Study finds thousands of kids injured in amusement parks each year

Thousands of children are injured on amusement park rides each year but there is no word on how many adult injuries occur, an Ohio researcher said. Dr. Gary A. Smith, who directs the Center for Injury Research at Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, told NBC News no one studies how many adults are hurt or killed on amusement park rides. Last week Rosy Ayala-Goana died after she fell from the Texas Giant roller coaster at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park. "We don't have a really good system for catching all of these," Smith said. "Many of these go unmonitored and unaddressed." Smith published a study this year tracking kids younger than 18 who are hurt on roller coasters, carnivals and kiddie rides. He found some 4,400 children suffer injuries on such rides each year and suspects a similar number for adults would be found if anyone conducted such a study. To do so they would have to review data from U.S. emergency department reports, Smith said.