Personal Injury Lawsuit Settled From Injury On Houston Amusement Ride
Mar 28, 2013
Waxahachie, TX (Law Firm Newswire) March 27, 2013 – A personal injury lawsuit on behalf of a child injured at a Houston rodeo last year was just settled.
In 2012, a three-year-old was injured at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo when she was flung from a carnival ride. Kalyn Pennygraph was riding the Techno Jump, when she fell an estimated six-to-eight feet before hitting the ground, sustaining injuries including a concussion and abrasions.
Kalyn’s mother just settled a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of her daughter with the event’s carnival operator. The lawsuit was seeking compensation for “medical care, physical pain and mental anguish, as well as current and probable future physical impairment.” Amateur video footage of the accident shows Kalyn slipping under her restraint and being flung from the ride.
“While mobile amusement rides have strict safety regulations in place, parents need to be vigilant about what rides their children go on,” stated Waxahachie personal injury attorney John Hale. “This is especially true for younger children, who may not understand the risks they may be taking.”
The guidelines set by Ray Cammack Shows state that Techno Jump riders must be at least 48 inches tall to ride alone, and 42 inches tall to ride “if accompanied by a supervising companion.” The ride consists of three-seater cars with lap belts and restraining bars in a gondola structure.
The accident spurred a revision of safety and supervision requirements at the carnival; children not tall enough to meet certain requirements are no longer allowed alone on 15 rides, including the Techno Jump. The carnival has had at least one previous safety issue; an adult male fell from a roller coaster ride to his death in 2011.
The settlement includes payments to Kalyn of at least $50,000 as well as medical expenses and attorney’s fees in the amount of $27,000. She will receive $32,500 from the carnival’s owner, Ray Cammack Shows, into an annuity set up for her periodic payouts. She will receive payments during her college years; starting in 2026, she will receive $6,237.25, as the first of five annual payments.
The rodeo’s carnival has been overseen by Ray Cammack Shows, an Arizona-based amusement company, since 1994. It is estimated that 300 million people ride on a midway or mobile amusement ride every year. The Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA) estimates that as of 2004, there were eight ride-related injuries per one million riders, with less than one percent of those injuries requiring overnight hospitalization.
John Hale is a Waxahachie personal injury lawyer and Ellis County personal injury lawyer helping injury victims near Dallas, Texas. Learn more at The Hale Law Firm
The Hale Law Firm
100 Executive Court, Suite 3
Waxahachie, TX 75165
Call: 888.425.3911
