Atlanta Amusement Park Accident Lawyer

If you or a family member was hurt on a ride at an amusement park, water park, family entertainment center, fair, or carnival in Georgia, The Perazzo Law Firm’s Atlanta office will go over what happened with you, free of charge. Georgia’s Amusement Ride Safety Act is enforced by the office of the Safety Fire Commissioner, and “amusement ride” excludes devices not permanently fixed to a site (O.C.G.A. § 25-15-51). A separate law, the Carnival Ride Safety Act, covers carnival rides, which exclude devices permanently fixed to a site (O.C.G.A. § 25-15-81).

Call (404) 669-6997 or send the firm a message. Abogados Dedicados a la Comunidad Hispana y Hablamos español.

How Georgia Regulates Amusement Rides

The Amusement Park Accident Lawyers at the Perazzo Law Firm know that Georgia defines an amusement ride as a mechanical device, other than those regulated by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, that carries or conveys passengers along, around, or over a fixed or restricted route or course, or within a defined area, for amusement, pleasure, thrills, or excitement. The term does not include a device that is not permanently fixed to a site (§ 25-15-51). The Act sets these requirements:

• Permit. No ride may operate, except for testing and inspection, until the office issues a permit, and the application must include a licensed inspector’s certificate of inspection (§ 25-15-55).
• Annual inspection. Each ride must be inspected annually by a licensed inspector at the owner’s or operator’s expense, and new rides must be inspected before public operation (§ 25-15-56).
• Insurance. No one may operate a ride unless a liability insurance policy, a bond, or cash or other security acceptable to the office is in place (§ 25-15-62).
• Records. The owner must keep up-to-date maintenance, inspection, and repair records, including a description of any “mechanical or structural failures or operational breakdowns” and the actions taken to rectify them (§ 25-15-59).
• Operators. No one may operate a ride under age 16, and an operator must be in attendance whenever a ride runs and may operate no more than one ride at a time (§ 25-15-60).
• Accident reports. The owner must report to the office any accident resulting in a fatality or an injury requiring immediate inpatient overnight hospitalization. The report is in writing, mailed by first-class mail no later than the close of the next business day, and a fatality must also be reported immediately in person or by phone (§ 25-15-61).
• Shutdowns. The Commissioner or an authorized representative may issue a written order for the temporary cessation of a ride’s operation if it is determined after inspection to be hazardous or unsafe (§ 25-15-66).

Some attractions sit outside the Act. Under § 25-15-64, the article does not apply to single-passenger coin-operated rides on a stationary foundation or to playground equipment such as swings, seesaws, slides, jungle gyms, rider-propelled merry-go-rounds, moonwalks, and live rides. Whether a missed inspection or a records gap matters to your claim depends on the facts.

Where Ride Injuries Happen

The Amusement Park Accident Lawyers at the Perazzo Law Firm know that ride injuries happen on roller coasters and thrill rides, at water parks, trampoline parks, and family entertainment centers, and at fairs and carnivals. Some equipment at those venues may fall outside the ride definition in § 25-15-51 or within the exclusions in § 25-15-64, and claims about that equipment may then turn on Georgia’s general premises law (§ 51-3-1).

What Causes Amusement Ride Injuries

An investigation may look at:

• Mechanical or structural failures, which the owner’s records must describe (§ 25-15-59)
• Skipped, delayed, or poorly done maintenance and repairs
• An operator who was absent or running two rides at once, which § 25-15-60 does not allow
• Restraints that were not checked or did not fit the rider
• Wet or crowded queue lines and exit ramps, covered on our Atlanta slip and fall page
• Assaults at a poorly secured venue, which raise negligent security questions

Who May Be Responsible for an Amusement Park Injury?

Depending on the facts, more than one party may share responsibility:

• The park owner or occupier. An owner or occupier who, by express or implied invitation, leads others onto the premises for a lawful purpose is liable in damages for injuries caused by a failure to exercise ordinary care in keeping the premises and approaches safe (§ 51-3-1). Our premises liability page covers that duty further.
• The ride owner. Under the Act, “owner” means a person who owns an amusement ride or, if the ride is leased, the lessee (§ 25-15-51).
• The manufacturer. A manufacturer of personal property sold as new may be liable in tort to a person injured because the property, when sold, was not merchantable and reasonably suited to the use intended, and its condition when sold was the proximate cause of the injury (§ 51-1-11(b)(1)). No action may be commenced under that subsection more than ten years after the first sale for use or consumption (§ 51-1-11(b)(2)). How that statute applies to any particular ride is a separate question.

