Amusement Park Accidents

Legoland Florida is a newcomer to our state’s crowded amusement park scene and is located in Winter Haven. The new amusement park recently announced that there were six accidents during the first ten weeks since the park opened. Fortunately, none of the accidents resulted in serious injuries for the guests, but the news shed some light on amusement park incidents at Florida theme parks that sometimes get overlooked in the news. Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham has first-hand knowledge of amusement park accidents. He and other Orlando amusement park accident lawyers help ensure that our state’s many theme parks take guest safety seriously by raising awareness about lapses in safety measures and maintenance protocols that endanger guests and workers.

In Florida, major theme parks such as Legoland Florida are required to report any ride-related accidents that result in a guest being taken to a hospital for treatment lasting 24 or more hours. These reports are monitored by the Florida Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection, which receives quarterly reports about accidents from nearly all Florida amusement parks. The Bureau recently released its list of reports for Legoland for the last quarter of 2011, which included the following incidents:

• A woman cracked a rib while riding the Aquazone Wave Racers ride.
• A five-year-old boy injured his foot when it became stuck between his vehicle and the unloading platform as he tried to exit the Lost Kingdom Adventure before the ride had stopped.
• The shoulder of a 43-year-old woman "popped out of place" as she rode the Coastersaurus roller coaster.
• A six-year-old boy suffered a facial injury when he was struck by a gate at the Dragon Coaster.
• A 15-year-old girl suffered a foot injury when she placed it outside her vehicle and it got caught between two vehicles on the Dragon Coaster.
• A 44-year-old man slipped and hurt his back during an evacuation from the Technic Test track ride.

Thankfully, most of these injuries appear to be relatively minor, but many guests at Florida theme parks are not so lucky and suffer serious, even fatal, injuries on rides that are supposed to be thrilling but safe to enjoy. Since 1977, Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has represented people injured in amusement park accidents, and he has a proven record of success in these cases. If you or a loved one has been injured in a theme park accident and you would like to learn more about your legal options, schedule a free consultation today by calling Mr. Cunningham at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently finished its investigation into a fatal amusement park accident at Walt Disney World near Orlando. In their final report, the NTSB said that a lack of adequate safety protocols contributed to a 2009 collision between two monorail trains at the park that killed a 21-year-old employee. The NTSB’s 14-page report was the culmination of an investigation the agency conducted over more than two years in connection with the July 5, 2009 accident. The report said that one train traveling in reverse struck the front of a following train, killing the driver of the second train, a Kissimmee man.

The NTSB said that “Walt Disney World Resort’s lack of standard operating procedures leading to an unsafe practice when reversing trains” was a contributing factor in the fatal accident, which led to the agency citing Disney with four safety violations and a $35,200 fine in December 2009. Around 2 a.m. on July 5, workers were shutting down the monorail system for the night when one worker was supposed to transfer off the park’s Epcot loop onto a “switch beam,” a procedure that required the train to travel in reverse. The investigation found that the track switch was never activated by an employee in the monorail maintenance shop where the controls are located, which caused the train to reverse down the Epcot line and into the next train. Six guests were aboard the second train when the accident occurred, but none were injured in the accident.

Greg Hale, Chief Safety Officer for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, read a prepared statement responding to the NTSB findings. He said, “Day-in and day-out, we review safety procedures throughout our resort and continuously look for ways to improve our operations. We have been working closely with the National Transportation Safety Board during their review of our monorail operations, and we have already enhanced our system. We have just received the NTSB’s brief, and it does not offer any further recommendations.”

Since 1977, Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham has successfully represented many workers and visitors injured in Orlando amusement park accidents, and he has the resources and experience to build effective cases against the large corporations that own and operate these facilities. If you are an employee or visitor who has been injured at an area amusement park or resort and you would like to learn more about your rights and legal options, call Mr. Cunningham at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000. Schedule your free consultation today, and get an aggressive and experienced Orlando personal injury lawyer on your side!

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) official recently told reporters that SeaWorld Orlando’s policy of allowing trainers to determine whether or not a killer whale’s behavior poses a threat to handlers was a factor in the death of a trainer last year. A recent hearing on the matter revealed that the Orlando theme park has been issued three safety citations in connection with the accident involving a killer whale that pulled a trainer under water, causing her to drown. SeaWorld Orlando fired back, saying the citations and attendant fines are unfounded and that the drowning death was a tragic accident.

