Questions About Theme Park Safety

May 19, 2008 — -- A carnival-ride collapse that injured 23 Californians has raised questions about the safety of amusement park attractions — days before the unofficial kickoff to the summer season.

Investigators blamed unspecified mechanical failures for the breakdown of a "Yo-Yo's" ride at the Calaveras County Fair in Angels Camp, Calif., on Friday. Many children were aboard when the ride's arms and chairs unexpectedly collapsed and dragged the passengers along the ground until the machine came to a halt.

"I saw just complete chaos. Children, who were on the ride, were entangled in the swings," said Tricia Schlueter, whose 13-year-old son was injured on the ride.

Some consumers aren't depending on large theme parks with fixed attractions or local fairs, where rides travel from town to town, to keep consumers safe. They've taken their fight to Capitol Hill.

Last week, 14-year-old Kaitlin Lassiter, whose feet were severed in an accident on the Superman Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom last June, asked Congress for more safety oversight of amusement park rides.

"That I'm alive and I fought and I'm here today, then now we're going to change and make it safer," said Lassiter, whose right foot was reattached. Lassiter's left leg had to be amputated just below her knee.

Lassiter's family, who has since sued Six Flags, discovered the U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission is prohibited from inspecting rides, which partially prompted their activism. The family is working to change the loophole.

Back in 1981, amusement parks persuaded Congress to exempt big theme companies from federal oversight. As a result, state inspectors have mostly monitored the country's largest parks.

Despite the accident, an amusement park industry group — which does not represent carnival or mobile attractions like the one involved in the California incident — said it has an "outstanding safety record."

"The safety of our guest is our top priority," the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions said in a statement. The IAAPA only represents fixed-site attractions, like permanently located parks.

IAAPA said the odds of a patron being seriously injured on a fixed-site attraction are one in 9 million.

According to the National Safety Council, 1,713 people were injured on fixed-ride attractions in 2005, a nearly 4 percent increase from the previous year.

That statistic may have some guests rethinking their theme park visits as summer vacation approaches.