Children all over the world are gearing up for the Halloween weekend, and for many it means a trip to a theme park. Riding the ghost train or taking tentative steps through the haunted house have become an essential Halloween experience. But behind the scenes great care is taken to make sure no real horrors happen, as Stefan Puttnam, executive director at Jardine Lloyd Thompson Leisure explains.
What risks do theme parks face relating to the public?
As with any business that is open to the public, theme parks are exposed to the general slips, trips and falls that seem to beset the general public when they leave home and this continues to be the most likely source of a claim.
These types of incidents can at times be more prevalent at theme parks as in all the excitement commonsense is sometimes left at the entrance gate.
As far as risks around operating rides, providing the theme park adheres to the industry requirements regarding inspection of rides and training of staff, the rides should not offer anything other than excitement and the feeling of danger.
What sort of rides are the riskiest?
Everyone assumes that the white knuckle rides, those that go the highest or the fastest, are the most dangerous and it is true that if something went wrong the consequences would be significant. However, in view of the fact that the rides have been built with safety as the primary requirement and the rides should be subject to regular if not daily inspection, there are very few serious accidents on the big rides.
There are far more incidents on the more “family” orientated rides and in particular smaller juvenile rides designed for young children. Unfortunately moving parts and young children at times don’t mix. Young children are the most excitable and the idea of sitting still during a ride is not one they will follow: if they are not adequately watched accidents will happen.
What are the special risks to watch in the haunted house or on a ghost train?
A walk-through attraction such as a haunted house brings the additional risk of the “riders” not necessarily being able to see clearly, which can increase slips and trips. In addition in has been known for “riders” to run into displays, walls etc.
There can be an increased employer’s liability exposure as well, particularly if the attraction is interactive as again it has been known for riders to strike out at cast members.
A ghost train would be considered a family ride. The main danger with this type of ride is again it is often dark and riders may not be aware of objects and inadvertently put their hands out striking parts of the themeing. There have also been numerous incidents of “riders” getting out of the cars during the ride.
If someone were frightened to death, what are the liability issues?
Theme parks take great care in ensuring that anyone with a health problems doesn't go on any rides that will put them at risk, although it is important to consider that the public are not always as aware as they need to be on these issues. A guest at one theme park this summer suffered a heart attack after going on a rollercoaster six times, he had only just been discharged from hospital following a heart by-pass operation.
If anyone was to try and claim for death from fright, the family of the deceased would need to prove negligence on the part of the theme park, the same as any other liability incident. As the rides have been designed to be safe, providing the ride has been operated correctly and all procedures followed, a claim would be unlikely to succeed - although I’m sure there are plenty of solicitors who would take on the challenge.
Do you have any salutary Halloween war stories?
A group of students were at a theme park, where one of their friends worked on the ghost train. The employee secretly provided one of their party with a scary costume so that at the end of the ride he could jump out on his friends. They certainly got a shock, although not the one he had hoped for. In the dark he stood in the wrong place and was hit head on by the carriage they were in. Fortunately for all concerned there were no lasting injuries.
Supernatural insurance
Insurance against being frightened to death by a ghost? Lloyd’s underwriters once provided cover to the owners of the Queen Mary Ghosts, Myths & Legends Tour in Los Angeles. The policy, which covered visitors aboard the venerable transatlantic liner, promised to pay out $1 million in the event of a death caused by a ghost residing and haunting the Queen Mary. A ghost was defined in the policy as “the soul, demon or supposed disembodied spirit of a dead person, conceived of as appearing to the living as pale, shadowy apparition”. A case of life (after death) insurance perhaps…
