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Philadelphia Amusement Park Injury Attorney

If you or a loved one was injured at an amusement park, town fair, or carnival in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, you should discuss your legal options with an experienced amusement park injury attorney. Depending on what caused the amusement park accident, you could be entitled to financial compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages related to the accident.
Serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the injury attorneys at the Wieand Law Firm are committed to holding amusement parks liable for ride defects, improper operation of rides, and other types of negligence that cause preventable accidents.

Amusement Park Injury and Fatality Statistics

When visiting a carnival or amusement park you expect a fun and entertaining time for the whole family. However, a preventable amusement park tragedy can change you and your loved ones lives forever.
When a ride operator is careless, intoxicated, or improperly trained and supervised, he or she can make an error that injures or kills a passenger. There is also a risk that even with proper operation, design or manufacturing defects may cause a ride to break down while in motion, causing riders to fall, strike their heads, lose a limb, or suffer other catastrophic injuries.
It is difficult to find reliable and conclusive statistics on amusement park injuries and deaths, because, despite the immense potential for danger, the amusement park industry is loosely regulated. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has limited authority to regulate “mobile” amusement parks, such as carnivals and fairs that move from town to town, but, in the words of spokesman Scott Wolfson, who was interviewed by CNN in July 2017, the CPSC is “a small agency, and it’s tough to oversee every fair that sets up for a short period of time.” Moreover, the CPSC is not authorized to investigate accidents at “fixed-site” (permanent) amusement parks. Instead, each state or municipality sets its own regulations – which can vary widely from place to place.
Despite the troubling absence of universal safety standards, the incomplete data we do have suggests that amusement park accidents and carnival accidents are relatively common. The CPSC estimated that in 2016 alone, nearly 31,000 people visited emergency departments for treatment of amusement park injuries. The CPSC has also received reports of at least 22 fatalities since 2010.

Bringing an Injury Claim against an Amusement Park

Philadelphia Amusement Park Injury Attorney
If you are injured at an amusement park, you should avoid speaking with any park representatives, who will likely try to either discourage you from pursuing legal action or push you into accepting a low-ball settlement offer.
Instead, let an amusement park accident lawyer handle negotiations on your behalf. After receiving medical care, your next step should be to speak with a personal injury lawyer who has experience handling personal injury claims in your state. The Wieand Law Firm handles cases against amusement parks, fairs, and carnivals located in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including:
PA – Altoona, Bloomsburg, Columbia County, Lancaster County, Lehigh County, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Westmoreland County; and
NJ– Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township, Hope Township, Jackson Township, Ocean City, Scotch Plains, Seaside Heights, Tipton, West Mifflin, Wildwood, and others.

Amusement Park Injury or Death Damages

There are two basic types of compensation (“damages”) for an amusement park injury or amusement park death:

Economic Damages

  • Compensation for (1) your expenses, and (2) your estimated future financial losses, such as:
  • Compensation to help offset any reduction in your ability to earn income
  • Costs for funeral and burial services, in cases of wrongful death
  • Medical bills for surgery, hospital admission, ambulance transit, and other expenses
  • The cost of ongoing care you will need in the future, such as physical therapy

Non-Economic Damages

  • Compensation for physical and emotional harm, such as:
  • Loss of a marriage (“loss of consortium”)
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Mental anguish
  • Pain and suffering
  • Physical scarring and disfigurement

Economic damages and non-economic damages may be available if you were injured, or if a family member was killed, due to an accident or injury at an amusement park. These are considered “compensatory” damages because their function is to “make the victim whole.” If the accident involved particularly flagrant misconduct or malicious acts, you may also be entitled to “punitive” damages, which are meant to punish defendants who act with “gross” (extreme) negligence.
In cases where an amusement park accident results in the wrongful death of a park guest, the visitor’s spouse or immediate family members may be able to recover compensation by bringing a survival action or wrongful death claim.

Philadelphia Amusement Park Accident Attorney Serving PA and NJ

The Wieand Law Firm handles claims for serious and catastrophic injuries. Types of injury claims we handle include:

  • Amputation injuries,
  • Back injuries,
  • Bone fractures (broken bones),
  • Burn injuries,
  • Concussions and traumatic brain injuries,
  • Crush injuries,
  • Cuts and bruises,
  • Ear injuries/hearing loss,
  • Eye injuries/vision loss,
  • Head injuries,
  • Nerve damage,
  • Organ damage,
  • Paralysis,
  • Severed fingers and toes,
  • Soft tissue injuries such as whiplash,
  • Spinal cord injuries, and others.

To discuss an injury that occurred at an amusement park, county fair, state fair or carnival in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, contact the Wieand Law Firm, LLC at (215) 666-7777. Your legal consultation is free and confidential.

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“It is great having an attorney who always gets back to you immediately, answers any and all questions (and I had many), and who honestly cares about his client. He provided me with the help and the experienced council that I needed in a tough situation. I strongly recommend him to anyone looking for a personal injury lawyer. ”

-Pat Millham

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