Defective Yo-Yo Amusement Park Rides Recalled After Injuries
Chance Rides Manufacturing Inc. has recalled about 85 defective Yo-Yo amusement park and carnival rides. The Wichita, Kansas based amusement park ride manufacturer recalled the rides to repair defects that reportedly caused two serious accidents. According to this October 8, 2008 news report, a Yo-Yo ride collapsed in May at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee in Angels Camp, California, injuring 23 people. Also, in March 2006, a Yo-Yo ride at Six Flags in Arlington, Texas malfunctioned. Nine people suffered bruises as well as back and neck injuries in that ride accident.
The Yo-Yo ride basically has a series of metal arms extending from a rotating hub. A chair is attached to the end of each arm by a chain. The arms and the chairs swing outward as the hub rotates and picks up speed. , The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced in a product safety alert that Chance Rides Manufacturing will distribute kits to ride owners to help inspect and repair these defective rides. The manufacturer has also agreed to offer new maintenance guidelines for the rides.
Ride owners who wish to receive the inspection/repair kit are asked to call the manufacturer at 1-800-242-6231. CPSC has jurisdiction over mobile amusement rides and conducts incident investigations. But state and local communities are responsible for inspections and oversight of rides such as the Yo-Yo. Here is a link to the Directory of State Amusement Ride Safety Officials, which has more information about which states have amusement ride inspection programs and which agencies carry out that responsibility.
According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, more than 300 million guests visited U.S. amusement facilities during the year 2005. The most recent injury statistics available show that in 2005 there were 1,713 ride-related injuries. There was an average of four fatalities a year that could be attributed to ride malfunctions. About 7 percent of ride injuries were serious, which means injured victims required some form of overnight treatment at a hospital.
If you have been seriously injured in an amusement park accident, you need the advice of an experienced California amusement park injury lawyer. Liability for California amusement park accidents and theme park injuries involves three types of law – negligence or tort law, product liability law and premises liability. These are all complex areas of law, which require the expertise of a skilled California personal injury lawyer who has experience handling amusement park accident cases.
