Sadly - and unfortunately - many of the actual operators of amusement park rides are teens, hired for their availability and willingness to work for minimal wages. At that age, and with that level of (in)experience, accidents become more likely, regardless of warning labels or signs. It is horrible that it takes accidents of this type being publicized to bring this type of issue to the forefront.
On the other hand, some modicum of responsibility lies with the people who ride such rides; if your hair is long enough to catch on things, the be responsible for keeping it out of the way. I have a great deal of sympathy for the woman in the story - but nonetheless, she should have kept her hair out of the way of the vehicle. Would you blame a bicycle manufacturer or store if a cyclist caught her (or his) long hair in the gear train? A car manufacturer or dealer, or sign, or tree, if the driver or a passenger allowed long hair to stream out a window and caught on something? Would you blame the equipment manufacturer if someone caught hair or clothing in a drill press or circular saw?
I say this because nothing is automatically the fault of the manufacturer - as one of my neighbors, unfortunately, found out, when her stepson sat on a conveyor belt at his place of work (which people routinely did, despite the warning labels), which unexpectedly started up. His clothing caught on the machinery, and before it could be stopped, his clothing strangled him, causing his death. My neighbor and her husband, the man's father, followed the investigation closely... at the end, while the store determined that safety equipment on the belt failed to trip, it would not have saved him, because, having ignored the safety warnings, once the belt started, even had the safety interlock kicked on as designed, since it was designed to limit damage to things, not people, it would have been too late. Matthew died due to operator error (his own) - because he did not follow the posted warning.
