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The Dangers of Amusement Parks

Central Florida is known around the world for its wide array of amusement rides and theme parks. While most patrons will enjoy the rides and return home safely, the above article highlights many unknown and secret dangers lurking at these same amusement parks. Injuries happen at theme parks with alarming frequency, the problem is the theme parks have special laws created just for them that make ride injury reports voluntary and even then only under certain circumstances is the State ever informed of ride related injuries at Florida's major theme parks.

One such example of a ride related injury that our firm has recently been made aware of is a report of an alleged malfunction at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Banana Blaster waterslide with a recent report of injury related to that claimed malfunction. At the Banana Blaster, riders are provided rafts that are “propelled down a four hundred foot tube through hairpin turns and sudden drops”. Disney boasts that its powerful jets pump out 1,350 gallons of water per minute to accelerate the thrill and speed of the rafts. What Disney has not revealed is the number of customers hurt on this ride and the number of ride related malfunctions that result in injury. We have been informed that a customer had to be assisted from the attraction and was transported for immediate medical care after the ride reportedly malfunctioned. A search of the occurrence reports at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, failed to yield documentation submitted by Disney of the alleged incident.

According to the Disney guest, the ride experienced some apparent malfunctions, resulting in the jet pumps to stop pumping water mid ride and the rafts to abruptly stop along the course of the 400 hundred foot tube. According to the patrons using the ride, this malfunction caused riders to eject off the raft and land directly onto the hard tube surface with exposed jet pumps.

Of course, if this happened to children or the elderly, frankly anyone, it could result in a risk of severe injury. Yet nowhere at Disney have we found any warning or report of this to anyone in the public. As a parent before you let your child on a ride should you not be able to find out what incidents and injuries occurred on the ride? You can do that with any ride at any Florida fair and even any public bus or airline. Why are theme park customers denied even the knowledge to protect themselves?

We have been involved in cases involving multiple injuries at theme parks. In some of the cases including a particularly bad ride at another park that has hurt many many guests (including children) the ride stays open and the public has no clue of the danger unless they search Court records before they ride. After the court case there are usually secret agreements signed preventing any mention of the accident. In some theme park injury cases if the victim ever mentions anything about the case or the injury they can be sued! So these gag agreements further keep secret ride related dangers.

Because we cannot look to State records and because the theme parks refuse to voluntarily disclose who is hurt on what attractions and why, we are forced to publicly seek information about other incidents. We are seeking information about anyone who has experienced malfunctions and/or been injured at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Crush ‘n’ Gusher raft rides. Have you seen any other dangers that were not discussed in the article related to injuries at other rides? We want the Public to know the truth so please help us get the word out about the dangerous rides; remember it could be you or your family next!

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