Published: July 13, 2008 01:52 am            

Caution: Make sure your day at the park is all fun and games

Nothing says summer is in full swing like a trip to the county fair or theme park. For most families, the biggest problem of the day will probably be a child with an upset stomach.

But high-profile cases like that of Louisville’s Kaitlyn Lassiter — whose feet were amputated in a tragic mishap at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom — have left parents more concerned than ever about amusement park safety. And with good reason.

Every year, an estimated 8,000 children under 14 are treated in emergency rooms after being injured on amusement park rides, according to SaferParks.org, which uses data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions — which uses a different criteria for injury reporting and disputes the CPSC numbers — points out that with visitors going on more than 1 billion rides each year, less than 1 percent of riders suffer serious injuries.

Despite the debate over numbers, the fact is thousands of children are hurt every year on rides. In the past decade, 20 children under age 13 have been killed on amusement park rides ranging from Ferris wheels to bumper cars, and that doesn’t include those killed at water parks.

Toddlers, pre-schoolers and elementary school children account for half of all ride-related accidents and three-fourth of accidents where a rider falls out or is ejected, according to Kathy Fackler, who founded SaferParks.org after her 5-year-old son lost part of his foot when it was caught between a car and platform as he was getting off a Disneyland ride.

Kiddie rides, older model full-size spinning rides and Ferris wheels account for most child falls. Like Fackler’s son, about 30 percent of kids are injured getting on or off a ride.

“Parents should pay special attention to choosing rides for young children because restraints are not required to fit children securely,” according to Fackler.

There are no federal regulations for fixed rides (the CPSC oversees traveling rides), meaning that ride manufacturer’s recommendations aren’t checked to ensure they are appropriate, Fackler pointed out. She cited the case of a 6-year-old California boy who met the 42-inch height guidelines to ride an open-air Ferris wheel alone, despite the fact that there were no restraints or barriers. When the ride stopped, and the boy’s car was at the top, he panicked and fell 90 feet to his death.

While parks are only responsible for making sure children meet the minimum recommendations, Koch said Holiday World “reviews the manufacturer’s requirements, and have, in some cases, adopted requirements more stringent than those required by the manufacturers.”

Most of the accidents at Holiday World are “slips, trips and falls,” Koch said. There were no serious injuries reported at Holiday World last year.



Tips to help make your family’s trip accident free

• Watch a ride in operation and see how it is affecting others before deciding if your child can board.

• Make sure children can reach bracing points and that restraints are tight and difficult to remove.

• Don’t let your child ride alone until you’re sure they can follow instructions and handle themselves in an emergency (like when a ride gets stuck mid-air).

• Supervise your child getting on and off a ride, encouraging them to walk not run. Make sure the child understands all announcements and posted rules. Also, don’t allow children to supervise younger children on rides.

• Always use the safety equipment provided. Safety belts, lap bars, chains, handrails and other safety features are there for a reason.

• Note the limitations of safety devices. Lap bars and chains are not physical restraints — their main function is to remind the occupant to stay seated. If a small child sits next to a large adult, a lap bar might not offer the child much protection. That was the case for a 3-year-old Nevada girl who died after falling out of a car on the Sizzler ride in 1997. Although a lap bar was working, it was designed to restrain only the larger passenger the girl was riding with.

• Never get off a moving ride. Wait until the ride comes to a complete stop. Also, if a ride stops due to a mechanical problem or safety concern, stay seated and wait for instructions.

• Don’t let children ride if they’re too tired to comply with safety procedures. On some rides, it’s important to stay upright and face forward. Also, don’t pressure kids to go on a ride they’re afraid of, as they’re more likely to sit incorrectly or even try to get off.

• Make sure children are wearing closed-toe shoes with traction, have their hair pulled back and refrain from chewing gum or eating while riding.





DANGER, DANGER

Top 10 amusement park rides (excluding roller coasters) most often involved in serious accidents/fatalities:



• Ferris wheels

• Inflatable bounce houses

• Log flumes/water slides

• Flying swings

• Orbiter

• Sizzler

• Zipper

• Tilt-A-Whirl

• Gravitron

• Octopus

        

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