Fairground Accident Claims

Last updated 24th February 2026. When attending a theme park or a fairground, you expect to have fun. One thing you shouldn’t have to anticipate is sustaining an injury through no fault of your own. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the case.

You may be able to claim compensation after a fairground accident if you were injured due to a ride malfunction, poor safety measures, lack of supervision, or operator negligence. Compensation can cover physical injuries, psychological trauma, and financial losses such as lost earnings or treatment costs.

We also take a look at whether employees could make a fairground accident claim, and some potential compensation payout examples.

We’ve represented many people in claims against fairgrounds, and we can help you, too. If you’d like to take advantage of our free case check, simply contact us today.

 

Can You Claim Compensation After A Fairground Accident?

To be eligible to make a personal injury claim for a funfair accident, you must have suffered negligence. Negligence is when you are injured because a duty of care was breached.

The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 states that when you are in a public space, you are owed a duty of care by the party in charge of that space (the occupier). This duty of care requires occupiers to take steps to ensure that members of the public who visit their space are kept reasonably safe. 

As an example, one of the steps that occupiers of a funfair are expected to take is to perform regular risk assessments and maintenance checks of all fairground rides.

As such, to claim compensation, you must meet the fairground accident claims eligibility criteria:

1. An occupier of a fairground owed you a duty of care.
2. The occupier breached their duty of care.
3. You suffered an injury as a result of this breach.

If you have been in a fairground accident, please contact us today. A member of our team will be able to confirm your claim eligibility.

Claiming On Behalf Of An Injured Child

A person needs to be at least 18 years old to make a claim. Therefore, if your child is injured in a funfair accident, you or another trusted person can claim on their behalf.

In order to claim for your child, you’ll have to apply to become a litigation friend. The court will make the appointment after determining that:

• You can make fair and competent decisions.
• There’s no conflict of interest.

Contact us now to make a funfair accident claim on behalf of your child.

Fatal Fairground Accident Claims

If someone you loved has been involved in a fairground accident, which has resulted in their death, you may be able to claim on their behalf. We have years of experience in fatal fairground accidents, and our experienced solicitors will be able to ensure you get the maximum compensation you and your family deserve.

Are you entitled to make funfair accident claims on behalf of the deceased? You can make a claim if you are a family member of the deceased, or if you are a dependent of the deceased, i.e. the person that has passed away provided you for financially.

In such cases, you will be able to claim for general damages, a bereavement award, funeral expenses, medical expenses, and punitive damages. Other expenses associated with death, which you can claim for, include loss of benefits, future loss of earnings, mental suffering and emotional pain, and effects that have a long-term impact upon family members of the deceased, including loss of ongoing protection and care, as well as loss of potential future inheritance, due to loss of savings and long-term earnings.

Please read on for more information about making fairground accident claims.

Common Types Of Fairground Accidents

There are numerous risks of injury in fairgrounds. If proper precautions aren’t taken, people could suffer serious injuries.

Below, we take a look at some of the most common types of fairground accidents and the circumstances in which you could pursue a compensation claim.

Slips, Trips And Falls At Fairgrounds

There are many different types of accidents that can occur at a fairground. Not all accidents happen because of issues with the rides. Some accidents occur for other reasons, and slips, trips, and falls are just one of these.

Perhaps you fell due to a pothole that wasn’t corned off? Maybe you slipped on an unmarked wet floor? No matter what has happened, so long as you can prove that you were not to blame for the slip, trip, or fall you experienced, we will be able to secure compensation for you.

Aside from establishing responsibility, the only other criteria you need to meet to have grounds to make fairground accident claims are as follows: the accident must have happened within the past three years, and you must have seen a doctor for your injuries. We can, however, arrange a local medical for you if required. All you need to do is give us a call and you can get your free consultation about making funfair accident claims today.

Accidents At Work And Fairgrounds

Similarly to making a funfair accident claim as a public visitor, you will need to prove that negligence has occurred if you want to make a funfair accident claim as an employer.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states that when you are at work, your employer owes you a duty of care. This duty of care requires employers to take reasonable steps to ensure that their employees are kept safe while working.

Here are some reasonable steps that employers of fairgrounds are expected to take:

• Provide the correct training.
• Carry out regular risk assessments.
• Fix defected machines before allowing them to be used.
• Inform employees of potential hazards that cannot be removed, which could be done by implementing warning signs.

