Latest Amusement Parks Headlines
All the headlines from our Amusement Parks Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Storms Bring Flash Floods to Dollywood Amusement Park in Tennessee
Jul 31 2024 // PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (AP) — Strong thunderstorms brought flash flooding to Dolly Parton’s Dollywood in east Tennessee. Park workers and the Pigeon Forge police and fire departments directed guests to safety on...
Ohio’s Cedar Point Amusement Park Fined $50K in Age Discrimination Suit
Mar 21 2024 // An Ohio will pay $50,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. Cedar Fair, L.P., doing business as Cedar Point, and Magnum...
Woman Seriously Injured in Roller Coaster Accident Sues Ohio Amusement Park
Jul 17 2023 // SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) – A Michigan woman struck in the head by a metal bracket that fell off a roller coaster at an Ohio amusement park has sued the park and its parent company, alleging their negligence caused the...
Investigators Visit Carolina Amusement Park After Crack Found in Roller Coaster
Jul 6 2023 // State investigators were on site Monday at a North Carolina amusement park after a crack was discovered on a support beam on one of their popular roller coasters. Tommy Petty, chief of the state Department of Labor’s...
Crack in NC Roller Coaster Support Reminder of Amusement Park Risks
Jul 5 2023 // A visible crack in the support beam of a North Carolina roller coaster served as a reminder of the risks that sometimes arise with amusement park rides, particularly as families and adrenaline junkies flock to the...
Ride at Iowa Amusement Park Where 11-Year-Old Boy Died Will Never Reopen
Feb 7 2023 // ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) – The ride at an Iowa amusement park where an 11-year-old boy was killed in 2021 will never reopen, the park’s owners said. Bill Lentz, Adventureland’s general manager, said in a letter...
Florida Amusement Park Fined $250,000 After Teen’s Fatal Fall
Nov 30 2022 // The operator of an Orlando amusement park ride from which a Missouri teenager fell to his death should pay a $250,000 fine and can never hold a ride permit in Florida again, state officials said Tuesday. Fourteen-year-old...
Missouri Amusement Park Train Derailment Injures 7
Oct 28 2022 // Seven people suffered what were described as minor injuries after an amusement park train derailed in Branson, Missouri. The derailment happened Wednesday evening at Silver Dollar City. Six patrons and one employee were...
Shooting Injuries 3 Outside Chicago-Area Amusement Park
Aug 17 2022 // Three people were injured in a shooting outside a Chicago-area amusement park’s entrance that sent visitors scrambling for safety and prompted the park to close early, authorities said. Officers responded about 7:50...
Black Family Sues Sesame Place Amusement Park, Alleging Discrimination
Jul 29 2022 // A Baltimore family is suing a Sesame Street-themed amusement park for $25 million over claims of racial discrimination, alleging multiple costumed characters ignored a 5-year-old Black girl during a meet-and-greet event...
Family of Boy Killed in Iowa Amusement Park Accident Sues Facility
Jul 5 2022 // The family of an 11-year old boy who died on a water ride at an Iowa amusement park a year ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit in state court last week, alleging the park failed to properly maintain and repair its...
The Risks of Amusement Parks Insuring the Happiest Places on Earth
May 16 2022 // The website Statista estimates that amusement parks in the United States grossed about $19.75 billion in 2021. That’s a lot of roller coaster, water slide, bumper cars (if that’s still a thing) and over-priced...
6-Year-old Dies on Mine Drop Ride at Colorado Amusement Park
Sep 7 2021 // An investigation is underway after a 6-year-old girl on vacation with her family died at an amusement park in the western Colorado town of Glenwood Springs. Few details have been released, but Suzanne Emery with the...
Court Allows Lawsuit over Iowa Amusement Park Death to Proceed
Jun 8 2020 // The wife of a central Iowa amusement park employee killed in an accident at the park in 2016 can proceed with a federal lawsuit and the park’s insurance company may have to pay damages, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled...
Carolina Amusement Park Fined $42K by OSHA Over Maintenance Worker Injury
Nov 15 2019 // Federal safety officials have fined an amusement park on the North Carolina-South Carolina line after a maintenance worker was injured last March. The Charlotte Observer reports the Occupational Safety and Health...
Log Ride Crash at California Amusement Park Leaves 3 Injured
May 28 2019 // Authorities say three members of a family were injured, one critically, when they were ejected from the log ride at a Southern California amusement park. Fire officials say the ride malfunctioned and one of the log-shaped...
Ohio Amusement Park Company Fined $142K for Safety Violations
Sep 27 2018 // The parent company for Ohio’s Cedar Point amusement park has been fined over $140,000 for safety violations. The Blade reports the $142,270 fine by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration stems from an...
Pennsylvania Flash Flooding Leads to Evacuations, Amusement Park Closing
Jul 26 2018 // Heavy downpours soaked parts of central Pennsylvania, causing evacuations and forcing an amusement park to close for the second time this week. Hersheypark announced it would be closed Wednesday. The park closed Monday...
Injury on Missouri Waterslide Highlights Lax Regulation
Jul 10 2018 // No Missouri government officials conducted a safety inspection of a new waterslide at Six Flags St. Louis before a woman said she suffered whiplash in June from the force of the “Typhoon Twister” that featured...
11 Vehicles Damaged in Parking Lot Fire at Amusement Park
Jun 25 2018 // Authorities say 11 vehicles have been destroyed after a fire in the parking lot of an amusement park. The Flint Hill Fire Department said it took about 30 minutes to put out the fire Friday afternoon in the Carowinds...
