Theme parks and roller coasters are statistically very, very, very safe. Out of the millions of people who ride the thousands of rides every year, there are only a small handful of incidents. You are statistically more likely to be involved in an accident driving to an amusement park than having one at a park. The rarity of accidents is one reason why the media report them, similar to plane crashes.
Every important element of a ride is inspected on a regular basis and every ride is tested every day without passengers before it opens. A ride might not open, or a safety system might activate, if there is an imperfection. For theme parks to operate, they must obtain insurance and one stipulation is their rides are frequently inspected and signed off by a strict Health & Safety governing body. Every theme park does what they can to prevent accidents because the negative press would be bad for business.
Having said all that, theme park accidents still happen…
Eight people were injured when the S&S Worldwide compressed air launch coaster didn’t clear the first hill and the anti-rollback brakes failed, causing it to collide with another train in the station. The injured were transported to a local hospital, where four remain in the ICU. Source
A 39-year-old man died after falling around 40 feet (12 m) from Fuzzy’s Laughter Saloon at the Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock funfair. The five story attraction is said to be the largest transportable funhouse in the world. Source (in German)
A 50-year-old male worker sustained critical injuries after falling from the transportable spinning indoor roller coaster he was dismantling. Paramedics transported the man to a hospital to treat injuries sustained from the 16 foot (5 m) fall. Source (in German)
An 8-year-old boy sustained multiple injuries after being thrown from the Wisdom Rides spinning attraction. The boy slipped under a shoulder harness soon after the ride began and was then struck by it, suffering a broken foot, lacerations to his legs, bruises on his back and burns to his legs. Source
A 5-year-old boy died after he was pulled unconscious from the adult section of the water park’s pool. Source
A 13-year-old girl injured her foot after it was crushed by the air show ride’s lowering platform, resulting in the loss of one of her toes. The incident occurred as she was about to board the rotating pendulum ride. Source
An 8-year-old boy was injured after being thrown from the Himalaya style spinning ride into a 50-year-old woman, who received minor injuries. The boy suffered head trauma, back pain and bruising to his arms and legs. Source
Two children aged 12 and 9 were slightly injured, while their 47-year-old mother and their 74-year-old grandmother suffered more serious injuries when the former Diamond Amusement Rides traveling roller coaster suffered an axle break, causing a derailment. The four family members were transported to a hospital for treatment. Source (in French)
