Is the all-American amusement park safe? Thousands of visitors are injured every year at amusement parks, but the industry remains largely unregulated. Injured people lawsuits ask, How much fun is too much?

Trial, June, 2004 by Ammons, Robert E.; Vujasinovic, Vuk Stevan

Memorial Day was the unofficial kick off of the amusement-park season. As families flock to parks this summer seeking fun and excitement, government authorities and consumer advocates continue to question the safety of rides in an increasingly competitive industry.

Most people assume that these rides are safe, but public scrutiny of amusement parks has increased dramatically since 1999, a particularly deadly year for the industry:

* A 12-year-old boy fell 200 feet to his death after slipping through a harness on the Drop Zone Stunt Tower ride at Paramount's Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara, California.

* Five people were injured when a piece of wood came loose from the track of a Knott's Berry Farm roller coaster in Buena Vista,...

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