A children’s ride at the Puyallup Spring Fair in Seattle toppled over the evening of April 17, 2009 sending one child to the hospital in a neck brace and leaving 11 others with personal injuries. According to a news report in the Seattle Times, five children and one adult injured in this Seattle fair ride accident were taken to area hospitals for treatment. The ride, called a Lolly Swing, toppled over. Bridget Haney, 10, who was on the ride at the time it toppled, talked to the Seattle Times. Bridget said she was able to get out of her dangling swing when it toppled and drop into the arms of witnesses and fair workers. Bridget escaped with a bump and a bruise. Several suffered more personal injuries as they hit the ground when the ride fell.
I hope all the victims of this horrific ride accident did not suffer serious personal injuries. It is a relief that more people were not hurt. This could have been a lot worse. I wish all the injured victims the very best for a quick and complete recovery.
The Lolly Swing has apparently been a fixture at the fair’s Kiddyland area for the past five years. The ride has swing-type seats that rotate around a central pillar. Fair authorities said all rides at the fair are required to undergo a variety of safety checks and are inspected annually by the state. Washington State Department Labor and Industries officials are investigating the incident and the ride would be shut down until that investigation is completed. There is no word yet on what caused the incident. They are looking at the possibility that the soggy ground under the ride may have given way.
Obviously, there are still many unanswered questions here. The most important question that must be answered of course is what caused the ride to topple. The injured victims would be well advised to contact a Seattle personal injury attorney experienced in handling amusement park ride accidents or carnival ride accidents. If this ride accident occurred because the ride was not properly set up and maintained, then the ride operator or the fair operator could be held liable. If there was a product defect, then the manufacturer of the ride could be held responsible. Victims of this accident may be compensated for medical expenses and other damages related to this accident.
SLS Consulting