Lawsuit: Swamp Fox roller coaster badly injures rider

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MYRTLE BEACH — A North Carolina woman has sued a popular amusement park here after her husband was reportedly paralyzed after riding its Swamp Fox wooden roller coaster during a July 2021 visit.

Gangia Adhikari has sued Family Kingdom Inc., Ocean Avenue Attractions LLC and the two park employees who oversaw the ride, The Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston reported. The lawsuit alleges negligence, strict liability and “ultra-hazardous activity.” The husband, who is not named in the complaint, was injured after riding the Swamp Fox.

Says the lawsuit filed June 20: “Defendants had an obligation, under South Carolina law, to operate the amusement park in a reasonably prudent and safe manner so as not to endanger the guests and patrons, Defendants had a duty to inspect the premises for any latent dangers, and either remedy said dangers or adequately warn guests about them.”

The Post and Courier could not reach Adhikari’s attorneys for comment, and Family Kingdom did not respond to requests for comment.

Adhikari’s lawsuit alleges her husband suffered an acute spinal cord injury that resulted in quadriplegia, the partial or complete paralysis of both the arms and legs while riding the Swamp Fox.

The Post and Courier reported that Adhikari accuses the theme park in the lawsuit of:

• Negligent and/or reckless operation of the roller coaster.
• A failure to examine the coaster to make sure it was operating properly.
• A failure to adequately warn guests that the ride was “significantly more dangerous than a typical roller coaster.”
• A failure “to take any precaution to make the coaster safe for users.”