An accident involving a ride at Cedar Point amusement park on July 26th resulted in personal injury to two people. One amusement park visitor was taken to a local hospital while a second injured guest was treated at the scene.
About 10 p.m. on Saturday night, a cable on the Skyhawk ride became detached. An eyewitness reported that the cable then knocked down a large portion of the fencing separating the ride from the midway area. It was not clear if the injured victims were on the ride itself or were viewing the ride. According to reports, one man suffered facial injuries when he was hit by debris and a boy sustained a broken leg. The ride was shut down immediately.
This is not the first time that the Skyhawk ride has experienced problems. The ride, which opened in 2006, is the world’s largest swing ride, swinging riders up to 125 feet in the air. Last year the ride was closed in whole or in part for the majority of the amusement park season.
“Safety is our top priority at Cedar Point. Skyhawk will remain closed until our investigation is complete and the ride can safely reopen,” said park spokesman Bryan Edwards.
Because most amusement parks and fairs are not required to report injuries and accidents, it is unknown how many accidents occur. Experts estimate that some 10,000 people are injured at amusement parks in the United States every year. While many injuries are a result of the actions of the injured party in failing to heed safety protocol, accidents and injuries are also caused by operator error, defective design of the ride and poor maintenance of the ride.
If you or a loved one has been injured on an amusement park ride, contact the Ohio personal injury attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List