traveling carnival rides...

The permanent amusement parks have much more stringent safety rules, though. The traveling ones don't always have the most qualified people manning and taking care of the rides. The guy that was working the ferris wheel when I got hurt was zoning out and not at all paying attention to his job. And after we were all screaming in agony he just panicked and stood there staring at us--obviously he had no emergency training and did not know what to do. A few seconds more and my legs would have snapped. Then there was the lady from their relations department that came over to quiet us up. She made me sign a paper saying I wouldn't sue and wouldn't let us call our parents until I signed it. I didn't want to but I did. As an adult I realize the waiver was not legal since I was only 16 at the time and not a legal adult. My parents could have sued and would have won. That lady did everything she could to shut me up and just kept saying I was fine and to stop crying. I didn't even know how badly I was hurt until I got home and got my pants off and saw the bruising and the marks on my legs. I could barely walk for days and going from sitting to standing or vice/versa was almost impossible. It scarred me in more then one way too. I still get shivers and flashbacks when I go past a carnival and I really loved them as a kid.