Some Kansans are asking if the deadly Schlitterbahn accident is a sign we need stricter inspection laws in Kansas. Our state is one of a limited number that don’t require state inspectors to certify a ride’s safety.
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“I represented a ride manufacturer whose ride unfortunately caused the electrocution of a child at a traveling carnival,” said Rep. John Carmichael, (D) Wichita. That was 35 years ago. “We did have Kiddie Land and Joyland here in Wichita when I was growing up. I’m that old. And a lot of the inspections then were performed by the fire department.”
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The records of those inspections are available to any company who rents the ride. But the state hasn’t answered our questions about whether the public can see the records.
“There is no system to keep track of good operators or bad operators,” Carmichael said. “It is basically a self inspection program.”
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But Carmichael says having state safety inspectors might not be enough to prevent some accidents.
“We probably cannot expect a basic safety inspector to do a design analysis of a large mega ride,” he said.
Kansas is one of a limited number of states that don’t currently use state inspectors for ride safety. The laws we do have apply more to mobile amusement park rides like you might see at a street carnival or county fair. Carmichael believes we might need a separate set of design requirements for large, permanent rides like the Verruckt.