A lot of people worry about making an accident at work claim against their employer, as they fear that they could lose their job as a consequence. This is something you do not need to worry about. Your employer cannot fire you for making a claim against them, as this would class as unfair dismissal. 

As such, if you have suffered an injury as an employee of a funfair because your employer breached their duty of care, please contact us to check whether you’re eligible for fairground accident compensation.

Ride Malfunction Or Mechanical Failure

Ride malfunctions or mechanical failures at fairgrounds are often caused by inadequate maintenance or worn-out fairground components. This can lead to accidents like the following:

• A car ride’s braking system malfunctioned, resulting in a high-speed collision. The issue had been known for some time and left one individual with broken legs and severe crush injuries.
• A poorly maintained control centre suddenly fails, causing a ride to jerk unpredictably. One of the riders suffers soft-tissue injuries to their neck and develops anxiety.

Faulty Safety Bars Or Harnesses

Faulty safety bars, harnesses, and seatbelts are a primary cause of serious, life-altering injuries in fairground accidents. Examples of the incidents this can lead to include:

• A member of staff fails to check that harnesses are locked before a ride starts. This leaves a person to fall out due to the harness being too loose, causing serious injuries to their legs and lower abdomen.
• Staff at a travelling fair do not conduct regular inspection checks on a rollercoaster. A lap bar opens during a ride due to old screws, ejecting multiple members of the public from their seats and leaving one visitor with catastrophic injuries to their head and limbs.

Electrical Accidents

Electrical accidents at fairgrounds often arise due to faulty wiring, damaged equipment, and overall poor maintenance. Examples can encompass the following:

• A dodgem ride malfunctions due to a known wiring issue, resulting in an electrical shock to one of the riders that leaves them with serious burns.
• Staff members fail to complete scheduled repairs to a carousel, leaving exposed wires in the footwell. A young child comes into contact with these wires, causing severe burns and lasting trauma.

Falling From Rides

Falls from rides in fairgrounds can cause serious, life-changing injuries and fatalities due to mechanical failures, human errors, or operational errors. For instance:

• A ride at a travelling fair may not have been erected correctly, causing a seat to snap whilst in operation. This could result in serious head injuries and PTSD for members of the public.
• A rotator ride could continue to spin due to an operational error, causing people to fall from their seats at a severe height.

Injuries Caused By Poor Supervision

Injuries on fairgrounds caused by poor supervision often result from a lack of staff training or failure to enforce safety rules. For example:

• An operator does not check to ensure the area is clear before starting a ride. This causes multiple carriages to operate at the same time, resulting in a collision and leaving one individual with life-changing crush injuries.
• Staff members fail to clean up a major spill at a funhouse or erect wet floor signs to warn of the danger. Due to this, a child slips on the spill and fractures their foot.

To discuss more about fairground accident claims, please get in touch with our helpful advisory team today.

How Much Compensation For Fairground Accident Claims?

If you make a successful personal injury claim for a fairground ride accident, you will be awarded general damages. This compensates you for the pain and suffering your injuries have caused you.

Many legal professionals will refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) when valuing this head of claim. This document lists compensation guidelines for various injuries.

Guideline Compensation Amounts

Below, we have included some of the guideline compensation amounts stated in the JCG for some types of injuries that could potentially be sustained in a funfair accident. Please keep in mind that the top bullet point is not from the JCG, and since all fairground accident claims are unique, none of these amounts can be guaranteed:

• Up to £1,000,000+ for sustaining multiple serious injuries and financial losses.
• £293,850 to £366,100 for amputation of both arms.
• Not Less Than £167,380 for shoulder amputation to one arm.
• £133,810 to £159,770 for above-the-elbow amputation to one arm.
• £293,850 to £344,150 for above-the-knee amputation to both legs.
• £127,930 to £167,760 for above-the-knee amputation to one leg.
• In the region of £181,020 for a severe neck injury that’s associated with incomplete paraplegia.
• £30,500 to £46,970 for a moderate neck injury, such as dislocations and fractures, that cause immediate severe symptoms and may necessitate spinal fusion.

Financial Losses You Can Claim

Some personal injury compensation payouts may also include special damages. This compensates you for the financial losses you have suffered due to your injury. Some examples of the losses you could be compensated for include:

• Medical expenses.
• Travel costs.
• A loss of earnings.

You will need to provide evidence of these losses, with bank statements, invoices or payslips.

Contact our advisors today if you have any questions about making a personal injury claim for compensation.

