Personal Injury Law

Amusement Park Pays for Free Fall from 100 Feet

By guest-writer

A traumatic accident this summer at a popular Wisconsin amusement park left a 13-year-old girl facing permanent paralysis. The girl, Teagan Marti, fell more than 100 feet from a ride at Extreme World in central Wisconsin.

According to sources, the girl’s family recently took a huge step towards securing a healthy future for their daughter, as the amusement park agreed to a personal injury settlement with Marti’s attorneys. As of press time, the details of the settlement have yet to be publicly released.

The young girl, who was visiting Wisconsin from her home in south Florida, had convinced her family to check out the Wisconsin amusement park after seeing an advertisement during a travel show on television. Unfortunately, the trip had disastrous results.

Soon after hopping on a ride designed to simulate the feeling of a free fall, Marti struck the ground when her descent went awry. Shockingly, the nets and air bags that were supposed to catch falling riders were not raised before she began her fall.

As a result of her lengthy fall, Marti suffered swelling in her brain, lacerations to her spleen, liver, and intestines, and severe fractured bones, including her spine and pelvis. Her doctors say her spinal injury could lead to permanent paralysis.

In September, she was finally transferred from a hospital in Wisconsin to a medical facility closer to her home in Florida.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, the injury occurred as a result of operator failure. During the course of the ride, the girl was dropped from the equipment before the cage in which she was riding had completed its trip. In addition, she was dropped before a net at the bottom of the ride had been released to catch her.

In a frank admission of guilt, the operator of the malfunctioning ride, Charles Carnell, admitted that he “blanked out” when the accident occurred. Apparently, he never saw the requisite “all-clear” signal before releasing the young girl from the cage.

For his actions, Carnell has been charged with first-degree reckless injury, which is a felony in Wisconsin. If he is convicted, the ride operator could face up to 25 years in prison or $100,000 in fines. Carnell is scheduled to be tried later this year.

In addition to filing suit against the amusement park, the Marti family is weighing whether to file a lawsuit against Montic, the German manufacturer of the faulty ride.

Amusement park accidents occur with an alarming degree of frequency. Fortunately, a robust legal system has been developed to protect responsible citizens from personal injuries.

Filing personal injury lawsuits not only offers justice to those who are injured, it also prevents future accidents by ensuring the safe operation of risky rides.

From relatively minor injuries to traumatic ride malfunctions, if you’ve suffered an injury from someone else’s negligent actions, contact a local injury attorney today to learn more about your legal rights.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on October 18, 2010 (boomark / email).