Alabama Among 6 States That Don’t Regulate Amusement Park Rides

Alabama remains one of six states with no inspections of amusement parks after the death of a 10-year-old boy who was killed in a water slide accident in Kansas.

Safety advocates have questioned whether state and federal oversight were sufficient, Al.com reported. States with no inspection of amusement parks include Alabama, Mississippi, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming – which has no amusement parks.

Caleb Schwab was killed during a ride on the Verruckt raft ride at the Schlitterbahn WaterPark in Kansas City, Kansas. The boy was decapitated in the accident.

Verruckt is the world’s tallest waterslide.

There is nothing comparable to the Verruckt in Alabama. McVay calls the fatal accident in Kansas a “very unique case,” and doesn’t expect change for Alabama to make inspections, said Dr. Jim McVay, director of the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Health Promotion and its Chronic Disease Bureau.

No federal agency has jurisdiction over fixed-site amusement parks, spokeswoman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission said. Kansas requires parks to conduct their own testing subject to inspection by the Kansas Department of Labor.

The ADPH does have an injury prevention branch that monitors and addresses intentional and unintentional injuries through a wide range of causes, McVay said. And it reviews every death involving a child, to see what might have prevented it.