We have covered a lot of topics on safety throughout the course of this blog, however, we haven’t yet looked at prior injuries and how they might affect your safety on a ride.
I am sure we can all remember falling off the playground or having a friend with a broken arm in elementary school. Just because you’re in a cast, doesn’t mean you will be missing your weekend trip to the theme park, does it? We would hope not, but there are further safety concerns that come with a rider being in a cast.
Imagine, you are on a rollercoaster except you can’t use one of your hands to hang on as it’s in a cast. Are you able to control your arm during the ride? Manufacturers need to consider how the weight of the cast would impact riders and if further injury could occur due to riding with a cast. Many coasters prevent you from riding if you have a cast on your arm as you are required to brace yourself through the duration of the ride. Additionally, leg casts may also prevent the guest from riding depending on the experience.
Riders who have a cast should consider the impacts it may have on their injury prior to boarding the ride. If casts are allowed on the ride, there are precautions that should be taken.
The rider with the cast should have the farthest seat from other riders on the outside. This will mitigate the risk of injury to other riders from a moving cast. The operator should ensure that the cast does not impact the effectiveness of the restraint. If the restraint is not able to latch, lock or buckle properly, the rider should be removed from the vehicle.
There are several issues that can arise for the rider with a cast, mainly the risk associated with causing further injury. If the manufacturers have not specifically prohibited people with casts from riding, the rider needs to make sure they are comfortable with the risks of riding with a cast and the operators should take precautions on-site to ensure further injury or injury to other riders does not occur.
If you are considering visiting a park with a leg or arm cast, you should consult the website of the park. The park will often state which rides are prohibited for people with leg or arm casts. Different restrictions apply to different rides depending on the cast type. The manufacturer and attendant will have your safety and the safety of others as their main priority.