Two young boys, both age 9, were thrown from an amusement park attraction at Lake Winnie Amusement Park in Rossville, Georgia in late July. One of the boys suffered minor injuries, and the other reportedly suffered a broken shoulder, pelvis, and leg, as well as a deep laceration to his head. Both are expected to recover, although it could be months or longer for the child with more severe injuries.An investigation into the cause of the accident, which involved the "Fly-O-Plane" ride, was unable to determine the exact cause of the incident. Georgia State Fire Marshals were called in to help conduct the investigation. All locking mechanisms and safety restraints were said to have been working and properly engaged when the accident occurred. It is unclear liability falls on the park for safety standards that may have not been up to code, or if the two young riders had found a way to tamper with their safety restraints and harnesses. In the latter situation, the park could still be found partially liable for not "childproofing" the cabs on the ride. According to an article published by News Channel 9, which can be seen here, one of the injured boys claims that the ride attendant never checked to see if their cab was locked; the statement may be the groundwork of a potential lawsuit.The "Fly-O-Plane" was shut down and removed from the park's public grounds for investigation and inspection following the incident. Two weeks later, it was returned to the park but not reopened.Possible Safety ViolationsA second investigation - conducted by Channel 3 WRCB and that can be seen here - found that Lake Winnie had numerous safety inspection violations throughout the last few years. "Fly-O-Plane" had passed the last two safety inspections without any violations, however, so the information may not be relevant to this case. Additionally, the Fire Marshal's Office stated that the violations that had been found at Lake Winnie in 2014, 2015, and 2016 inspections were quite common in all amusement parks; there is no evidence that rides were permitted to operate after violations were found until maintenance was performed.For more information regarding the rights of parties injured at amusement parks, you can contact my firm, the Law Offices of K. Douglas Cook. You can schedule a free consultation at my office, your home, or your hospital room. Call 678.974.0432 to speak with a compassionate and experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney.
