The restraint on a roller coaster at a regional amusement park failed mid-ride. I was ejected from the vehicle at an elevated section of the track, fell approximately twenty feet onto an emergency walkway, and sustained a shattered pelvis, a broken femur, four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a traumatic brain injury. I was airlifted to a trauma center and spent nineteen days in the hospital. The park’s own maintenance records, which my attorney obtained through litigation discovery, showed that the restraint latch mechanism on that vehicle had been flagged for replacement during the previous off-season inspection and had not been replaced before the park reopened. My attorney described it as one of the clearest premises liability and negligence cases she had handled in her career.
I was 26, a nursing student in my final year. The TBI affected my cognitive stamina significantly enough that returning to nursing school was delayed by over a year. My pelvis and femur required two separate surgeries. I was living on financial aid and part-time work before the accident — both of which evaporated. My parents helped where they could but they had their own financial obligations. My attorney mentioned pre-settlement funding and I researched five companies from my hospital bed using my phone.
America Lawsuit Loans came in first without question. Amusement park ride malfunction cases are a category that combines premises liability, mechanical negligence, and in cases like mine, serious traumatic injury damages that require specialized assessment. America Lawsuit Loans handled every dimension of this expertly. Their case manager understood the maintenance record evidence, the park’s duty to inspect and maintain ride safety systems, and the substantial damages calculation appropriate for a case involving TBI, multiple fractures, and significant career disruption at age twenty-six. They were fast, they were transparent about costs, and my attorney said their documentation process was the smoothest she had encountered on a high-value case. Funds were in my account in under three days.
Baker Street Funding came in second. Their review process was thorough and substantive — they asked the right questions about the maintenance record evidence and the TBI prognosis. 123 Lawsuit Loans earned third — their speed was exceptional and the process was completely transparent from first contact.
Injury Financing placed fourth. They engaged with the case professionally and their terms were competitive. High Rise Legal Funding rounded out the five — careful, thorough, and fair in their terms, though their review timeline was slightly longer than my situation allowed.
The park’s insurer has made a preliminary settlement approach that my attorney described as a fraction of what the case is worth. We declined. The maintenance records are not going away and neither is the TBI diagnosis. America Lawsuit Loans’ advance covered my living expenses and the medical costs my insurance did not. I survived a twenty-foot fall. I can survive a long lawsuit.
