Inspection reports on Pennsylvania amusement parks and carnival rides will have a more user-friendly database before the start of next year’s carnival season, vows Michael Pechart, executive deputy secretary of the state Agricultural Department. According to news reports, amusement park visitors will, hopefully by Spring 2014, be able to go online and access inspection reports on amusement park and carnival ride attractions in the state of Pennsylvania. Each year, millions of people visit Pennsylvania amusement parks, fairs, carnivals, water parks and haunted house attractions. Eventually, the state would also like to have a smart phone app that would allow park visitors to assess ride inspections from their smart phone while at an amusement park.
Improvement in the amusement ride safety database was prompted by a recent ride inspection report from PublicSource, which noted that more than 50 percent of the state’s amusement, theme and water parks did not turn in all of their 2012 reports. In fact, the department did not have any reports at all from 12 of the state’s 117 amusement and water parks. All amusement park companies are required to register their company and rides or attractions with the bureau each year. The amusement ride safety program is designed to make sure that all rides and attractions in PA meet the proper safety requirements.
It is critical that all amusement or theme park owners register their attractions so they can be properly monitored and maintained. Any defective or unsafe amusement ride attraction can lead to an accident causing a rider or park visitor to sustain a traumatic brain injury, paraplegia, quadriplegia, amputation, spinal cord injury, electrocution burns or even death.
If you, or someone close to you, were injured on a carnival ride or at a theme park you may want to contact an amusement ride injury lawyer or Pennsylvania amusement park accident law firm for additional information.
