Any place where millions of people cross paths on a daily basis is going to lead to some number of injuries, from the minor to the catastrophic. Lawsuits at Disney World are far from uncommon. However, of all the places at Walt Disney World that could lead to people getting hurt, the water parks seem to be home to the most injuries, or at least the most injuries that lead to lawsuits.
Man Sues For $50K Following Alleged Injuries At Blizzard Beach
Both Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort have water parks, and both have to deal with their share of lawsuits from time to time. Two years ago, Disney World was sued over a woman who sustained a "painful wedgie" on a water slide. Disney World also recently saw a two-million-dollar lawsuit brought by a woman who was knocked down in a wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon. Now Disney World’s other water park, Blizzard Beach, is dealing with its own lawsuit, albeit by a man who seemingly admits he violated the rules.
A man named Eugene Strickland filed a $50,000 lawsuit against Walt Disney World due to what the complaint (via People) calls “permanent catastrophic injuries” that were allegedly suffered following a slide down Blizzard Beach’s Downhill Double Dipper (DDD) slide in 2021. According to the suit, Stickland was momentarily airborne due to the slide’s speed and design. This led to the inner tube beneath becoming dislodged. Stickland then hit the interior of the slide “with force,” leading to “serious bodily injury and resulting pain and suffering, disability, scarring, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life.”
Complaint Admits He was Over The Weight Limit For The Slide
What makes this lawsuit potentially unique, however, is that the complaint itself reveals that Strickland violated the safety restrictions of the slide by virtue of being 334 lbs. at the time of the incident. The weight limit for guests on the DDD is listed at 300 lbs.
It’s unclear from the complaint if Stickland was aware that he exceeded the weight limit. It’s possible that he was not, but that part of the argument may be that he did not know, and the water park did not do enough to keep him off the slide. At the same time, one expects Disney World will use the fact that he was outside the attraction’s safety parameters as part of its defense against the lawsuit.
Considering how prevalent lawsuits regarding water parks have been, Disney World may want to be especially careful. Right now, both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon are open to guests. It’s the first time since 2019 that both parks have been open simultaneously. What’s more, guests staying at Disney World hotels get free access to the water parks when they check in, meaning there will likely be a lot of people trying to beat the heat there this summer.