SANTA ANA, Calif. -- The family of a 4-year-old boy has filed suit against the Knotts Berry Farm amusement park, claiming negligence contributed to his serious injury on a horse-drawn stagecoach ride.
Shawn Kramer, of Mesa, Ariz., suffered a broken jaw, fractured leg and collapsed lung when he was run over by the stagecoach's left rear wheel in the Thanksgiving weekend accident.
He was released from the hospital Wednesday, but has a tracheotomy tube in his throat and must wait four or five years before corrective surgery can be performed, the family's attorney, Mark Roseman, said.
The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, claims Knott's Berry Farm was negligent in loading passengers on the ride and for failing to install a barrier to prevent toddlers from walking under the stagecoach.
Roseman said Knotts' insurers have given the Kramer's $4,000 to help pay medical bills and the park has installed a protective barrier since the accident.
Under state law, the family is precluded from seeking a specific damage award until it is proven that the amusement park was negligent. Knotts Berry Farm has 30 days to reply to the lawsuit.
