WASHINGTON — There are concerns about oversight at theme parks nationwide after two recent freak accidents involving children.
The first was in Kansas City, Kansas, where a 10-year-old boy suffered a fatal neck injury while riding what is known as the world's tallest waterslide.
Kansas City affiliate KMBC reported there aren't any state laws or city codes in Kansas that allowed the waterslide to be inspected.
On Monday night, three young girls fell 35 to 45 feet from a Ferris wheel at the Greene County Fair in Tennessee, where a six-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Reporter Tina Terry uncovered that the state of South Carolina does not regulate water parks, which creates a predicament for Carowinds that sits on the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.
However, the North Carolina Department of Labor officials said Tuesday that it does annual checks of amusement park rides and all water slides that exceed 15 feet.
Water rides like Blackbeard's Revenge and Barracuda Blasters appear to sit on the South Carolina side, according to Carowinds' park map guide.
Carowinds officials did not return calls about how those rides are inspected.
Theme parks with fixed rides, like roller coasters and water slides, are exempt from federal oversight.
Legislation to restore federal oversight of amusement park rides has failed in every Congress since 1999.
Federal regulators do have the power to oversee temporary rides at traveling fairs and carnivals.
Water park accident highlights lack of federal safety rules
The death of a 10-year-old boy at a Kansas City, Kansas, water park is highlighting the lack of federal oversight of rides at America's theme parks.
Kansas authorities said the boy died from a neck injury. The child was riding the world's tallest water slide at the Schlitterbahn Water Park when the incident happened.
The ride is called "Verruckt." A Schlitterbahn spokesman told a local Kansas news stations that all rides are inspected daily by personnel before the park opens.
Under Kansas law, amusement ride inspections are required, but self-inspections are allowed. Parks may hire an outside inspector to inspect the ride once a year.
Theme parks with "fixed" rides like roller coasters and water slides are exempt from federal oversight. Regulations vary by state. Currently 44 of 50 states regulate amusement parks.
The Consumer Protection Safety Commission does have the power to oversee temporary rides at traveling fairs or carnivals, but lacks authority over "fixed site" amusement rides.
When Sen. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) was a U.S. congressman , he lobbied for roller coaster safety legislation. He introduced legislation in every Congress since 1999 to restore full federal oversight of amusement park rides. The bill died every year.
Markey's office told our Washington bureau there are no plans to introduce a bill.
A spokeswoman said, "We continue to monitor the situation."
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions said states are best suited to regulate the industry. The group also said there's no evidence federal oversight would improve the amusement park industry.
A spokesman said, "Water park attractions are exceptionally safe … incidents like what happened in Kansas City are extremely rare. We go to great lengths to ensure the safety of our guests."
Cox Media Group
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