Premises liability accidents may come in all different forms. An accident may also occur in various places, in the parking lot of a retail store, in Florida’s theme parks and even at a state fair. State fairs are exciting for most people in Tampa, Florida and in the rest of the U.S. However, what should have been an enjoyable day turned into horror for a Florida teenager.
The Florida State Fair has been all over the news recently. However, the headlines do not mention the fun and excitement that a state fair brings to residents because of an inadequate security issue related to a horrifying accident involving a fair ride. Reportedly, the incident happened on February 8 when a 15-year-old girl and a 21-year-old woman rode the Hit in 2000 ride at the state fair. The ride whirls occupants around over humps. According to the teenager, before the ride started, she stated that she realized that the restraint was not locked into place so she asked a fair worker to pull the restraint back and fix it. Unfortunately, the unexpected happened when the restraint failed to work. The teenager saw her 21-year-old friend go flying out of the ride. The teenager stated that she also started flying and the lever bounced back and forth toward her. She then grabbed the lever as soon as she could. She held on to the lever until the worker realized the issue and stopped the ride.
The 21-year-old girl flew into the crowd that was waiting to board the ride and she was injured. She sustained non-life threatening injuries, including a broken nose and bruises. The teenager’s family plans to file a lawsuit. Her family believes that someone should be responsible for keeping the state fair visitors safe. An investigation of the incident is ongoing.
At events, parties and other occasions, the safety of the public should always be the top priority. Otherwise, the property owner is not only endangering the safety of the visitors and attendees but also subjecting themselves to legal responsibility under premises liability laws.
Source: Wfla, “Exclusive: Tampa girl hurt in fair ride accident speaks out,” Chip Osowski, Feb. 18, 2015