A SeaWorld attorney told the judge hearing the case that the facility is one of the premier facilities in the country for marine mammal research and has a history of rescuing these animals. Administrative Law Judge Ken Welsch responded to the attorney, saying that he was not hearing the case to determine whether or not killer whales should be held in captivity or if SeaWorld is responsible for the trainer’s death. He said that it was his job to determine if the three citations OSHA issued to the facility had merit. On February 24, 2010, a killer whale named Tilikum grabbed the trainer by her hair and dragged her underwater, drowning the trainer.

In presenting its case, OSHA noted that this killer whale had also been involved in a fatal accident in 1991, killing a trainer at a marine park in British Columbia. The first OSHA citation claimed that SeaWorld exposed its workers to the chance of being struck and drowned during interactions with the large marine mammals. They recommended the use of barriers between the animals and their trainers to prevent similar accidents. OSHA issued the second citation which faulted SeaWorld for failing to install a stairway railing system where the killer whale presentations occur, citing the dangers of a section of the stage that had a 10-foot drop. The third citation involved SeaWorld’s failure to install weatherproof enclosures on electrical receptacles in the killer whale presentation area.

When we discuss Orlando amusement park accidents on this blog, we usually talk about accidents involving roller coasters and other thrill rides. However, these accidents also include interactions with live animals. If a judge or jury determines that SeaWorld Orlando was negligent, they can be held liable for damages the same way that amusement parks are for failing to ensure that their rides are safe. If you or someone in your immediate family is injured at an Orlando-area amusement park and you want to speak with an Orlando personal injury attorney, call James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000. Mr. Cunningham is a strong advocate for injured peoples’ rights and works hard to help them receive the fair and just compensation they deserve. Call today to schedule your free consultation.

Universal Orlando has changed some features of a popular Harry Potter-themed ride at their amusement park after two recent incidents in which guests were injured. Both accidents involved guests being struck by loose objects, one of which resulted in the guest losing an eye due to injury. The ride undergoing modifications is the Dragon Challenge attraction at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. This ride features two intertwined, suspended-seating roller coasters that are designed to pass within a few feet of each other. Universal has changed the ride so that they no longer pass so closely, reducing the near misses that have been part of the experience from the time the ride debuted. Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham has been following developments in this and other recent amusement park accidents closely. He believes that theme park operators and thrill ride designers need to do a better job to ensure that their rides are safe before exposing the public to potential injury.

“As we continue to study these incidents, we will operate both coasters as separate experiences without their usual intersection points,” Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said.

He also said that theme park inspectors have performed a “thorough review” of the Dragon Challenge ride and they “believe the ride itself did not play a role in these incidents.”

Schroder added that, “We are not going to speculate on what caused these incidents. We will continue our long-standing policy of advising guests to safely secure personal items before riding.”

The first incident involving the ride occurred on July 31 when a 52-year-old Puerto Rican man was struck in his right eye while sitting in the front seat of one of the roller coasters. The man has lost all vision in that eye, and surgeons had to remove the eye recently to prevent further risk of infection.

The second incident occurred in mid-August when a 19-year-old Ohio man was struck on his face, foot and arm by unidentified objects while riding on the roller coaster.

“My sister was sitting next to me at the time, and, when I said I was hit, she thought it was a bug or something, but then she looked over and I had blood on my hands, so it was obviously something more,” the victim told reporters.

Millions of visitors come to our area each year, and Orlando-area amusement parks are a big part of the attraction. The theme park business is very competitive, and theme parks constantly try to out-do each other for rides that go the fastest, have the steepest drops and provide the greatest thrills. Unfortunately for some visitors, rides that are designed to appear dangerous actually become dangerous through negligent design, poor maintenance and other factors. People injured in theme park accidents need an experienced Orlando amusement park accident attorney to help them through this difficult time and explain their legal options. To schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer with a proven record of success in these matters, call 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 today.

A worker at Orlando amusement park Magical Midway was mortally injured while on the job at the park recently. Accident investigators report that the 20-year-old victim was performing maintenance on a ride called the Star Flyer at the attraction at 7001 International Drive on Saturday, July 4. Problems began when the worker got stuck and subsequently lost his grip on the ride. When Orange County Fire and Rescue emergency responders arrived at the scene a few minutes later, they found the man dangling from his safety harness more than 50 feet in the air. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham is concerned about the rash of Orlando area amusement park accidents recently. He would like to remind anyone who works or visits any of the many Orlando area amusement parks to exercise extra care and speak up if you see a potentially dangerous situation.
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An accident at the I-Drive attraction at the Magical Midway Thrill Park claimed the life of a worker recently after he fell while working on the ride. The accident investigation is ongoing, but early reports state that the accident occurred around 2 p.m. while he was working on the I-Drive at the Orlando-area amusement park at 7001 International Drive. The 30-year-old victim was at around 90 feet in the air and wearing a safety harness while working on the ride when he fell, according to Battalion Chief Mark Smothers with Orange County Fire Rescue. Smothers did not know why the man fell, but he said that the man fell around six feet before being caught by the safety harness he was wearing at the time of the accident.

