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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

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure
8/18/2010
A 20-year-old male waiting in the upper queue of load area climbed over a rail and fell about 20 feet to the lower level. He was taken to UC-Irvine hospital, but his injuries were not serious, so he was released.

Recent Reports Awaiting Verification

Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba at Downtown Disney
8/21/2010
During the trampoline finale at La Nouba tonight a performer was injured. My wife and I were in the second row on the right side of the stage, and as the performer landed on the trampoline a spring broke and his foot slid through the open area on the outside of the trampoline. The performer went down and stayed down. After other performers checked on him a paramedic came out on the stage to assess the situation. Other dancers (and the juggler) came back to distract the crowd while a table was set up underneath the trampoline. The table was used as a flat, steady surface so that the other performers (and paramedic) could strap the injured performer to a board that was brought out on the stage. Roughly a half dozen performers and the paramedic helped carry the injured performer off the stage. During this, the injured performer didn't appear to move much at all and was breathing with the assistance of an oxygen tank. Another performer held the hand of the injured performer as he was carried of the stage, strapped to the board. A brace was attached to his left leg. As soon as the injured performer was removed, the remaining performers all came out to take a bow and the show was ended. This routine is typically the final routine but most of it was scrapped as a result of the injury.

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.

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