Disney World, the word itself is full of emotions. To a few, it is their dream destination to unleash the inner child in them while for others it is an important part of their childhood vacations. It was first created by Walt Disney in Florida and was founded on October 1, 1971, and celebrated a half-century anniversary in 2021.
While the park follows all standard protocols, Emma from Orlando does not feel so. The 33-year-old has allegedly suffered injuries because of the theme park’s ride “Typhoon Lagoon” in 2019. But why has the matter come up now? Because Emma has decided to sue Walt Disney World for a lawsuit with $50,000 as compensation.
As per a report by People’s, the received complaint reads, “The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in Orange County, Florida, by Emma and Edward McGuinness. The couple is seeking $50,000 in damages after Emma, 33, allegedly suffered injuries during the couple’s visit to the water park in October 2019.”
People also reports further that she suffered injuries on Humunga Kowabunga, which is a slide 214 feet above the pool. The official complaint copy reads, “The impact of The Slide and [Emma’s] impact into the standing water at the bottom of The Slide caused Ms. McGuinness’ clothing to be painfully forced between her legs and for water to be violently forced inside her. She experienced immediate and severe pain internally and, as she stood up, blood began rushing from between her legs.”
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The injuries were severe and sent her down a spiral of recovery, the report also adds and we quote, “She was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for medical care and treatment, and eventually transported to another hospital for the repair of her gynecologic injuries by a specialist.”
The Typhoon Water Park first opened in 1989, around 18 years after the park first opened. In 1995, an addition was made to the water park was made in 1995, where they added the Blizzard Beach. Walt Disney World has not issued statements to any media outlets so far.
People reports “A spokesperson for Walt Disney World did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.” However, Emma’s attorney, Alan Wagner has spoken about the risks involved with such big players. She mentions to People, “The Slide carries with it specific risks about which Disney knew or, in the exercise of reasonable care, should have known. These risks are not disclosed by Disney to its guests and were not disclosed to Ms. McGuinness.”
The risks involved are severe and warnings should be provided in detail, these are not some things one can expect and an unreasonable expectation for consumers to figure out themselves, say Edward and Emma to People. They also add further that the media outlet reports, “The slide was unsafe and unreasonably dangerous to Ms. McGuinness and other patrons because it failed to meet the expectations of a reasonable consumer, including Ms. McGuinness.” Fox News also adds an important comment from the official report that speaks about recommended measures and a warning protocol.
It says, “The risk of injury to a rider’s genitalia and internal organs can be eliminated by using shorts or other protective clothing to act as a barrier and to prevent clothing or water from being forced inside his or her body when slammed into the pool of water at the end of The Slide,” the lawsuit says.
“Disney does not instruct riders to wear protective clothing, does not make such protective shorts available to riders, and does not warn riders of the risk of injury if protective clothing is not worn while using The Slide.”
While many such incidents happen across the world, it is important to note that consumer-company protection under an amusement park, especially ones that involve danger should be conveyed, and the mistakes should be compensated for. Otherwise, sometimes it’s just better to be safe than sorry and find out the implications of a ride, rather than just acting out of an adrenaline rush. It is a mutual commitment to safety.