I took the boys to the State Fair this past weekend. The numbers suggest that there are a lot of Minnesotans doing the same thing from now until Labor Day. It is always a time of eating a lot, checking out the different types of booths, and amusement rides. The downside of having a father who does what I do is, I have seen to many cases where the rides are either improperly maintained or staffed. So I probably am a little too over protective, but the piece of mind is worth it.
Others here at the Injuryboard have pointed out some of the worst situations:
Duck Boats: Safe Fun or Unsafe Tourist Traps?, Mark Bello | August 28, 2010 4:42 PM
12-Year-Old Fell 100 Feet to the Ground Off Wisconsin Dells Amusement Park Ride, David Mittleman | August 27, 2010 4:44 PM
Your Legal Rights in an Amusement Park Accident, Randy Appleton | December 09, 2009 2:01 PM
The Minnesota State Fair has as they do each year touted their safety record.
Jim Sinclair, the fair’s deputy general manager, said the fair has never had a ride fatality. A fair employee for 35 years, Sinclair said he can’t remember the last serious injury caused by a malfunctioning ride, and wants to keep it that way.
Onsite inspectors hired by the fair supervise all aspects of ride assembly before the fair opens, and stay on the premises throughout the fair. State law requires rides be inspected once a year, and Sinclair said the fair exceeds those standards.
"Portable amusement rides transported from fair to fair by carnivals are assembled, handled, taken down week to week," Sinclair said. "[They] actually get more scrutiny, because those pins that hold things together come out and go back in, and are looked at every time that happens."
There are some people who might dispute those claims, but hopefully they are making sure that safety is a very important part of the day they are paid to provide. Injuryboard members from Florida have a number of posts about this issue. I like this one a lot:
Amusement Ride Safety Tips – 2010, Jason Herrera | May 27, 2010 8:00 AM
The boys and I got home full and happy. Maybe a little too much sun. Hopefully, the record number of attendees will also.
A founding partner with Bradshaw & Bryant, Mike Bryant has always fought to find justice for his clients—knowing that legal troubles, both personal injury and criminal, can be devastating for a family. Voted a Top 40 Personal Injury "Super Lawyer" multiple years, Mr. Bryant has also been voted one of the Top 100 Minnesota "Super Lawyers" four times.
2 Comments
Jason Herrera
There was an accident at the Minnesota state fair in 2006 when a raft flipped.
According to reports apparently some of the riders unbuckled their safety belts and begin moving about the attraction, putting much of the weight on one side of the boat. The attraction apparently then caught on one of the underwater boards that create the "rapids" on the ride.
According to a rider who was on the ride -- they indicated, The boat began it's course at around 4pm CST and about a minute into the ride the boat became lodged on one of the underwater boards that create the "rapids" on the ride. This was likely due to the "unbalanced loading" of the four cornered boat and also the possible malfunctioning of the underwater boards that create the rapids. No persons on the ride stood up or moved around on the boat until an attendant who came to the side of the boat said to "jump, it's gonna go" after unsuccessfully trying....
You can read more at: http://amusementsafety.org/safety_news_06.asp#sep106
Mike Bryant
Thanks for taking the time to read and leave the comment.
Comments for this article are closed.