Amusement park rides across the United States attract millions of visitors each year. Most are looking for the thrill and inherent danger of high-speed roller coasters and plummeting water rafts. While these rides are fun, they present a very real risk of serious injury or death to riders, and accident liability is foremost on the minds of managers in the industry. It may also be prudent for West Virginia park visitors to have some idea of the potential issues in case an accident does occur.

Amusement park operators and ride manufacturers may carry several different types of liability coverage on their insurance. All will be expected to carry general liability coverage. They may also have excess liability and professional liability coverage on top of that. While some amusement park accidents are minor, resulting in only cuts and scrapes, other times they result in fatalities, and payouts may reach into the tens of millions of dollars.

Pinning down exactly who or what is responsible for an accident can be complex. For example, if the ride itself had a defective design, then the manufacturer would be mostly at fault. Park managers or staff may share some or most of this negligence for a wide variety of reasons. For example, the ride may have been inspected or maintained improperly, or the operator may have ignored warnings, improperly followed safety procedures or reacted to a dangerous situation or emergency improperly.

Determining which parties are at fault and the extent to which they are at fault is something a personal injury lawyer may help an injured victim with. This is a critical part of any personal injury lawsuit.