A Wichita-based amusement ride company is issuing a product recall of at least 85 of its popular Yo-Yo rides after a couple of amusement park accidents in which more than 23 people were injured.

Chance Rides Manufacturing Inc. announced the product recall together with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. On May 16th this year, a Yo-Yo ride collapsed at the Calaveras County Fair. The arms of the ride collapsed when the ride was still on. 23 people were injured. Many had to be hospitalized with sprained backs and other injuries. Later, investigations found that a rotating bearing mechanism had become detached, causing the arm to collapse and taking riders down with it.

The Calaveras incident was not the first one involving the Yo-Yo rides. Back in 2006, a similar accident had occurred at the Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. Nine people had been injured in that amusement park accident. The company, it now appears, knew about the Arlington Texas accident but chose not to inform customers about the defect in the equipment.

That fact has Henry Mason hopping mad. He is the owner of Brass Ring Amusements, the company that owned and operated the Yo-Yo ride at the Calaveras fair. Mason claims that soon after the accident with his amusement park Yo-Yo ride, Chance Rides insisted that his company had not inspected the equipment carefully which led to the accident. Chance Rides has now sent a safety kit that includes a safety metal plate at the top of the central hydraulic rod, to each of its customers. So, even if the rotating bearing becomes detached, there’s no chance that the arms could slide off.

Mason says that the accident at the Calaveras fair could have been prevented if Chance Rides had sent the safety kit to all its customers and ride operators, and let them know that there was a product defect in the mechanism that needed to be corrected. Instead, the company chose to stay silent about the problem, leading to yet another accident with the same ride in Calaveras.

It seems like Chance Rides definitely intended to brush the Arlington Texas Yo-Yo accident under the carpet, and hoped that no more such accidents occurred. The company had a chance to let its customers know that there was a problem with a rotating bearing on its equipment. If the problem had been dealt with when the Texas accident had taken place, 23 people could have been spared injuries, and the trauma of being trapped in a giant ride that was beginning to collapse.

The company has a great deal of explaining to do. Sending safety kits to its customers now when the ride has already managed to hurt at least 23 more people, is simply not enough. This product recall has been announced way too late. Instead of holding their breath and announcing a product recall when it became clear that more injuries had taken place because of their defective ride, the company should have recalled the product right after the Arlington accident.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims injuries caused by recalled products. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.