Find an amusement park injury lawyer in Scottsdale: rides, inspections and waivers
The rides we could confirm in Scottsdale are run by the city: the train and carousel at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park and the slides at Eldorado. An injury on a city ride needs a notice of claim within 180 days. For a private ride, Arizona requires insurance and yearly inspections, and you generally have 2 years to sue.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (24)
Where are the amusement rides in Scottsdale?
The rides we could confirm are city-run. McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, at 7301 E. Indian Bend Rd., is operated by the city's Parks & Recreation Department. Its rides are the Paradise & Pacific Railroad and a 1950-vintage Allan Herschell carousel. A ticket costs $3.00. The park's phone is 480-312-2312.
The Eldorado Aquatic & Fitness Center has two large water slides, a zero-depth entry, a large play pool and a water playground. We did not find a list of other permitted rides in the city, so ask the operator for its permit if you were hurt somewhere else.
| Ride or attraction | Who runs it | First step after an injury |
|---|---|---|
| Train and carousel, Railroad Park | City of Scottsdale | Notice of claim within 180 days |
| Eldorado water slides | City of Scottsdale | Same 180-day notice |
| A private or traveling ride | The company that owns it | Ask for its permit and insurance, then a lawsuit within 2 years |
How does Arizona check that a ride is safe?
An operator must have each ride inspected at least once a year. The inspector can be from the operator's insurer, a contractor of the insurer, or a city or county ride inspector. Cities and counties may enforce the same state article in their own areas.
An operator must also keep records of serious injuries caused by the ride for at least 2 years, and send a copy to the city or county when it applies for a permit. Those records are not public. Only a peace officer or enforcement official can demand them. That is why an early written request from a lawyer can matter.
How much insurance must a ride operator carry?
At least $1 million for bodily injury and $500,000 for property damage per occurrence, or $2 million combined. That is a minimum, not a cap on what you can ask for. Ask who the insurer is as soon as you can. The rule covers rides that fall under the state article. Federal consumer product law can reach rides that are not permanently fixed to a site.
Does a waiver you signed end your case?
Not by itself. Arizona's constitution makes assumption of risk a question for a jury, and a court has applied that to a written release. A waiver may still be used against you, so keep a copy and do not sign anything new from the operator's insurer without advice.
Shared fault works the same way. If you were partly to blame, the damages are cut by your share and the claim is not barred.
How do you file a claim over a City of Scottsdale ride?
- Ask the city's Safety and Risk Management Division for a Notice of Claim form.
- Follow A.R.S. 12-821.01, which is the law the city says applies.
- State the facts and a specific amount, and confirm where to deliver it. The City Clerk is at 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd, but the risk page does not say where to file.
- File within 180 days. A late claim is barred.
- If the claim is denied, you have 1 year to sue. Small claims court cannot be used.
Questions
How long do I have to sue after a ride injury in Scottsdale?
Generally 2 years. If the ride belongs to the city, you must file a claim within 180 days.
Are Scottsdale's city rides inspected by the state?
Arizona requires yearly inspections of rides under its article, by an insurer, its contractor or a local inspector. We could not confirm who inspects the Railroad Park rides.
Can I get the operator's injury reports?
Not directly. They are not open to the public except on demand of an officer or enforcement official.
What if my child was hurt on the carousel?
A claim against the city is still due in 180 days, though a minor's time to sue does not start until 18.
Amusement park injury in Scottsdale? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (24)
- McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, checked 2026-11-09. “Take a ride on the Paradise & Pacific Railroad and the 1950-vintage Allan Herschell carousel.”
- City of Scottsdale, checked 2026-11-09. “Two large water slides Zero-depth entry Large play pool Water playground”
- A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “in an amount of not less than one million dollars for bodily injury and five hundred thousand dollars for property damage per occurrence or in an amount of two million dollars per occurrence for a combined single limit”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, checked 2026-11-09. “The McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is operated by the city of Scottsdale’s Parks & Recreation Department.”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “Have the amusement ride inspected at least once a year by an insurer, a person with whom the insurer has contracted or an amusement ride inspector provided by a municipality or county”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “Maintain for a period of at least two years accurate records of serious injuries actually caused by the amusement ride”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “The injury records are not subject to public inspection except upon demand of a municipal or county peace officer or enforcement official.”
- Phelps v. Firebird Raceway (Ariz. 2005), checked 2026-11-09. “applies to an express contractual assumption of risk. We hold that it does.”
- McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, checked 2026-11-09. “Tickets to ride the Paradise & Pacific Railroad or Charros Carousel are $3.00 each.”
- McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, checked 2026-11-09. “Address: 7301 E. Indian Bend Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85250 // Phone: 480-312-2312”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.62, checked 2026-11-09. “Administer and enforce this article for amusement rides in their respective jurisdictions.”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “A copy of these records shall be provided to the municipality or county at the time of application for a permit”
- 15 U.S.C. 2052, checked 2026-11-09. “which is customarily controlled or directed by an individual who is employed for that purpose and who is not a consumer with respect to such device, and which is not permanently fixed to a site”
- A.R.S. 12-2505, checked 2026-11-09. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
- City of Scottsdale, Safety and Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “will provide a Notice of Claim form upon request”
- City of Scottsdale, Safety and Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “A person wishing to make a claim against the City of Scottsdale will need to comply with ARS 12-821.01.”
- City of Scottsdale, City Clerk, checked 2026-11-08. “3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd Scottsdale, AZ 85251”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “is barred and no action may be maintained thereon”
- A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 22-503, checked 2026-11-08. “Actions against this state, its political subdivisions or an officer or employee of the state or its political subdivisions in his official capacity.”
- A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”