Water parks, traveling carnivals and amusement park rides are all popular places for families during the warmest months in Texas. Since the kids are off from school, it is easier than usual to pack your family up and go spend a day hitting up some water slides or roller coasters.
Although these trips can be a source of treasured family memories and a great break from the monotony of summer months out of school, they can also be a source of both severe physical injuries and emotional trauma to children. Part of what makes amusement parks and carnival rides so thrilling is the sense of controlled danger they produce.
Unfortunately, with bad set up or improper maintenance, the danger can go from being theoretical to a very real risk that could impact your family for many years to come. Sometimes, places you visit for fun can prove to be anything but that if your child gets hurt.
Make an official report if there is any malfunction or injury
On rides with multiple operators, the park may have safeguards in place that allow them to detect malfunctions immediately. Certain rides also have cameras that capture the more dangerous moments, often intended as tourist mementos. The cameras can also serve as a form of documentation when something goes wrong or someone winds up hurt.
Even if there are cameras or attendants, don’t just move on with your day if your kid gets hurt. You should never assume that the people working will make a record of the malfunction unless you report a potential injury.
Making a report means that there will be a record at the amusement park or with the management of the fair or water park of what happened to you and your child. That way, if an injury becomes more severe in the future, you can prove that it started when you first attended the park.
Injuries to children may require expensive medical care
From broken bones to head injuries, the kinds of wounds and injuries people can suffer at water parks or similar amusement facilities can prove to be serious. For small children, those injuries can require years of medical assistance. Since children are still growing, injuries that would be minor for adults can have more significant implications for younger victims.
At the same time, children do tend to heal and bounce back quickly. However, visible wounds, especially on the face, can lead to permanent scarring and therefore require intensive intervention to minimize the long-term repercussions for your child and family.
That care can often be far more expensive than what you are capable of covering on your own. That is why you want to connect the injury to the facility where your child got hurt in order to seek compensation on their behalf.
Michael Zimmerman
Michael was born in Houston, Texas. His education at Baylor and Texas State Universities earned him a Bachelor of Science degree in 1987. His major was in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry. He finished his legal education at Texas Southern University in 1990, earning a Juris Doctorate from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1990.
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