The recent news that the family of a man who died in a tragic drowning accident at Hawaiian Falls water park has filed a lawsuit has refocused attention on safety issues at Texas amusement parks. While a resolution for this case is still pending, everyone agrees such pool-based accidents are needless tragedies that will unalterably affect the families involved. Unfortunately, they are far too common.
Not all water accidents occur at amusement parks of course. According to Child Protective Services, there have been 77 children who have died from drowning this year in the state of Texas. Such a high number of such accidents is troubling. Unfortunately, amusement and swimming parks can be especially prone to accidents. While parents expect a high level of safety precautions and monitoring to be in place, the parks are often overcrowded and understaffed, a dangerous combination when it comes to the potential for accidents. And while some accidents might be the fault of guests who willfully disobey posted safety regulations, many others are the fault of negligence on the part of the company or its operators. Accidents at water parks tend to fall into one of the following categories:
- Operator error
- Defective design
- Inappropriate supervision
- Mechanical failure
- Malfunctioning lap bars and safety restraints
- Missing safety equipment
- Consumer behavior
- Poor maintenance
Once such an accident occurs, it can be difficult to determine who was at fault. In the immediate aftermath, everyone is concerned with the well-being of the victim, so that the exact details as to the cause may be overlooked until much later. On top of that, when an accident occurs, amusement parks will do their best to prevent attention from being drawn to it. They are big businesses—more than 270 million guests visit amusement parks each year—and have a vested interest in avoiding negative publicity or gaining a reputation for substandard safety practices. In the case of an injury or death, it is important to have someone on your side that will investigate and prove exactly what went wrong. Sadly, most swimming parks will not compensate you unless a lawsuit is filed. It’s hard to think about such things when a tragedy occurs, and that’s why Crowe Arnold & Majors, LLP has a team of professionals well versed in cases such as this. Allow us to advocate on your behalf. Call the Dallas water park attorneys at Crowe Arnold & Majors, LLP today to schedule a free consultation. We can be reached at (800) 738-4045.
