Summertime holiday weekends, hot temperatures and time off from school encourage people to get out and enjoy fairs, festivals and other outdoor events. From thrill rides to concerts to fried food, there’s plenty of fun to be had at fairs and festivals. But when accidents happen, who’s responsible?
Each year, tens of thousands of people are injured at fairs and festivals—even the ones branded “family friendly.”
Here’s who might be responsible for your injuries, and how the Law Offices of Tim Misny can help.
Ride inspections and Ohio state laws
Ohio has been beefing up precautions since 2021. After a thrill ride accident killed an 18-year-old at the Ohio State Fair in 2017, state legislators drafted Tyler’s Law. Tyler’s Law “requires more mandatory inspections for big attractions and makes owners maintain repair and travel records.”
While no one was charged in the accident that led to Tyler’s Law, authorities believe that state ride inspectors missed signs of corrosion and weakening. Ohio offers immunity to state ride inspectors for negligence lawsuits. However, this isn’t a complete bar to recovering compensation: private inspectors, ride owners and manufacturers may be held liable.
The parties responsible for ride-related injuries depend on the individual facts of each case.
Other festival or fair injuries
Ride injuries aren’t the only common injury type. Slips, trips and falls are common whenever lighting, hazard signage and emergency exits are inadequate. Exposed electrical cables and mechanical failures can lead to burns, electrocution, broken bones and more. Staff negligence is also a problem: lack of crowd control, training and attraction operator qualifications can lead to serious injury or death.
What to do when you’re injured
While you can take precautions to keep yourself safe—keeping an eye on emergency exits, using a flashlight in dark areas and staying around the edges of large, unruly crowds—the responsibility to provide a safe environment usually falls upon the event organizers, ride owners and other entities.
If you’re injured at a fair or festival, seek medical help immediately. Delaying treatment could give the impression your injuries aren’t serious. If possible, take photos of the scene and your injuries. Next, call the Law Offices of Tim Misny. We have decades of experience handling premises liability, products liability and other types of negligence cases. If your injuries were due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness, we’ll advocate for you. You may be entitled to damages for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering and more.
Discuss your case with an Ohio personal injury lawyer today
Have you been a victim of someone else’s negligence? When you’re injured, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call my office at (800) 556-4769 so that I can evaluate your case right away. We may be able to recover compensation for your injuries, pain and suffering, lost wages and more.