brain injuries from banging your head over the shoulder restraints. Studies indicate the risk of permanent damage due to excessive blood flow to the brain during roller coaster rides. Mobile rides are accident-prone as employees may miss a safety feature while operating them. Water rides are also dangerous because your child may swallow water from the ride. Moreover, the risk of sickness due to bacteria runs high if the water is not treated properly.
Negligent ride operators
Ride operators in theme parks owe a duty of care to keep visitors safe. However, their errors and negligence can put families in danger. Even worse, they may get away with negligent behavior only because people fail to recognize and report their errors. Fortunately, you can seek advice from a personal injury attorney to bring a claim against a theme part if your child gets hurt due to the negligence of a ride operator. It is crucial to report employees who fail to follow safety rules, use cell phones while operating rides, or operate them while being drunk. Make sure you dig deeper to find more about the cause of your mishaps rather than only consider them a chance occurrence. Your child must get compensation for their injuries, pain and suffering, and losses caused by the negligent behavior of a theme park employee.
Lack of parental supervision
Not all theme park injuries occur due to dangerous rides and negligent operators. At times, parents are responsible for mishaps because they fail to supervise their children. You may give your child more independence or even leave them alone if they are old enough. Leaving a kid unsupervised on rides is fraught with risks as they tend to pay less attention to safety. Teens may even indulge in risky behaviors when parents aren’t around. They may pick rides too dangerous for them, neglect safety restraints, or get overenthusiastic with their friends.
Absence of regulatory compliance
Another risk factor parents must consider during theme park visits is the absence of regulatory compliance. You cannot assume a ride to be safe just because it is operating. Most states have specific regulatory requirements for different rides. For example, parks must ensure annual inspections of rides and water slides to double up on safety. But many of them overlook the norms and leave safety to chance. Go through the park website to check measures relating to regulatory compliance. You may ask questions and raise concerns to the officials to verify facts. Skip the destination if unsure about adherence to the guidelines.
Know the common injuries
Besides understanding the theme park risks, parents must also know about the common injuries their children may sustain on rides and slides. Some injuries may be more evident, while others are not easy to notice. But they can be equally dangerous, so make sure you are well aware. Bumps and bruises, cuts, sprains and strains, and fractures are the most common ones. Children may get hurt by falling on, off, in, or against the rides. Catastrophic injuries like brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and amputations may happen due to freak accidents in theme parks. These can be life-altering, so you must seek compensation to cover the damages.
Most amusement park mishaps are preventable, and parents can steer clear of them by being more vigilant. However, you must not miss out on compensation if your child suffers due to a faulty ride or due to the negligence of an operator.