The fun of amusement park rides comes from the sense of danger, but the danger should only be illusory, never real. Unfortunately, when rides are not maintained properly, riders, operators, and maintenance staff can suffer injuries and need the protection of an experienced San Diego injury attorney.
One such situation may be brewing at Disneyland, where regulators from the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) are considering fining the park after workers were injured while performing maintenance on various park rides. While cleaning the outside of the Space Mountain ride in November 2012, a contract worker slipped and fell, suffering injuries that included broken bones.
Now, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health has proposed fining the park approximately $235,000. The fine is based on the agency’s findings that the park violated several health and safety regulations leading to the worker’s injuries in the November accident. Space Mountain and two other rides were closed recently so that the park could review its safety procedures with regards to repair and maintenance. Space Mountain and one other ride, Soarin’ Over California at Disney California Adventure, remain closed.
Amusement park rides cause both deaths and injuries each year. According to a 2010 survey by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), 1,207 people were injured on amusement park rides in the U.S.’s 400 amusement parks that year. About 59 of these injured people required hospitalization for the treatment of serious injuries. The IAAPA survey did not provide the number of amusement-park-related deaths in 2010.
