You go to a theme park for family fun, thrills, and the experience. The last thing you want is to leave the park with a serious injury. Unfortunately, injuries happen, even at the happiest place on earth. Many times, these injuries are minimized and under-reported at Central Florida’s most popular theme parks.
Any time a park visitor is seriously injured, one would think the facts behind the injury are properly documented. But what guests may not be aware of is that the serious injuries that are reported publicly are only those that resulted in hospitalization for more than 24 hours. Anything less, the theme park is not required to report. A recent investigation by the Orlando Sentinel found that even if the injury is reported, the facts behind it are not always accurately detailed.
What they discovered was that many of the reports made regarding theme park injuries failed to clearly describe the extent of the injuries. One example involved a New York tourist who broke his neck while riding on the Universal Studio’s Volcano Bay water slide. The 2019 injury report stated that the person experienced ‘numbness’ after being injured, when, in fact, he was unable to move at all at the bottom of the ride.
Several injuries have been reported at Walt Disney World in 2021, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. One of these reports stated that a 72-year-old woman became ill while riding Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. However, the report fails to tell exactly what caused her to become ill. A 69-year-old woman injured her ankle while riding the Grand Fiesta Tour boats at Epcot’s Mexican Pavilion, but there was no report of how serious the injury was or what caused it.
Florida has specific laws when it comes to filing a personal injury claim against a theme park. It is important that anyone who has been injured at a theme park know their legal rights and how long they have to file a claim under Florida’s statute of limitations. This is the deadline to file a lawsuit and receive compensations for your injuries. In Florida, the statute of limitations is four years.
So, what happens if an accident occurs? First, do not move. Contact their personnel to request help. All theme parks have full time paramedics on duty ready to assist when these situations occur. Make sure your family takes pictures of the scene. Was there standing water? What was the situation? Take photos. Second, have them fill out an incident report. If you are hurt, do not downplay it. SAY YOU’RE HURT if you are hurt. Do not let them say they will fill out an incident report later. Demand they do it immediately. If you are severely hurt, make sure you are attended to whether at a local hospital or by paramedics. An accident could derail the wonderful trip you had. Many people decide to just say they are “not that hurt” because they do not want to ruin the trip for their family members. But think, what is worse? You are truly hurt, and your pain happens stronger that evening and never leaves. Often times, accident victims call a local attorney in the state where they came from. It is recommended you contact a tourist accident lawyer in Orlando to handle these claims. Visit www.orlandotouristaccident.com to learn more.