Concussions can be quite dangerous, partially because the damage to the brain can go undetected quite a while. The victim may be unaware he or she is even hurt — which often leads to multiple injuries over a brief period of time.
That’s why it’s particularly concerning to discover that high-speed amusement park rides may be putting a lot of people — including kids — at risk of concussions. Even worse, a lot of parks aren’t reporting the injuries that their patrons experience, even though they’re required to under the law.
A news team investigation into the issue in New Jersey found that the reporting system for those kinds of head injuries leaves a lot to be desired. In particular, the investigation focused on injuries that occurred at Six Flags, one of the state’s biggest amusement park attractions. New Jersey’s laws require amusement parks to track and report injuries on their rides.
While representatives for the park insist that they complied with the law, the investigation indicated that many head injuries went uncounted in official records. The investigation turned up records from inside the park itself and personal injury lawsuits involving concussions that were not counted on official reports to the state.
Park officials claimed that patrons weren’t reporting the injuries to them in the first place — but that’s also part of the problem. Doctors say that head injuries can be deceptive. Victims may not notice they are actually injured for days after a concussion takes place.
While it may not be necessary to avoid every high-speed roller coaster or ride in an amusement park, this kind of information should serve as a warning to many. It’s important to take a good look at the physical strain a ride might put your body through to avoid the more serious dangers. Any ride that jolts a person’s head and neck forward with sudden stops should definitely be skipped.
