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Amusement parks and rides are one of the most popular family outings, whether it is Six Flags or a ride at the mall. Despite the fact that these rides are thrilling and fun, there is always the chance that something could go wrong. Although there have not been many freak accidents, which reassures park goers, there is still a significantly high number of injuries that result from these rides. A previous study conducted by the Nationwide Children's Hospital located in Columbus, OH found that the average number of American Children that suffer injuries from these amusement park rides is 4,423 per year. Based from that study, a new study was done to observe what type of injuries were the most common.

The new study was headed by the researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Research Institute at the hospital. Based from previous research, the statistics showed that between 1990 and 2010, 92,885 children under 18-years-old had to be sent to the emergency room to treat an amusement park related injury. The researchers discovered that over 70 percent of the injuries and hospitalizations occurred between May and September with an average of 20 accidents a day. Since these months are generally warmer, the chances for injuries most likely increased. The most amount of injuries occurred on fixed-site rides (33 percent). 29 percent of injuries resulted from mobile rides and 12 percent from mall rides. The researchers pointed out that the many of the mall ride accidents inflicted pain on the head and neck region. They reasoned that these types of injuries could be higher in malls due to the lack of supervision, which is not as strict when compared to large amusement parks.

The researchers analyzed the data further and found that the most common cause for an injury was falling at 32 percent. The second leading cause for an injury, at 18 percent, was being hit during a ride. The study also broke down the types of injuries that were sustained during the 10 year span. The most common injury was in the neck and head area (28 percent). 24 percent of the hospitalizations were due to arm injuries, 18 percent had face injuries and 17 percent suffered from leg injuries. Of these types of injuries, 29 percent of the park riders had soft tissue injuries, 21 percent dealt with sprains and strains, 20 percent had minor cuts and 10 percent had to be treated for broken bones.

Although the study found that quite a lot of children suffered from accidents at amusement parks, the rate of severe or major incidences was extremely low.

The study was published in Clinical Pediatrics.