It’s fall festival time in Missouri. The state calendar is packed with county fairs and community festivals that attract families for a weekend of fun. Pioneer Days in Defiance, Seymour’s Apple Festival and Pancake Day in Centerville draw many St. Louis families for a day of food, local entertainment and carnival rides. But these events can be fraught with potential dangers that can result in serious personal injuries as they did in Connecticut last weekend.

A carnival ride accident that injured a dozen children and one adult at the Norwalk, Connecticut Oyster Festival last weekend has called into question the safety of these rides which have become a ubiquitous part of the festival scene. The Connecticut accident occurred when the motor on a spinning swing ride failed, causing airborne riders to collide with each other and fall from their seats. The injured riders were taken to local hospitals for treatment where one child was admitted with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Like a property owner’s duty to protect the safety of visitors, amusement companies that operate carnival rides, festival sponsors and towns that host festivals have a duty to protect the safety of festival visitors. When they do not and personal injuries occur, the expert St. Louis premises liability lawyers at Hoffman & Gelfman can investigate to see who is liable for the accident and work aggressively to help ensure that personal injury accident victims receive full compensation for their injuries.