Two more lawsuits filed against Playland

Oh where to begin? So the carousel rider got a hematoma on his leg. Most of us know it by its common name-- a bruise. For this guy's lawyer to even try comparing his client's injury to Natasha Richardson's is ridiculous. First of all, he wouldn't be here today if it happened last September. And her hematoma was in the brain/skull region, which is much more serious than a bruise on the leg. Yes certain hematomas can be dangerous. For that matter, why not say injuries can be serious, therefore all injuries are serious.

As for the kid with the ceiling. Sounds like he got hit by a ceiling tile that fell while someone was hitting a pinata that was attached to a runner. Now if the parents can give the kid a long club to swing at something intending to break it, can we assume the kid is at least of school age? Especially if he was able to swing with enough force to pull down some ceiling tiles. Is a ceiling tile going to cause serious injury? And who attached the pinata to the ceiling anyway? Is the argument going to be that there was no warning painted on the ceiling not to attach it?

I hope neither of these people are claiming mental anguish and loss of happiness or whatever the term is nowadays. Both of these episodes sound like something that would get a mild chuckle on America's Funniest Home Videos, but not even qualify as one of the finalists.

RatherGoodBear said:
Both of these episodes sound like something that would get a mild chuckle on America's Funniest Home Videos, but not even qualify as one of the finalists.

Some of the best insight on these forums in ages. :)

Gee, I should have sued Amusements of America when I fell of their Magnum ride when getting off before being told too. Got a big ole bruise that lasted two months.Pay off once and they'll line up for more. BTW, What actually happened on the old mill, Was it a ride malfunction or rider misconduct or both?Chuck, wanted to ride the old mill while I was there last year but it was closed.

One minor point about that carousel...It runs at 5.71 RPM, which is QUITE fast for a ride that big. It's faster than the one at Cedar Point (4.25 RPM), although it is also smaller in diameter, so it really isn't a fair comparison.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I love how the judgments start flowing without any of the evidence being presented.

52 years old, 250 lbs and got hurt with a boo-boo and an owie on a carousel ride. Gotta love it. I think the carousel horse should sue the rider for giving it a sore back.

Q: The carousel rider alleges that he was clearly in distress and signaled the ride operator to shut down the ride. Assuming this is true, what prevented the operator from frobbing the big red switch?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I've never been to Playland, and I don't know what the difference in speed would be at that radius, but I've always heard that the ride at Playland feels considerably faster than CP's and you really have to hang on. I've also heard that the horses no longer have the back and forth racing motion, same for Blackpool's. Carousels are notorious in the amusement industry for high rate of injuries, people have been falling off of them for centuries, I'm sure. Curiously, though, especially in this day and age, they endure as a leading attraction with not much in the way of the safety devices we find elsewhere.

What a mess. It seems to me that if you own an amusement park, a ball park, or even a grocery store that thousands of people patronize, you just gotta know that accidents, and unfortunately, an untimely death, just might occur. That's why insurance is employed, inspections are conducted, and prayers are sent up that those instances are few and very far between. The sad thing for a park like Playland is that after a judgement like that, the roaches start coming out of the walls spying an easy mark What may have at the time seemed like a mild, or even comical event, suddenly blooms into someone's opportunity.

An added problem for Playland is that the park is owned by Westchester County, which makes it an even more attractive target.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.