New Jersey’s amusement parks draw tens of thousands of visitors every year, but for some guests, these visits prove to be anything but fun. As an amusement park attendee, it is important that you understand the risks involved in visiting these attractions because injuries in theme parks are too common.
According to NBC News, while some amusement park injuries result from rider negligence or inappropriate behavior, many of them result from rides or amusements that might be faulty or assembled incorrectly.
Amusement park injury statistics
How high is your injury risk when visiting an amusement park? Research shows that millions of people visit amusement parks, fairs and festivals every year, and about 30,900 of those visitors suffer injuries serious enough to warrant emergency visits.
Thousands more suffer injuries that are less severe in nature; however, others are not so lucky. Between 2010 and 2017, 22 visitors lost their lives on thrill rides across the nation.
Regulation issues
What is it about amusement parks and thrill rides that make them such a danger to you? Some attest that the industry suffers from a severe lack of regulatory oversight. There is no single governing body that ensures safety in amusement parks. Also, there is no consensus among states regarding how to report amusement park incidents and injuries, and many states fail to do so at all.
Other safety advocates argue that safety issues arise when amusements undergo regular dismantling and reconstructing. When workers break down these attractions and then rebuild them elsewhere, they run the risk of missing a step or reassembling a ride improperly.
As an amusement park visitor, ride attractions at your own risk. When amusement park injuries do occur, they often include broken bones, fractures, drownings or head, back, neck or spinal cord injuries. Any of these injuries have the potential to take a serious physical and financial toll.