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Lake County judge upholds judgment in Six Flags injury case

On Behalf of | Jun 7, 2017 | Firm News, personal injury

A woman who was left with a severely disfigured hand after riding the Wahoo Racer while visiting Six Flags’ Hurricane Harbor Water Park in Gurnee, Illinois, had her a $1.5 million judgment upheld on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. The theme park’s attorneys had previously argued that the woman’s own lack of attentiveness had been to blame for her July 2011 injury.

The woman suffered cuts to her hands, wrists and right ankle as she slid down the water slide at the park in 2011. As she landed in the pool at the base of the slide, she noted that the water was full of blood. She was taken tho the hospital where she had surgery on the tendons on her left hand. Three of her fingers could no longer be moved once it was finished.

In her lawsuit, the woman highlighted how she had long worked as an administrative assistant, a role that required her to routinely engage in data entry at the time of the incident. She argued that she would no longer be able to work in that capacity following her injury.

It also highlighted how she struggled to cook for her kids and in handling basic hygiene such as brushing her teeth because of her injury. Aside from that, she argued that she had been plagued with nightmares about and regular, throbbing pain associated with the injury as well.

The woman’s lawsuit forwarded the claim that the woman’s injuries resulted from the failure of the park employees to properly inspect or operate the slide. She also asserted that staff members neglected to provide adequate warning to customers of any inherent dangers that came with riding it.

Testimony provided by the ride’s workers suggested that staff members only rode down the slide once a week to look for potentially sharp or jagged areas. The manufacturer’s manual recommended that owners check the slide for potential hazards daily.

Injuries occurring at theme parks and other venues like this are not all that uncommon. If you’ve suffered a debilitating injury as a result of improper warnings of dangers or because a facility has failed to take proper precautions to avert them, then you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages and other expenses. A Chicago personal injury attorney can advise you in your legal matter.

Source: Chicago Tribune, “Court upholds $1.5M judgment for Six Flags Great America waterslide injury,” Robert McCoppin, June 02, 2017

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