New York — A young boy suffered severe leg injuries when he tried climbing down from a roller coaster ride in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn. The boy’s leg was injured when the roller coaster car ran over it and crushed the leg against the tracks below. He was taken from the scene by an ambulance crew and brought to a hospital emergency room for treatment of the leg injury and an apparent head injury with lacerations to his face. Reports from the scene show that the victim of the accident was easily able to slip out of the safety device and fall from the ride. Witnesses of the accident say that the amusement park ride was geared specifically for children but some feel that the proper safety precautions to protect young kids were not in place. They explained that child safety locks were not installed to make sure an accident or injury like this would be prevented. Some parents expressed concern over the dangers of these types of rides that are commonly found in amusement parks and fairs. They complain that workers and owners need to make sure that children are safe even if they get scared in the middle of the ride. Consumer safety advocates note that more regulations and procedures need to be followed to ensure that a child can’t slip out of seat belts or safety bars. In addition, staff should be more attentive to anyone standing up or trying to come off of the ride prematurely. Emergency brakes or safety devices should be installed and staff trained how to use them in order to prevent a fall like this. Updates about the calamity show that the boy, who is from Queens, NY, was not the only injured victim from the ride. His sister also sustained a leg injury and was taken to a different nearby hospital for medical treatment. It was unclear how the girl was hurt but some believe she slipped and fell while trying to help her brother. Investigations by city officials were initiated to determine if the ride had been properly maintained and inspected, as required. However, a top attorney specializing in accident and injury law reported that a private, more thorough investigation may be needed to determine if there was any negligence that contributed to the accident. Roller coaster accidents are, unfortunately, not uncommon, as can be seen from this recent roller coaster injury. Activists say that owners and management of amusement parks, fairs and carnivals need to continue working to ensure the safety of the public. Find out more about this amusement park accident here.

Photo by MamaGeek at en.wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons