Are Carnivals Safe Enough??

[pk]

Today an article was posted in the Wisconsin Conversation forum about the death of a teen in Oshkosh from a bungee jump fall at a festival. http://www.thebubbler.com/modules.ph...c674023d5d472f

This has sparked a conversation concerning Carnival and Amusment Park safety as well as how safe are your children with Carnival Workers.

It would be interesting to read other people's thoughts on the subject of Carnivals. Have you or someone you know been injured from a ride? Became quite ill? Required going to the hospital for any reason?

Any insights on how you feel about the safety of the employees that travel with the carnivals?

Has anyone ever traveled with a carnival at any time in your life? If so, can you tell us behind the 'scenes' stories you have witnesses?


I don't know about others but this is interesting to me and I for one would like to see better safety requirements on rides and stronger background checks of traveling employees.

Anyone have thoughts or experiences to share?

pk

[pk]

This website is a real 'eye-opener' showing all the many accidents surrounding carnival rides/amusement rides/festivals/ etc.

WEBSITE: http://www.rideaccidents.com/

(I also posted this website in the wisconsin conversation forum topic about the teen's accident in oshkosh.)

[pk]

Here is an interesting story even though it's a few months old:

Sex Offenders May Be Among Carnival Workers

Serious Flaws Found In Screening Of Workers

CHICAGO When carnivals roll into Illinois cities and towns, the companies running them might be bringing more than bright lights, wild rides, cotton candy and games. They also can bring trouble in the form of workers with dangerous criminal histories, including armed robbers, drug dealers and sex offenders.

A CBS 2/Naperville Sun investigation has uncovered serious flaws in the way many companies screen workers and found carnival companies repeatedly hiring habitual offenders. Some even allegedly recruit and exploit homeless people with severe psychiatric disorders.

There is no state law requiring carnival companies conduct mandatory background checks on carnival workers.

In the last three years, a ride operator with a criminal record molested an 8-year-old girl at a Downers Grove festival; a convicted child sex offender got a job running a merry-go-round at a Palatine festival; and a carnival worker with an outstanding warrant for burglary charges and who had a prior arrest for raping a child was caught working at a Glen Ellyn carnival.

CONVICTED MURDERERS

The CBS 2/Sun three-month probe found that some communities do conduct background checks of carnival workers. Some suburban police departments will check for sex offenders, gang members and those wanted on warrants.

Since 2005, random police checks by other agencies found 225 carnival employees with a combined total of 744 arrests and 184 convictions. Police sources confirm convicted murderers were among this group.

Please follow this link for the
FULL STORY: http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/lo...264232516.html

[AJE]

Hey all I would love to say I’m a fan of Six Flags…for 18 years now…I think when it comes to Six Flags Great America they are fairly regular on checking the equipment for safety concerns but then again maybe they (employee’s) should be a little more strict on eligibility to going on the rides or roller coasters.

My first time to Great America was when I was 10 years old. Shockwave had just been built in 1988. Set records back then: world's tallest and fastest looping roller coaster with an impressive seven inversions: three vertical loops, a butterfly corkscrew, and two regular corkscrews. :arrow: So anyway I was so excited to go, well we waited the long duration to get up to the front. The conductor took one look at my sister and I and said, “I don’t know if they’re tall enough?” We were right at the line neither below nor above. After 25 minutes and an assembly of 10 more additional staff they did allow us to finally get onto Shockwave. We loved it, but although were a little disappointed about this diversion in the long run a judgment was mitt. They moved the height sign and staff to the begining line. I remember when somewhere on the East Coast a girl was allowed to pass when she didn’t make the height limit…she fell to her death.



Description of this pastime SHOCKWAVE: A 170-foot vertical Arrow Dynamics steel coaster. The coaster soars down a 155 foot, 55 degree first drop and into a total of seven loops. There is one 130-foot vertical loop, two 116-foot vertical loops, a double corkscrew and a boomerang. Total ride time is about two minutes and twenty seconds at a top speed of 65 miles per hour over the 3900-foot track length.

FYI: I refuse to go onto any sort of Carnival, Tip-top or Fair Rides because they just plain and simple don’t look safe and you’re so right the staff working them give me the shivers.

[pk]

Are Rides Safe?

Amusement parks and traveling carnivals offer an exciting escape from everyday life. They also offer hazards that can, and do, hurt paying customers. Most amusement rides are safe for most people most of the time. The industry views that as good news; most accident victims do not.

Although the odds of injury are low, the extent of injury can be catastrophic. That is why Saferparks advocates for effective, regulatory oversight of all U.S. thrill rides -- not to outlaw them, but to ensure that unwanted side-effects of these rapidly evolving technologies are exposed early, before patrons are killed or seriously injured. Consumers cannot make responsible choices when safety records are hidden from public view.
U.S. Injury Statistics

No Government Source for National Estimates of Amusement Ride Injuries
In 2006, after years of political battles with the amusement park industry over sampling data that showed rising injury rates, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ceased publication of statistical data on injuries associated with amusement rides. There is no longer a government source for that data.

Some state agencies provide publicly available data on ride-related injuries. Saferparks has used those pieces of data to analyse and illustrate common hazard patterns. The graphs found on this website reflect samples from various state records.

WEBSITE: http://www.saferparks.org/are_rides_safe/

[AJE]

Originally Posted by pk

I don't know about others but this is interesting to me and I for one would like to see better safety requirements on rides and stronger background checks of traveling employees.

Sounds to me like PK should start a petition!

www.petitionspot.com/
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/

[pk]

By the way..I'm not a total case against amusement parks....not even all carnivals. We actually go to a carnival at Northbrook Illinois every summer and my kids go to Great America several times a year. (Illinois). My daughter and grandson went to Disney World just last Spring....

It's just I shudder when I read articles such as the one on how little the background checks can be on traveling carnivals. Also, let's face it many of the traveling carnivals are just plain not safe looking. Now facts are even showing that.

I do think the amusement parks are much better viewed, checked, has stronger safety standards etc. But we can't turn our backs on children that are getting harmed on rides if there is a way to help bring stricter safety rules. We need to always stay on top to keep our parks safe enough. ...

pk

[pk]

Sounds to me like PK should start a petition!

oh, oh...there goes my big mouth getting me into things again! :lol:

[AJE]

[j10asen]

as copied from the original post
CarolsCritterCare wrote:
pk wrote:

Sex offender arrested at carnival kiddie ride convicted sex offender barred from having contact with children is accused of working at a Bloomingdale carnival.

Arthur J. Hardy, 34, will be arraigned Monday on felony charges related to his June 21 arrest in Springfield Park during Family Fest.

Hardy is not charged with harming anyone, but sex offenders are not allowed in a public park with children.

FULL STORY: http://www.dailyherald.com/news/dupa...?id=331421&c=d



GEEZE.........someone didn't do a good job when they checked out this person. Sounds like no backround check was even done.
Carol



I do not want to be judgemental but it is a carni what type of people do you expect to work at a carni. They have been and will always be drifters of all sorts. That is one of the reason I never took my kids to a carni and I certainly would not trust my life with someone like that to assembly a ride and have remain intact!!!!

gypsies tramps and thieves , yet every year thousands have such an attraction to them that they can not resist.

My mom always wanted to know who I was hanging around, what type of people!!!!
Why expose yourself or your children to this type, your mom would not allow it!!!! why would anybody?

[Bukmastr]

My Mom was injured severly when she was young and fell out of a ride into the gears that propelled it. She is physically ok now, but she has a nasty scar from her ankle to her thigh that rotates around her leg.
I would have to agree with Jason in we all should pretty much know fairs and carnivals attract some shady charactors, however the state should probably do more to regulate the background checking of employees at any employer who deals with children.

[pk]

07/24/2007: A new focus on ride safety at this year's County Fair

According to this article below it looks as if the Racine Fair is taking ride safety serious. Hope all fairs and carnivals do the same.


A lot of attention has been paid to state inspections of amusement park rides during the last couple of weeks after an accident claimed the life of a 16-year-old Menasha girl.

But, according to fair and ride officials, patrons can rest assured that the dozen amusement park rides at the Racine County Fair have been thoroughly inspected.

“Every week in the state of Wisconsin, we get a state inspection,” said John Reed, owner of Reed Exhibitions, the Texas company that operates the rides at the county fair.

FULL STORY HERE: http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/...p?itemid=14437