Many of us, young and old, enjoy the thrills and excitement of fairgrounds and theme parks. However, to do so we are putting huge trust in those running these attractions to make sure our experience is as safe as it is enjoyable.
Some common causes of accidents on rides are electrical or mechanical faults, ride collisions, carriages leaving or coming loose from the tracks, safety belt or harness failure and braking failures.
All these failings can be contributed to or exacerbated by insufficient safety checks being carried out or insufficient or incorrect instruction by staff. We are therefore fortunate that in the UK, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has a dedicated National Fairground Inspection Team (NFIT) which enforces health and safety law at fairgrounds and theme parks and publishes strict Guidelines on safe practice to be followed by all those involved in their organisation, operation and management.
As the HSE advises, fairground rides are pieces of work equipment so The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 apply to them. This means, amongst other things, that fairground rides must be checked to ensure they are safe in all aspects for carrying members of the public at least once per year.
Unfortunately accidents still happen and when they do injuries can be serious or even life changing. Many of us will remember one of the worst incidents in recent years, when several riders on ‘The Smiler’ roller coaster at Alton Towers in 2015 were seriously injured in a collision, including two who needed leg amputations. More recently in December 2024 twelve people were injured when the 55-metre-high City Star Flyer ride failed while riders were mid-air and crashed to the ground, at a temporary fairground in Birmingham City Centre.
How common are theme park accidents
According to information released during Parliamentary questions, between 2015 and 2018 1245 members of the public suffered serious injuries at amusement parks and theme parks. The number of accidents resulting in injury is in fact likely to be much higher, as not all injuries are serious enough to meet the criteria for reporting to the HSE.
In light of the above it is very important that those running these attractions are held to account when things go wrong, so that anyone injured by their negligence is properly compensated, and lessons can be learned to improve safety in the future.
How we help clients who suffered personal injury in a theme park
At Enable Law we have a dedicated team of personal injury lawyers, representing clients whose lives have been changed by accidents caused by the negligence of others. Even though theme park accidents are thankfully rare, when things go wrong, they often result in life changing injuries.
If you or a loved one have suffered an injury in a theme park call us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form today to have a free, confidential discussion with Sophie Hamilton or a member of our team to see if we can help you. When we agree to take on a case we do it on a no-win-no-fee basis so our clients never have to pay for our work out of pocket.