 

Steps To Take When Starting A Fairground Accident Claim

When starting a fairground accident claim, there are several steps that you could take to secure your legal position. These steps could include the following:

• Seek immediate medical treatment. Whether you dislocated your shoulder due to a defective dodgem or suffered whiplash because of a ride malfunction, you should ensure that your fairground injuries are treated at an urgent care clinic, GP, or A&E. This will also help to create official medical records of the injuries you suffered.
• Gather evidence. In addition to obtaining a copy of your medical records and photographing visible injuries, try to take pictures of any noticeable mechanical defects, a lack of ride safety signage, or worn-out restraints.
• Ensure the accident is reported. When possible, make sure that the incident is recorded in the fairground’s accident logbook. You can further document what happened by informing the ride operator, the event manager, and the landowner (if applicable). 
• Track how your injuries affect you. While fairground injuries can range in severity, keeping a simple record of your day-to-day pain levels, the treatments you received, and any medication is a common way to document how you’ve been affected by an accident.
• Seek legal advice. This can help you determine whether the fairground operator or another party was liable for your injuries. At Legal Expert, our advisors can also explain how compensation for a fairground accident is calculated and connect you with a specialist personal injury solicitor.

To find out whether you may be eligible to work with one of our solicitors, contact our advisors. They can also help answer any questions you may have about making a funfair accident claim.

Fairground Accident Claim Time Limit

According to the Limitation Act 1980, you have three years to start your fairground accident claim. This time limit begins from the date of the accident.

However, there are certain cases where this time limit will pause:

• Minors: As discussed above, a minor cannot make their own claim, so the time limit will start only after their 18th birthday.
• Reduced Mental Capacity: There will be no time limit applicable for a person who doesn’t possess the mental capacity to make a claim.

Alternatively, a trusted person could make a claim on behalf of the above persons as a litigation friend before:

• The minor turns 18.
• The individual regains their mental capacity.

Contact us now to know more about the time limit for public liability claims.

Use Legal Expert’s Solicitors For Fair Ground Accidents Claims 

If you’re connected with one of our specialist solicitors, they will prioritise your interests throughout the fairground claims process. We understand that no two fairground accidents are the same, so we treat each case uniquely to help clients gain the compensation they deserve.

Why Choose Our Solicitors For Your Fairground Injury Claim?

You should choose our solicitors for your fairground injury claim due to their high level of expertise in securing personal injury pay-outs. Due to this, our solicitors can maximise the compensation you receive through their tailored, high-quality work. As such, you could enjoy the following benefits:

• Consistent case updates so you always know where your fairground injury claim stands
• Help with gathering evidence, such as a copy of the accident book report or securing maintenance logs that may document failures to properly maintain fairground rides
• Explanations of legal terminologies and the regulations that apply to fairgrounds, to give you a better understanding of the personal injury claims process
• Putting a focus on your healing journey by connecting you with physiotherapists and other specialists who understand the impact of fairground injuries
• Confidential, expert advice about the fairground accident claims process

How Do No Win No Fee Theme Park Injury Compensation Claims Work?

At Legal Expert, No Win No Fee theme park injury compensation claims work by our solicitors offering their services under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This means that your legal representative does not charge service fees at the following stages of the claim:

• • In advance
  • As it develops
  • If your case is unsuccessful.

If the outcome is favourable, you will pay a success fee from your compensation to your solicitor. This fee is taken as a percentage capped by law.

Why Not Contact Legal Expert For Free Claim Check

To learn more about fairground accident claims, please don’t hesitate to contact our helpful advisory team today:

• Call on 0800 073 8804
• Contact us by completing our online form
• Use the pop-up window in the corner to chat with our advisors

Learn More About Claiming Compensation For A Fairground Ride Accident

Below, you can find more useful links on making a personal injury claim.

Post traumatic stress disorder compensation

Have you suffered from PTSD due to a fairground accident contact us to find out if you can claim compensation today and get free legal advice.

HSE on Health and safety guidance for fairgrounds

This link takes you to the Government’s Health and Safety Executive website, where you will find information on health and safety for fairgrounds. This includes information of fair organisers, ride controller employers, self-employed fairground ride operators, and members of the public.

Theme Park Accident Claims – How Much Compensation Can I Claim?

Have you been involved in a theme park accident? If so, contact us today for free legal advice and find out if you can make a no win no fee theme park accident claim.

If you need any more advice on claiming compensation for a fairground ride accident, get in touch.