Tennessee Passes New Law to Regulate Amusement Parks

There are still a lot of questions after a girl fell from an amusement park ride in New York.

In a terrifying video, you see the teenage girl dangling from the ride 25 feet in the air. A crowd gathered below, and the girl eventually dropped. Luckily, a man caught her.

Both she and the man were taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.

After the incident, News 2 checked to see who is responsible for regulating amusement parks. It turns out, it’s up to individual states, and Tennessee just passed tougher regulations this year.

The reason behind the new laws in Tennessee is due to two incidents that happened last year. In August, three girls fell 45 feet after a Ferris wheel basket overturned in Greene County.

And last September, eight people were injured after a ride shut down at the Delta fair in Memphis.

So this year, lawmakers passed a new law that toughens regulations on amusement parks, carnivals, zip lines, and haunted houses.

The legislation requires inspections at least once a year and to report those results to the state. Ride operates must also be at least 16 years old, and injured people are now allowed to sue ride owners and operators.

The law took effect this past May.

Courtesy of WKRN News 2