Huntley Daniels Injured In Carnival Ride Accident At Taste of Antioch

Unsafe Premises - July 17, 2023

10-Year-Old Huntley Daniels Injured After Being Thrown From The Moby Dick Carnival Ride At The Taste of Antioch —> GoFundMe Created To Help With Victim’s Recovery

ANTIOCH, ILLINOIS (July 17, 2023) – A 10-year-old boy identified as Huntley Daniels was seriously injured in a Moby Dick carnival ride accident at the Taste of Antioch.

Lake County officials are saying that the accident took place around 2:40 p.m. on Sunday. Huntley Daniels was thrown from the Moby Dick carnival ride and injured in the process. Other guests have reported safety concerns with the ride prior to this accident.

The 10-year-old was airlifted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. He was later transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital where he is scheduled to undergo surgery.

Investigators are saying that the victim was not properly fastened to the ride before he was ejected. You can help support Huntley Daniels and his family through GoFundMe. Robert Pohlman, the boy’s uncle, is organizing the online fundraiser.

According to the GoFundMe page, “On July 16th at around 3pm my nephew was flung from a carnival ride approximately 10-20 feet in the air. He was flown through flight for life twice to two separate hospitals due to the care needed.”

He continues, “My sister and his father will be out of work for a time that will make paying for the unknown amount of surgery my nephew will need, almost impossible. Anything helps, funds will be used to pay medical fees and if there’s any left over, that will be saved for him when he recovers.”

Liability For Antioch Carnival Ride Accidents

Far more people are injured in carnival ride accidents than many may realize. According to NBC News, “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that 30,900 injuries caused by amusement park attractions were seen by hospital emergency departments in 2016 alone.” Part of the problem is that the amusement park industry is far less regulated for safety than many other industries. There are no federal regulatory bodies to make sure that these rides are safe. Amusement park operators are supposed to take a number of measures to protect guests.

• Every ride should be inspected and well-maintained to identify safety hazards.
• Staff should ensure that ride operators are properly trained and certified.
• Park operators must adhere to height and weight restrictions. Smaller children are more likely to be ejected from certain rides that are meant for larger adults.
• Park operators must comply with local laws and regulations.

Depending on the facts of any case, a carnival ride operator could face civil liability if a guest is injured on one of their rides. Pursuant to Illinois Civil Code (740 ILCS 130/1), property owners must maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition. When a property owner has actual or constructive notice of a dangerous condition with their property, they must take action to correct the dangerous condition. Failing to take action to protect guests from a dangerous condition could form the basis of a negligence claim.

The company that manufactured a carnival ride could also face liability if someone on the ride was injured. Companies have a legal obligation to create products that are reasonably safe. They must also warn about the non-obvious dangers associated with the use of their products. When a company fails to create a safe amusement park ride, this could form the basis of a negligence claim. Product liability claims will typically be based on negligence, strict liability or breach of warranty. Claims asserting negligence will usually fall into one of three categories.

• Design Defects: These defects are inherent to a product and exist before it is manufactured. They could stem from faulty engineering or poor materials science decisions.
• Manufacturing Defects: These defects occur when a a product is being created. Only a few products out of many are defective in this instance.
• Marketing Defects: Defects in marketing may exist when a company fails to warn about latent dangers. They may also occur when a company fails to give proper instructions for the use of their product.

It can be hard to know where to begin after any carnival ride accident. But it is important for accident victims to know that they do have rights. Any person that is injured in an accident at a carnival, fair or amusement park may be able to seek some measure of justice through a civil claim. It is important that evidence is properly preserved after any accident. Evidence is what will ultimately be used to determine liability.

Investigating Antioch Carnival Ride Accidents

We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates extend our best wishes to Huntley Daniels and his family as he continues to recover. Any person that may have more information about this accident should reach out to investigators. There needs to be some accountability for what took place.

Have you or someone that you care about been injured in a carnival ride accident? There are a number of laws designed to protect your rights. Our team of consumer safety advocates are here to answer any questions that you may have. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that the amusement park industry is held accountable for its negligence. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any incident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (312) 564-4256.