Emergency response personnel arrived at the accident scene within four minutes of the accident and began what Smothers called a “high-angle rescue.” Sadly, paramedics were unable to save the victim, and he died at the accident scene from undisclosed injuries. Smothers said the ride was not in operation when the accident occurred, and officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shut down Magical Midway Thrill Park after the accident. Smothers said he expected the park to remain closed as long as the investigation was ongoing.

The many amusement parks in the Orlando area draw millions of visitors each year. The amusement park business is very competitive, and every year, most of the parks in the area introduce new rides that go faster and higher, offer steeper drops, offer more turns and provide greater thrills. Unfortunately, these thrills sometimes come at a very steep price, and some riders and workers are severely injured and sometimes killed.

If you or a close family member has been injured in an amusement park accident and you want to speak with an experienced Orlando personal injury lawyer to get answers to your questions about your rights and legal options, call James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000. Mr. Cunningham has a long and proven record of success helping injured riders and workers in amusement park accidents and works hard to ensure the best possible outcome for each client’s case. Call today to schedule your free consultation and get an experienced and aggressive Orlando personal injury attorney on your side!

Walt Disney World officials have announced that they plan to keep a popular roller coaster in their park closed for the summer while federal officials continue their investigation into an amusement park accident that killed an employee. Disney reported that a mechanic was killed in March while working on the Primeval Whirl, a roller coaster in Disney’s Animal Kingdom amusement park. This roller coaster has been shut down for maintenance since January, and Disney reports that it will not open again until September 14 at the earliest. The ride had previously been scheduled to reopen in April, but that opening was postponed until June until the most recent announcement that the ride will be closed for the summer.
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An accident at the I-Drive attraction at the Magical Midway Thrill Park claimed the life of a worker recently after he fell while working on the ride. The accident investigation is ongoing, but early reports state that the accident occurred around 2 p.m. while he was working on the I-Drive at the Orlando-area amusement park at 7001 International Drive. The 30-year-old victim was at around 90 feet in the air and wearing a safety harness while working on the ride when he fell, according to Battalion Chief Mark Smothers with Orange County Fire Rescue. Smothers did not know why the man fell, but he said that the man fell around six feet before being caught by the safety harness he was wearing at the time of the accident.

Emergency response personnel arrived at the accident scene within four minutes of the accident and began what Smothers called a “high-angle rescue.” Sadly, paramedics were unable to save the victim, and he died at the accident scene from undisclosed injuries. Smothers said the ride was not in operation when the accident occurred, and officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shut down Magical Midway Thrill Park after the accident. Smothers said he expected the park to remain closed as long as the investigation was ongoing.

The many amusement parks in the Orlando area draw millions of visitors each year. The amusement park business is very competitive, and every year, most of the parks in the area introduce new rides that go faster and higher, offer steeper drops, offer more turns and provide greater thrills. Unfortunately, these thrills sometimes come at a very steep price, and some riders and workers are severely injured and sometimes killed.

If you or a close family member has been injured in an amusement park accident and you want to speak with an experienced Orlando personal injury lawyer to get answers to your questions about your rights and legal options, call James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000. Mr. Cunningham has a long and proven record of success helping injured riders and workers in amusement park accidents and works hard to ensure the best possible outcome for each client’s case. Call today to schedule your free consultation and get an experienced and aggressive Orlando personal injury attorney on your side!

The conductor of the train involved in a fatal amusement park accident admitted to a police officer that the train was going too fast at the time of the accident. The accident claimed the life of a six-year-old boy in Spartanburg, SC, and it caused 19 people to go to area hospitals for treatment for their injuries. Mr. Conrad, the conductor of the train, told police “he knew better than to drive the train that fast.”
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A worker severely injured while repairing a ride at Walt Disney World has died from his injuries according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Officials investigating the fatal Orlando amusement park accident say the 52-year-old victim suffered massive head injuries while repairing the Primeval Whirl roller coaster ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. They say the victim was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center shortly after the accident, where he died of his injuries the following day on March 14. Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham continues to monitor developments in this fatal Disney accident and other Orlando amusement park accidents.
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