For a Cincinnati personal injury attorney, a story like the one from Columbus Ohio this summer makes you stop in your tracks. None of us ever know when a seemingly innocuous situation can take a turn for the worse.
The situation at the Ohio State Fair in July was tragic. On a Wednesday evening at the fairgrounds in Columbus, the Fire Ball ride malfunctioned. A passenger row slipped off the tracks while the ride was moving. The Fire Ball threw several passengers off the ride at a high speed, while they were more than 20 feet off the ground.
Of the more than 20 passengers, at least eight passengers were severely wounded, including one fatality. Five of the victims were in critical condition at Columbus area hospitals after the tragic accident.
The fatality in the accident was an 18-year-old boy, who died on impact.
The report in the Columbus Dispatch – avoided graphic detail, thankfully, but the story was disturbing. None of the innocent people who waited in line for the Fire Ball ride had any inclination that anything could go wrong with the ride. None of their families had any reason to warn them. The family of the boy who died that night faced unimaginable sorrow.
Who would be held accountable for this horrific accident? Would justice be served? Would the harsh punitive judgment of a court be sufficient to prevent a similar situation?
As personal injury lawyers, surrounded by colleagues who deal regularly with such awful circumstances, our thoughts went to the grieving families. Each family now has enormous medical expenses to face, not to mention lost wages from lost work. Physical therapy would certainly be necessary for the survivors. There may be life-long injuries and ongoing trauma.
Our law firm extends our sincere condolences to the families who have suffered losses in this horrendous incident.