Few rules for amusement park rides in Arizona
Aug 10, 2016, 5:21 AM | Updated: Aug 11, 2016, 4:05 pm
FILE - In this July 9, 2014 file photo, riders are propelled by jets of water as they go over a hump while riding a water slide called "Verruckt" at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kan. A 12-year-old boy died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, on the Kansas water slide that is billed as the world's largest, according to officials. Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman Officer Cameron Morgan said the boy died at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, which is located about 15 miles west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio said the child died on one of the park's main attractions, Verruckt, a 168-foot-tall water slide that has 264 stairs leading to the top. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
PHOENIX — The recent death of a 10-year-old boy in Kansas City on a giant water slide and a ferris wheel accident in Tennessee have triggered questions of how amusement park rides are regulated locally.
In Arizona, the state does not control or regulate amusement park rides.
Arizona statute says it’s up to municipalities and counties to administer and enforce any regulations. State law says the cities and counties can request proof of insurance and inspection certificates if they so choose.
That means different local governments can have different rules or no rules at all.
Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix makes public safety a high priority. They have an independent inspection each season and the park is regularly Maricopa County Department of Environmental Services Department and Maricopa County Health Department.
