Florida is home to some of the most popular Amusement Parks in the world. Disney World makes up a good amount of Florida theme parks with the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Florida is also home to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Busch Gardens, Seaworld, Aquatica, Wet Wild and the Miami Seaquarium.
It is common for someone to think of a roller coaster accident if they hear “Amusement Park Injury” or Theme Park Lawsuit”, but the majority of injuries that happen are actually a result of a slip and fall due to the negligence of the theme park.
The goal for theme parks is to create an alternate reality. An escape from the everyday world that will truly make you feel like you are on a vacation. There are multiple layers and moving parts for an amusement park to deliver this experience to its millions and millions of visitors. With all the different levels of operation, it’s hard to imagine another type of business that has so many activities creating a potential for liability.
Even though one of the main responsibilities of a theme park is to provide a safe environment, visitors may become victims due to negligence. The park is well aware of water rides and the puddles people leave after they exit the rides soaked. In most cases, these areas are carefully watched and maintained so wet slippery surfaces are kept to a minimum. But there are other unexpected scenarios that parks can show a slower response time to clean up. Sometimes even slow enough to be negligent and put unsuspecting visitors in harm’s way.
It could be a bathroom floor that has not been properly mopped and is dangerous to walk on. It could be a spill on a staircase or walkway of a ride that has not been cleaned by staff. Florida is also known for its sporadic weather changes and rain storms that seem severe but may last only thirty minutes. When this happens, visitors tend to take shelter in park restaurants and gift shops till the rain stops. Once it stops, people go back out and continue with their fun-filled day. What they leave behind in these gift shops and restaurants are floors that are now wet and dangerous to walk on. Even though an amusement park is fully aware of this, it is not common to still find floors that remain wet and are not attended to in a timely fashion.
Considering the number of events and people attending, it is surprising there are not more lawsuits against theme parks. This may be a result of the parks’ safety efforts or their claims departments’ efforts to appease injury victims before they head for court.
A theme park or amusement park will appear eager to offer you a quick, but substandard, settlement. You need to understand your rights and receive advice from a personal injury attorney who understands these cases and will put your best interest first. If you or a loved one were seriously injured at an amusement park or water park in Florida, the accident attorneys at MADALON LAW are here to help.
An amusement park accident is when a serious injury or death happens at an amusement park. It is common that the first thing people think of when they hear “amusement park accident” is a horrible injury or fatality due to a rollercoaster malfunctioning. Even though there have been injuries and death because of rollercoaster incidences, there are many other types of theme park accidents that occur more often – some even daily.
Besides its beaches, Florida is known for its amusement parks and also its water parks. In Orlando, you have the four theme parks that make up Disney World (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios), Sea World, Universal, Legoland and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Florida is also home to Busch Gardens (Tampa) and the Miami Seaquarium (Miami).
These theme parks open their doors to millions of families every year. Their goal is to create an alternate reality; an environment where a person is surrounded by positive characters, cool shows, fun rides and anything else that makes it clear that you are on vacation. And the more people on vacation, the better. Go to one of these parks and you will see Florida residents, people from other states and even visitors from other countries. One thing that all of these people have in common no matter where they are from is that they paid a good amount of money for a park ticket – not to mention parking, food, souvenirs and anything else the kids might want.
There are times that a theme park is so focused on continual growth (to accommodate even more people), they end up neglecting their primary responsibility – providing and maintaining a safe environment. All rides are expected to be maintained and inspected so they are always in working order. Floors are supposed to be cleaned and free of any debris or dangerous footing that may cause a visitor to slip and/or fall.
Common signs of neglect by an amusement park can include:
When an injury or death occurs at a theme park, the victim and their family may feel intimidated because it is them vs. a huge corporation. This can make a person feel like they have no choice but to take the offer the amusement park gives. This feeling of hopelessness is why many victims settle quickly for a lot less than they financially deserved and could have had.
Most people are not aware of how the law works, the rights they have and the amount of compensation they can be entitled to after they have been injured in an accident that was the result of another party’s negligence. The obstacles and confusion that follow an accident and an injury can seem overwhelming.