Family of injured girl files lawsuit against Kentucky Kingdom

By Caton Bredar

LOUISVILLE (WAVE) -- The parents of the 13-year old girl whose feet were cut off while on a ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom have filed a lawsuit. Kaitlyn Lassiter is still at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, but is recovering well. WAVE 3's Caton Bredar has a look at the details of the case.

Attorneys from either side aren't commenting at this point, but in this seven page lawsuit the parent's of Kaitlyn Lassiter ask for unspecified damages seeking compensation for things they claim weren't done.

The lawsuit charges that on June 21, Kentucky Kingdom failed to exercise reasonable care in operating and maintaining the Superman Tower of Power ride that Katie was injured on. A cable on the ride snapped that day severing both of the teenager's feet.

The suit -- filed by Katie's parents three weeks after the accident -- states the park was negligent in its maintenance, operation and inspection of the ride.

Attorney John Talbot -- who is handling a different case involving a double amputee -- says maintenance and inspection records will be likely be key in the case and fairly easy to prove.

"They will have experts term what the reasonable standard of care is for an amusement park operator to operate maintain and use its equipment or its machines or its rides. So they will have experts to establish what that standard is," said Talbot.

While investigators continue to try and determine what caused the cable on the ride to break, Talbot says he believes evidence may favor the family.

"My guess is, when the discovery is taken, that reasonable efforts were not taken. Otherwise the cable would not have snapped. Obviously freak things can happen, but my guess is they failed to do this," Talbot said.

But if evidence does favor the plaintiff, damages may not be difficult to assess.

"Damages are something that have to proven in any case. But when someone has lost both their feet, I don't think the issue of damages will be that difficult to prove," Talbot says.

If the case makes it to litigation, Talbot tells me it could take years before it's actually decided.

Larry Franklin, the attorney for the Lassiter family, issued a brief statement. He said,"The family needs time to try and heal. This case is about Kaitlyn and her family, not about lawyers."

Online Reporter:  Caton Bredar

Online Producer: Charles Gazaway