Residents and tourists in Florida often enjoy various activities in the state. Amusement parks are frequented by individuals of all ages, and when they are on a ride, the guest rarely considers that something could go wrong. However, if a ride is not properly maintained and malfunctions, it could cause serious injuries. If no action is taken following an incident or proper remedial action was not accomplished, the ride could continue to be a piece of dangerous property that could continue to injure visitors.
Investigation is still ongoing following an incident involving a tourist on a Disney World ride. According to reports, the boy lost two fingertips on his right hand while on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Upon further investigation, a similar incident took place on the same ride approximately three months prior to this one.
Investigators reported that a 12-year-old boy suffered injuries to four of his fingers in mid-April of this year. Although the incident resulted in just cuts to his fingers, the report of this amusement park accident was only recently made public after the more serious recent incident. Following the recent accident on the ride, the ride remained in operation but the seats where the injuries occurred were not used. A spokeswoman for Disney stated that the ride had been inspected and is currently deemed safe for riders. It is not clear whether any improvements or changes have been made following these incidents.
When a guest at a theme park is injured, they might be able to take civil action against the property owners based on premises liability. A personal injury claim could provide them with compensation to cover the related expenses and damages. In many cases, the recovered award could cover medical expenses, rehabilitation, damages and pain and suffering.
When children and adults are at a theme park, they often do not consider the risks they might face. When the property owner is negligent and does not uphold their duty of care, a tourist could be seriously injured. This could cause serious injuries as well as large financial burdens. Filing a civil claim could help them alleviate these and move forward after the accident.
Source: Boston.com, “Boy Also Injured Fingers on Disney World Ride,” July 21, 2014