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There has been an increase in the number of theme park ride-related accidents over the past month. This increase has renewed the calls for better safety regulations. Experts are urging the government to provide more oversight for amusement and water parks in the country. TechTimes.com reported: 

A 3-year-old boy in Pennsylvania was hospitalized after he fell from a wooden rollercoaster at a local amusement park on August 11. 

Meanwhile, one girl in Tennessee suffered a serious head injury after she and two others fell from a Ferris wheel car in the evening of August 8. 

On August 7, a 10-year-old boy died after he rode a 168-foot waterslide in Kansas’s Schlitterbahn Waterpark. 

In Florida, large amusement parks reported the following injury totals for 2015 according to AmusementSafety.org: 

SeaWorld Orlando- 65 injuries

Busch Gardens Tampa- 55 injuries

Disney’s Epcot – 37 injuries

Disney’s Animal Kingdom- 59 injuries

Universal Studios- 59 injuries 

Theme park regulation 

Currently, no federal agency has authority to set uniform safety standards for amusement park rides, investigate serious accidents at permanent facilities or require the correction of hazards that may lead to rider injuries, according to Saferparks, a non-profit public service organization founded to prevent amusement ride accidents. 

The CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) is authorized to investigate accidents and work with manufacturers to correct ride defects, but only on traveling carnival rides. Rides at major theme and water parks are exempt from federal safety oversight due to what is referred to by those in the industry as the "roller coaster loophole," in the Consumer Product Safety Act of 1981.

MSNBC reports that state regulation for amusement park rides is notoriously fragmented. In seventeen states there is not even a state agency responsible for overseeing park safety. 

Fox News says that in those states that do provide oversight, the government agencies responsible for theme park regulation may not be the same for each state. In Kansas, Nebraska and Tennessee, inspections for such parks are conducted by the state labor department. In Pennsylvania, it is handled by the state agriculture department. Many large amusement parks, such as SeaWorld, Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World in Florida, are not subject to inspections by state regulators. 

USA Today believes that this lack of a standard and unified set of safety guidelines for amusement parks in the country is one of the primary things about which safety experts are concerned. 

“Should a person be injured because an amusement ride malfunctions, he/she may be entitled to compensation under product liability. If an amusement park fails to keep a ride in proper operating condition, fails to inspect the equipment, does not operate the ride properly or train employees, it can be held negligent,” says Fort Myers Personal Injury Attorney, Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. “Contact us to determine your rights.”

Fort Myers Personal Injury Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys. He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com. Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information. You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.