By Roy S. Dickinson, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Oklahoma, a tragic fairground accident was report where a child died and 4 others suffered personal injuries. The accident involved a barrel ride which was described as an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) towing barrels that children / riders occupied. During the ride, the 55 gallon barrels overturned. Authorities reported that the an 8 year old girl was later pronounced dead at Marietta Hospital from personal injuries related to this incident. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) identified the girl as Jaylen Wolf of Marietta, Oklahoma. You can read about this story at Girl (Jaylen Wolf) Dies as a Result of Oklahoma Fairground Accident – Barrel Ride Overturns.
News report did not provide details of whether the ride was manufactured by a company or manufactured by an individual. It would be important to determine what kind of safety tests and inspections were completed prior to having guests / children use the ride. Were the barrels susceptible to tipping? What kind of safety measures were put in place (if any) to deal with a tipping barrel? What speed was the ATV going at the time of the incident? Was the terrain a factor in causing the barrels to tip over?
Fairgrounds can be sites of great fun. As you can see here, fairgrounds can also be sites of horrible tragedy and serious personal injuries.
The design, operation, and inspection of the barrel ride system will be pertinent to both the homicide or death investigation by authorities. These issues are also important should the personal injury victims and their families pursue a civil case for the damages / injuries sustained as a result of this incident.
Injuries sustained at a theme park or fairground are often times serious and quite difficult for a family to deal with from the practical, medical, psychological, finanical, and, yes, legal standpoint. You can read more about Theme Park and Fairground Injuries as well as other topics in the book titled – The ABCs of Child Injury – Legal Rights of the Injured Child – What Every Parent Should Know. You can request a free copy of the book by clicking here.