As a non-American who once spent a year living in the USA, I can't help but point out the downside of holding the owner of a swing liable when it kills someone:
Swings and related fairly dangerous toys are dissappearing from the US. In the year I spent there in 2001/2002, I saw two swings, in the same playground.
Same in Kansas. They may not be the same swings I had as a kid (with bare chains, chafing rubber seat, and a wood chip pit to land in), but they still seem to be around in the same numbers.
They is something called the Risky Playground Movement to return some of the less dangerous items to play spaces. These are supposed to stimulate kids more and help them learn risk.
There are plenty of parks with swings in Oregon. They never diminished. There have been cases of shoddy or poorly constructed playgrounds and skate parks though. People should definitely question if the materials and the contractor installing them are of quality.
Swings and related fairly dangerous toys are dissappearing from the US. In the year I spent there in 2001/2002, I saw two swings, in the same playground.