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Accident Watch

What is Accident Watch?

In the United States, no official source is keeping a complete national record of theme park accidents. And in many U.S. states, including Florida, theme parks are not legally required to report accidents involving injury to anyone.

That's why Theme Park Insider users are stepping up, to provide amusement park safety data that the public needs, and ought to be entitled to get.

In 2001, the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and the Online News Association honored Accident Watch with the Online Journalism Award for Service Journalism.

Recent Verified Incidents

Splash Waterfalls at Six Flags Great America
3/11/2008
Thomas Lee, 46, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, fell to his death on Tuesday morning while working on the Splash Waterfalls ride. Lee was working for a contractor, hired to dismantle the ride.

Recent Reports Awaiting Verification

Roa's Rapids at Aquatica
4/19/2008
The ride is a fast moving water ride where you are floating freely. I had my feet on the ground most of the time and one of my toes got caught in a metal grate (the opening were too large) slicing across the toe and nail and ripping the toenail almost completely off. It was very painful. The park was very standoffish. I had to go to the emergency room to get the nail parts removed, yes more pain.

How to stay safe at a theme park

For more information on how you can keep yourself and your family safe on theme park rides, check out this advice from Theme Park Insider and its readers.

Browse recent theme park accident reports

You'll find the five most recent verified accidents reported to Theme Park Insider on the right of this page. A complete list of all verified accidents reported to us is available here.

How to report an accident

You can submit an accident report for any attraction listed on Theme Park Insider from its attraction listing page. Or, go straight to the report submission pages by using this form.

Official information

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission surveys a sample of U.S. hospitals to collect information about product injuries, including those at amusement parks. However, this survey does not include incidents from seven of the nation's most popular theme parks, including those at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Nor does the survey include injuries that required medical care, but not a trip to an emergency room.

The CPSC has used this survey data to create a report on amusement ride injuries and deaths from 1987 to 2004. The CPSC estimated 3,400 accidents at fixed site parks in 2004.

The CPSC also provides an overview of what states are--or are not--doing to inspect rides. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required for both reports.)

These remain the best *official* sources of information on theme park safety in the United States.

Theme Parks Reviewed

U.S./Canada Top 20 *

Other U.S. parks

International parks

Water parks

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