SERVING INJURED CLIENTS THROUGHOUT THE U.S.A.

Fixed Rides

When it comes to rides, there are two major types that you should familiarize yourself with – fixed rides and moveable rides. On this page, I will discuss fixed rides in more detail. If your child was injured on a fixed ride, this could have a different impact on their case than if they were injured on a moveable ride. You can learn more about fixed rides here.

What is a Fixed Ride?

Fixed rides, also referred to as fixed-site rides, are rides that are permanently built into the ground and are not meant to move. You will most often find fixed rides at theme parks and other amusement parks, waterparks, and on playgrounds.

These rides are built to remain at such parks or playgrounds, not to be moved around from place to place. Oftentimes, fixed rides are therefore large rides such as big roller coasters, large water slides, and more. Thrill rides and large rides tend to be fixed rides because they do not need to be put together and broken down constantly in order to move to different locations.

The term “fixed” does not mean that these rides are impossible to move. They may be taken down and discarded or moved to a different part of a park. The distinction between fixed and moveable rides is that fixed rides are not regularly taken down and put up at different locations, like the rides at carnivals or fairs oftentimes are.

Fixed Amusement Rides

Because fixed rides are designed to stay in one place at amusement parks or waterparks, they can be very large rides that can reach great heights. A few examples of fixed amusement park rides include:

  • Large roller coasters
  • Water slides and most other water rides
  • Large pendulum rides
  • Large Ferris wheels, such as the London Eye or the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago
  • Log flumes
  • Bungee jumping rides
  • Reverse bungee rides

Thrill rides tend to be fixed rides instead of moveable rides. This allows for faster speeds, longer rides, and higher rides than moveable rides can allow.

Playground Rides

Most playground equipment is also considered fixed. A few common examples include:

  • Seesaws
  • Swing sets
  • Jungle gyms
  • Sandboxes
  • Slides
  • Playhouses

This equipment is stationary and stays at the site of the playground, instead of moving to other playgrounds.

Fixed Ride Injuries

Fixed ride injuries can be serious because they can be larger than moveable rides. For example, fixed Ferris wheels are generally much bigger than the moveable version. So, a drop from a fixed Ferris wheel can be much farther than a drop from a moveable Ferris wheel. Government regulations also change based on whether the ride is considered fixed or moveable. For example, the CPSC has the authority to regulate moveable rides, but does not regulate fixed rides.

Regulations and injuries can differ for fixed vs. moveable rides. To learn how to proceed with a personal injury case that was a result of a fixed ride, you can contact my office.

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