Frisco, TX — A young girl was injured when she fell 20 feet from a zip line in Frisco, Texas, at the city annual 4th of July Freedom Fest event. The accident took place around 8:30 that night.
The girl, who’s name hasn’t been released, was taken to an area fire station before being flown to a nearby hospital. Reports indicate that she and her family were in the area visiting relatives.
The zip line was being operated by Texas Entertainment Group and was shut down immediately after the accident occurred.
The accident is still under investigation.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Let’s start with the assumption that someone is to blame for this accident. There are two possibilities. One is that this was a manufacturer defect, the other is that this was the fault of those who were operating the ride. Now, typically, those who go on these sorts of rides are asked to sign some form of waiver, releasing the company from any liability in the case of an accident. However, those are usually only good in the case of simple negligence. What is simple negligence? Let’s say that those operating the ride ask you not to flip upside down while sliding across. Donny Don’t flips upside down, hits a tree and breaks his leg. That would be simple negligence. These sorts of waivers don’t hold up in the case of gross negligence, or willful and wanton negligence. For example, the harnesses are failing and the company has put off buying new ones.
Was this a case of gross negligence? We don’t know yet. How this particular accident plays out will depend on what the authorities discover in their investigation.
— Grossman Law Offices
