Visits to America’s amusement parks are a top summertime aim for family getaways. The rides, the shows, the cotton candy and ice cream – all are the stuff of a kid’s dream vacation. But that dream can quickly become the stuff of nightmares when you or your loved one suffers an amusement park injury.
Attorneys with Todd E. Copeland & Associates have helped countless victims and families affected by injuries sustained at Florida’s amusement parks. These can be caused by a range of issues including ride operator error, mechanical failure of rides due to age and poor maintenance, poorly designed and defective rides, on-premises assaults and robberies and more. No matter how or why an injury happens, the steps you take in the moments and weeks immediately afterward can significantly affect your chances of securing fair compensation for your losses.
Amusement park injury attorneys offer these tips:
- Report your injury to management immediately: This is critical, even if you don’t believe you’ve been injured. Larger and more reputable theme parks employ on-site security personnel and paramedics who will provide initial care and help decide whether the injuries warrant a trip to the emergency room. Plus, a report of the incident and will be filed. This is key because, if you leave the park before reporting the injury, the park’s officials – and its attorneys – can argue that your injury may have happened elsewhere.
- Talk to witnesses: If possible, get the name and contact information of any eyewitnesses to your injuries, particularly those who are not family or friends. An independent witness with no financial interest will lend instant credibility to your injury claim.
- Document the injury site: Today’s cell and smartphones can prove amazing evidentiary tools. Use yours to take photos and record video and audio at the scene of your injury. Turn on your camera phone’s date and timestamp function, identify the accident’s cause and visually link it to your injury.
- Collect verification: Over the course of your medical treatment, be sure to keep copies of all medical forms, medication prescriptions, bills and receipts for related out-of-pocket expenses. Also keep track of financial losses caused by missing work as a result of your injury, including lost pay and the amounts of any commissions, bonuses or pay raises that your medical leave may have forced you to forfeit.
- Hire an attorney: The moment of your injury is just the beginning of what could be a months-long, or even a years-long battle to secure fair compensation for all related losses. Personal injury law can prove a tough fight, especially when you’re going up against major theme park companies with enormous financial resources and teams of top-notch litigators. Make sure you have a fighting chance in court by hiring an experienced amusement park injury attorney. And don’t be tempted to settle with the amusement park’s insurance company for a quick buck. Invariably, any early settlement offer will be for far less than you deserve, and far less than a competent attorney can help you win.
When it comes to amusement park injuries, lawyers with Orlando’s Todd E. Copeland & Associates offer a high degree of specialized experience. If you or your loved one suffers an injury while visiting a theme park, call 407-999-8995 to speak with an attorney.
