by Kimberly Skillman

Created on: August 03, 2007

This is a timely question, as theme park accidents and fatalities seem to be on the rise in our country and abroad. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):

-In 2004, mobile amusement rides accounted for an estimated 2,500 non-occupational injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms.

-There were an estimated 71 fatalities from 1987 to 2002 for mobile, fixed-site, and unknown-site rides combined.

Even over the span of 15 years, I believe this number to be both staggering and bleak. More and more often as I turn on the news, I hear of someone either falling off of a ride, becoming unharnessed, or being physically harmed by some component of a ride. This should not be happening. There is no doubt in my mind that theme park owners, officials, and operators are not being diligent enough in protecting patrons at their respective parks.

This question posed at the top of this article really hits close to home for me, literally. A few weeks ago, a young girl, age 13, had her feet severed by a cable on a thrill drop ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, mere miles from where I live. I have been on this particular ride numerous times in the past, and it really makes you stop and ask yourself, what is being done to assure my safety while at these parks? What could have been done to prevent a tragedy, like the one I mention above, from happening?

Although I know theme parks have regulations on all of their rides and attractions, it seems like more could be done to assure each patron's safety while within the confines of a park. Instead of yearly or bi-yearly checks and maintenance on rides, maybe park officials should think about doing these checks tri-yearly. After all, passenger safety is the most important thing, and I don't think it would put them out too much in terms of money. After all, it's better than being slapped with a lawsuit after an unfortunate accident or death because a ride was not running properly or was damaged. In my opinion, it is better to be safe than sorry.

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