The Problem at Wonderland Amusement Park; You’ll Never Guess It
Wonderland Park is Amarillo's long-standing theme park attraction.
Whether you love the place or you grumble about it, there was a time in every child's life where Wonderland was the place to be. And frankly, even for the adult, the nostalgia can be enough for a good time (note that I didn't mention the wallop to your wallet--the expense is just a given).
However, I have often found myself wondering if there are any real hidden dangers at the park.
Dangerous Rides at Theme Parks
Every year there is something in the news about some terrible incident happening at a theme park somewhere in the United States--and I know that there have been several unfortunate notable incidents in Wonderland's own history.
But I kept eyeing each ride, wondering if there was a particular one that just seemed to be a hotspot of scrapes, bangs, and injuries. So I went digging. There was only one place I knew of that might have the answers
The Texas Department of Insurance
Yes, really! The TDI keeps a publicly available log of amusement park injuries that have been reported--Wonderland included.
I scrolled all the way down to the bottom before I spied Wonderland's listed injury reports for the years 2020 through 2022. I've read over it several times and I must say that I have a surprising takeaway.
Wonderland Park rides are pretty safe; The parents are not so safe
I would have bet money that the Mouse Trap would have been the top offender, but nope. It had two incidents listed in that time period; as did the Pipeline Plunge--and both rides only saw minor scrapes.
But what I did notice was honestly shocking and disappointing to me. It's not so much the rides as it is the inattentive parents. Yes, really.
- June 2021 - A 5-year-old child was on the Merry-Go-Round with his mother standing next to him when he fell off the horse and onto the concrete below.
Okay, I'll be honest, this one isn't too bad because accidents happen. I can't tell you the amount of times I took my eyes off my son for two seconds and whoops! disaster struck.
- August 2021 a 1-year-old child was injured while on the Umbrella Kiddie cars. As per the report, the mother insisted his 3yr old brother would watch him. She then put on a seatbelt, but as the ride started he fell out of his car and the ride ran over him.
Girl...What are you doing?
And as a humorous honorable mention, here's one that gave me a good chuckle.
- June 2021 - A 42-year-old man decided to go down the Pipeline Plunge. As he was riding the raft down the tube, he hit his head as he went through the turn.
The report specifies that he walked away from the Pipeline Plunge with a goose egg on his forehead. And you know what? There are quite a few other reports for more people over the age of 40 than I care to list.
It's not the rides you have to worry about at Wonderland Amusement Park. It's the grown-ups. How about that?