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What to Do After Getting Injured at a Theme Park

Theme parks are usually a fun, and exhausting, time for people and their families and friends. People don’t realize how physically active you must be to visit a theme park. You walk all day, stand in line — and some rides can be pretty physically taxing as well.

Unfortunately, some theme park rides are too intense, and sometimes they injure their riders. These injuries can be serious and significant and can require a lot of medical treatment.

This article will discuss what you should do if you are ever seriously injured at a theme park. First, you should focus on your physical health after a theme park injury. But you will also need help recovering full compensation for your injuries.

Common Theme Park Injuries

Some theme park rides are like being in a car accident. The rides can jar you around significantly. And that’s when everything works the way it’s supposed to.

But if the theme park ride breaks and goes off the rails or acts in another unexpected way, people can get injured. Here is a list of common theme park injuries that happen around the world:

  • Muscle strains and sprains
  • Broken and fractured bones
  • Compound fractures
  • Torn, bruised, and damaged ligaments and tendons
  • Neck and back injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Bulging discs
  • Herniated discs
  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
  • Fractured skull
  • Concussions
  • Cuts and lacerations
  • Amputations
  • Drownings
  • Fatalities

There are many ways that these injuries could happen. Also, an injury that initially seems minor could quickly turn into something very serious over time.

Common Causes of Theme Park Injuries

There are many common causes of theme park injuries. Many of them are related to the rides at theme parks. Here are some of the most commonly reported injury causes at theme parks:

  • Rides having mechanical failures or defects such as braking or safety harness issues
  • Ride operators not being properly trained and failing to operate the rides in a safe manner
  • Fellow passengers not following the instructions and becoming injured
  • Fellow passengers engaging in horseplay, putting themselves in danger
  • Inherent danger based upon the nature of the ride

Some rides can be dangerous and cause injuries even when nothing goes wrong. Other rides cause trauma that is equivalent to driving a car into a brick wall, and passengers’ bodies are thereby subjected to significant force.

Things to Do After Being Injured at Theme Parks

Here are some things to immediately do after suffering from a serious injury at a theme park.

Get Medical Attention and Call 911 if Necessary

Get medical assistance, immediately. If necessary, don’t hesitate to call 911 to get emergency medical assistance at the park to help you.

Report the Incident

Make sure you report the incident and the injury at the theme park as soon as possible after it happens and after seeking medical attention. And don’t just report it to anyone. Tell someone of authority, and make sure a written report is made. Get the names and positions of people you reported the injury to.

Get Witness Information

Look for accident witnesses. If there are witnesses to the incident, get their names and contact information.

Follow Up with a Doctor

Make sure you follow up with your doctor. Don’t just assume your injury will go away, even if your pain is not initially severe. Seeing a doctor gets you healed faster, but it also documents your injuries should proof be required later.

Experienced Advice from a Personal Injury Attorney

If you have been injured while visiting a theme park, you may be able to seek compensation. The experienced personal injury lawyers at Kohan Law Group have successfully represented seriously injured people on Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk) and in New York City (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island) and Westchester. Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation.