Parents and kids love the excitement of the rides, the food, and the noise of theme parks. As parks add attractions to compete for thrills and uniqueness, visitors suffer 7,000 injuries a year.  Inflatable-slide rides collapse and injure toddlers.  Slow kiddie-ride cars derail and harm youngsters. High-acceleration roller coasters and free-fall drop towers subject adult riders to back and neck harm.  Injuries may come from a combination of inappropriate rider behavior, inadequate operator training, poor maintenance, ride malfunctions, and design defects.  Park guests are also potentially subject to injuries resulting from personal assaults, negligent security, and slip and falls.

A DERAILED KIDDIE RIDE:

At the 2008 Wisconsin State Fair, a kiddie ride malfunctioned, injuring a five-year old girl. The accident happened when the girl’s car derailed and crashed into a fence, leaving her with a bruised knee and injuries to her neck, back, and elbow. The girl was treated at a local hospital; her injuries were not serious.

*If you have been injured at an amusement park, please contact legal counsel.

In mid-2008, the Federal Highway Administration proposed a dangerous blanket policy requiring only stop or yield signs at every railroad crossing in the nation.  While this may save railroads millions, it flies in the face of research that has found collisions are more likely to occur at crossings with stop signs than with any other warning system.  A Stop sign is considered a “passive” warning as opposed to gates and flashing lights, which are considered “active” cautions.

In 2000, Indiana resident Sheryl Bechard drove her car through a railroad crossing maintained by CSX, a railroad corporation. She was struck by an Amtrak train, causing her serious injuries and killing her daughter, a passenger in the vehicle. Even though a prior death had occurred at the crossing, this second tragedy took place because the railroad had placed only stop signs, not gates and flashing lights, at the location.

*PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY THROUGH RAILROAD CROSSINGS, OBTAIN LEGAL COUNSEL IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED AT A RAILROAD CROSSING.