Fairground Injury Claim Lawyers

About Fairground Injury Claims

These days, fairgrounds are very safe areas where children and adults are free to play and enjoy themselves. Councils should regularly inspect their equipment to ensure it is safe and is not in a state of disrepair.

Unfortunately, accidents do still happen which can be equally as distressing for the parent as for the child. While most accidents are just that - accidents, some are down to the negligence or incompetence of those who have a duty of care to ensure the fairground is maintained and safe for children to use. In instances where an accident occurs due to broken, poorly maintained or poorly installed fairground machinery or equipment, then you are entitled to make a fairground injury claim on your child’s behalf. Similarly, if you or your child are injured by an item that should not be found in a children’s play area, such as a broken bottle or used syringe or your child trips on a build-up of uncollected litter, then you are again entitled to pursue a claim against the fairground operator.

Fairground accidents claims can be difficult to succeed, as fairgrounds are often temporary and they travel around the country. Finding the person responsible for an accident can therefore be difficult, however Local Councils should demand that such fairgrounds produce confirmation of their insurance and their safety procedures before allowing sites to be erected in their area.

Theme parks, such as Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Alton Towers are static and as such their owners and insurers are much easier to trace. They do tend to have very high safety standards however as any injury to a child at their site can have an adverse effect on publicity especially as they often advertise themselves as family friendly.

Our experienced solicitors can help you with a wide range of injury claims such as:

• Playground accidents
• Fairground accidents
• Water park accidents
• Faulty play equipment

If you are looking to claim compensation for a personal injury from an accident in a fairground and you want free advice from a fully qualified solicitor then please contact us now.

Using one of our specialist solicitors ensures that you have a better chance of winning your claim and receiving all of the compensation and help that you are entitled to all on a No Win No Fee basis.

This means that you won't have any legal costs to pay if your claim is unsuccessful so No Win No Fee = No Risk To You. If we are successful, and reach a compensation settlement for your case, we will take a success fee of only 15%. This is much lower than other firms charge, which is typically close to 25%.

When Should I Make a Fairground Injury Claim?

The vast majority of fairground accidents involve children but legally, children are prohibited from making personal injury claims until they reach the age of 18. It is therefore normally down to the parents or a legal guardian to make a claim on their behalf. A parent or legal guardian making a personal injury claim on their child’s behalf is referred to as their ‘litigation friend’ and, as such, they have the legal right to make decisions in court on their child’s behalf. If you decide that you would like to make a claim on your child’s behalf, then it is a legal requirement that you pursue the claim within three years of the incident occurring.

Alternatively, if you have been injured as a child due to a fairground accident, you are entitled to make a claim as soon as you reach the age of 18, at which time you will have 3 years from the date of your 18th birthday in which to make a claim for your injuries.

If you are injured as a parent in a fairground accident, you could still be entitled to make a claim, but it would depend on the nature of the incident. If you are injured by faulty or broken fairground equipment, you could be entitled to a fairground compensation claim, so ring one of PSR Solicitors’ fairground claims experts for advice on the eligibility of your claim.

Causes of fairground accidents

As any parent knows, children are forever bashing into things and falling over, that is part and parcel of being a child and something that parents accept. But in instances where children are injured in a fairground accident, due to the negligence or incompetence of the facility’s operator, then that is unacceptable, and you are entitled to make a claim on your child behalf.

Common causes of fairground accidents include but are not limited to:

Faulty or damaged fairground machinery

Faulty or damaged fairground equipment poses a serious risk to children’s safety. It is up to the fairground’s operator, whether that be a council or school, to ensure that their fairground’s equipment is maintained on a regular basis and that it is safe for children to use. Play equipment should be inspected regularly and damaged or broken equipment should be either replaced, repaired, or removed to prevent any potential injuries.

Poorly installed machinery

All fairground equipment needs to be installed by a competent person, in accordance with EN1176. Poorly installed play equipment can pose a significant risk to a child’s safety. If an untrained or negligent contractor incorrectly installed a piece of play equipment, then there is potential for significant injury. Following the installation of any new play equipment, fairground operators should arrange for a post-installation inspection to be carried out by an independent body.

Hard floors around fairground rides

Falls are the most prevalent form of fairground accident and although many falls are unavoidable, steps can be taken to minimise the potential for serious injury, Failure to install soft flooring around swings, slides and other play equipment makes it more likely that a child will suffer a serious injury in the event of a fall.

Lack of inspection and maintenance

Fairgrounds should be inspected on a weekly, quarterly, and annual basis. Inspections should be carried out by an appropriately trained individual and the annual inspection needs to be carried out by an independent specialist. Any issues found in the inspection should be resolved swiftly, either through repair, replacement or in situations where that is not possible, the fairground needs to be shut until the remedial work can be carried out.

Inadequate or poorly positioned safety signage

Fairgrounds are required to show suitable safety signage in prominent positions where they can be easily seen. The sign should explain the intended target age of the equipment in the fairground and should state whether adult supervision is required when using the equipment.

Age-inappropriate play equipment

Fairgrounds are often targeted at a particular age group and as such, the equipment within the fairground should be age-appropriate. Installation of rides and machinery intended for an older age group poses a significant risk of injury, with bigger steps and wider openings all posing a risk to younger, smaller children.

Fairground does not comply with the required legal standards for design or layout

Fairgrounds should be designed by a suitably trained professional. They will ensure that the equipment is age-appropriate, they will consider the overall layout and will make sure there is sufficient safe space between the various pieces of equipment, so if there is a fall, the child doesn’t fall from one piece of equipment and land on another one.

Unclean areas

Fairgrounds should be kept clean and free of hazards. It is a regrettable fact that many fairgrounds become home to hazardous items such as broken bottles, used syringes, and other unsanitary items. Litter that has been allowed to build-up is likely to pose a dangerous trip hazard and could cause injury to a child. It is the responsibility of the fairground owner to ensure that the fairground is cleaned up to reduce the risk of a fairground accident.