Others involved with a ride, such as businesses that serviced or inspected it, may also be part of the analysis depending on their role. In assessing fault, the trier of fact considers all persons or entities who contributed to the injury, whether or not they were or could have been named as parties (§ 51-12-33(c)).

Evidence That Matters

• The owner’s maintenance, inspection, and repair records for the ride (§ 25-15-59)
• The written report owners must file after a fatality or an injury requiring overnight hospitalization (§ 25-15-61)
• Photos and video of the ride and the restraint
• Tickets, receipts, passes, and wristbands
• Medical records starting with the first visit
• Names and phone numbers of witnesses

What to Do After a Ride Injury

1. In an emergency, call 911 and let emergency responders take the injured person to an appropriate hospital.
2. Tell venue staff, and ask for a copy or number of any incident report.
3. If it is safe, photograph the injury, the ride, and anything that looked wrong.
4. Keep clothing, shoes, and belongings as they are.
5. Get a medical evaluation soon, even if you feel fine.
6. As general advice, talk with a lawyer before giving any insurer a recorded statement. You can reach the firm at (404) 669-6997.

When a Ride Accident Takes a Life

Under Georgia’s wrongful death statute, the surviving spouse or, if there is none, a child or children may recover for the homicide of the spouse or parent the full value of the life of the decedent, as shown by the evidence (§ 51-4-2(a)). When no person is entitled to bring an action under § 51-4-2 or § 51-4-4, the administrator or executor of the decedent may bring an action and hold the amount recovered for the benefit of the next of kin (§ 51-4-5(a)). When a death results from a crime or from criminal or other negligence, the personal representative is entitled to recover funeral, medical, and other necessary expenses resulting from the injury and death (§ 51-4-5(b)). See our Atlanta wrongful death page for more.

How The Perazzo Law Firm Helps

Attorney Jonathan Perazzo is licensed in Georgia, Florida, and Texas, and the firm’s Atlanta office is at 1372 Peachtree St NE. The firm can ask that ride records, video, and equipment be preserved, work to identify the parties involved, and take the insurer calls while you recover. There is no attorney’s fee unless there is a recovery*.

* No fee if no recovery. Our attorney's fee is contingent on a recovery, but you may still be responsible for court costs and case expenses, as set out in your written contingency fee agreement. Contingent fees are not permitted in all types of cases.

Our report on the October 2026 Goliath incident sets out what has been publicly reported. To talk with the firm, call (404) 669-6997 or use the contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who inspects amusement rides in Georgia?

Each amusement ride must be inspected annually by a licensed inspector at the owner’s or operator’s expense, and new rides must be inspected before public operation (§ 25-15-56). The office of the Safety Fire Commissioner is designated to enforce the Amusement Ride Safety Act (§ 25-15-51).

Is a carnival ride treated the same as a theme park ride?

Not under the safety statutes. The Amusement Ride Safety Act’s definition of an amusement ride excludes devices not permanently fixed to a site (§ 25-15-51). A carnival ride, under the separate Carnival Ride Safety Act, is a mechanical passenger-carrying device other than amusement rides regulated under the Amusement Ride Safety Act, and it excludes devices permanently fixed to a site (§ 25-15-81).

How long do I have to file an amusement park injury claim in Georgia?

Except as otherwise provided in that article, actions for injuries to the person must be brought within two years after the right of action accrues (§ 9-3-33). Because exceptions exist, confirm the deadline for your situation with a lawyer. Ride records and equipment can change well before then.

What if the park says I was partly to blame?

Georgia reduces an injured person’s damages in proportion to their percentage of fault (§ 51-12-33(a)). A plaintiff who is 50 percent or more responsible for the injury is not entitled to receive any damages (§ 51-12-33(g)).

What records does a ride owner have to keep?

The owner must maintain up-to-date maintenance, inspection, and repair records for each ride, including a description of any mechanical or structural failures or operational breakdowns (§ 25-15-59).

Amusement Park Accident Lawyer advertising. This page explains Georgia law in general terms and is not legal advice; reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.