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Disabled man awarded $8000 after being stranded on Disneyland ride [It's a Small World]
nbcnews.com ^ | 3/27/2013 | Unattributed

Posted on 03/27/2013 8:27:48 AM PDT by Huntress

A wheelchair-bound man was awarded $8,000 by Disneyland after the "It's A Small World" ride broke, stranding him for a half hour while the theme song played continuously, according to an attorney for the plaintiff.

Jose Martinez, who suffers from panic attacks and high blood pressure, did not medically stabilize for three hours after the ride broke down in 2009, attorney David Geffen said.

"He has panic disorder and that was really what started everything rolling," Geffen said. "What caused the court concern, as well, because Disney was alerted about his panic problem and didn't call for the fire department right away."

Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said the Anaheim theme park believes it provided appropriate assistance during the incident, and is disappointed that the court did not fully agree.

Martinez uses a wheelchair, and Geffen said the plaintiff's high blood pressure was aggravated by a need to urinate while he was stuck on the ride.

While the other riders were able to get off, Martinez was stuck until he could access his wheelchair.

Half the award ordered last week is for pain and suffering, and the rest is for a violation of disability law, Geffen said.

Brown told NBC4 the violation concerning the height of the counter in Disneyland’s first aid station has been corrected.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: disney; disorders; itsasmallworld; lawsuit; lifeinhell
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To: Huntress
Here's my version:

It's a world of anger; a world of hate;
It's a world of fortune; a world of fate;
And you won't feel secure,
Till you're dead; that's for sure;
It's a strange, strange world.

81 posted on 03/27/2013 9:42:53 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: FreedomGuru

Thank you! I smiled the entire time...I’m just a big kid and have always liked that ride.


82 posted on 03/27/2013 9:44:12 AM PDT by toldyou (Even if the voices aren't real, they have some pretty good ideas.)
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To: supremedoctrine

I’m waiting for this family to sue...or maybe they’ve had. They want the White Rabbit fired because the White Rabbit is racist! ARGH!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/family-charges-disneyland-racism-article-1.1257635


83 posted on 03/27/2013 9:49:16 AM PDT by toldyou (Even if the voices aren't real, they have some pretty good ideas.)
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To: toldyou

I’m waiting for this family to sue...or maybe they’ve had. They want the White Rabbit fired because the White Rabbit is racist! ARGH!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/family-charges-disneyland-racism-article-1.1257635

OOPS...re-read...they sued!


84 posted on 03/27/2013 9:51:39 AM PDT by toldyou (Even if the voices aren't real, they have some pretty good ideas.)
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To: andyk

B-I-N-G-O...........


85 posted on 03/27/2013 9:57:31 AM PDT by Red Badger (Lincoln freed the slaves. Obama just got them ALL back......................)
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To: sickoflibs
do they still play that crappy song?

Yep! We always go on the ride when we are hot and tired. The determining factor is usually if we have the patience to listen to that song!

86 posted on 03/27/2013 10:02:04 AM PDT by CAluvdubya (Molon Labe)
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To: rlmorel
Someone told me they changed it so the pirates don’t chase the wenches around in circles anymore...

Not sure... I thought that was still in there but they changed the part where the women were being sold.

Maybe they changed both.

87 posted on 03/27/2013 10:07:23 AM PDT by CAluvdubya (Molon Labe)
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To: MD Expat in PA
I wonder when the Army will have to make ADA compliant C-130s and chutes so paraplegics can join the Airborne.

I mean if we have to separate PT test standards for women and men for the same job title, how far off is that ?

88 posted on 03/27/2013 10:07:26 AM PDT by TurboZamboni (Looting the future to bribe the present)
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To: sickoflibs
I loved Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as well. I had a crush on one of the blond guys :)

I would rent VHS (yes, VHS, not DVD's) Disney movies for my kids when they were sick.

Out came a sleeping bag and stuffed animals and they would settle in for an afternoon of Herbie, the Love Bug, Flubber, or some other old Disney type movie. Fun memories and a tradition I hope they contine with their own children

89 posted on 03/27/2013 10:15:38 AM PDT by CAluvdubya (Molon Labe)
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To: Political Junkie Too
I have been to Disneyland many, many times but never at Christmas. It was my goal this last year but, life got in the way....again!

I hear they even make it snow on Main Street?

90 posted on 03/27/2013 10:18:09 AM PDT by CAluvdubya (Molon Labe)
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To: KarlInOhio
People that psychologically fragile shouldn't ride "It's a Small World" even at normal speed.

ROTFL

91 posted on 03/27/2013 10:18:11 AM PDT by ladyjane (For the first time in my life I am not proud of my country.)
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To: Huntress

In a spinal cord injured person, needing to urinate can become a serious life threatening issue because it causes the blood pressure to skyrocket, called Autonomic Dysreflexia or AD. It’s a lot more serious than the panic attack issue and he might not fully understand the situation himself. Or it’s easier to say panic attack because regular people understand that and might roll their eyes at “I have to pee” as a serious situation.

But I don’t think he should have sued over it, and you have to be careful not to get yourself in that type of situation or have a back up plan.


92 posted on 03/27/2013 10:20:48 AM PDT by Nomad577
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To: CAluvdubya
Yes, they do. It's really soap extruded from valves at the top of the Main Street buildings. They also have complimentary cookie and hot chocolate stations on Main Street.

-PJ

93 posted on 03/27/2013 10:22:05 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: Huntress

He didn’t get enough compensation!


94 posted on 03/27/2013 10:22:08 AM PDT by Redleg Duke ("Madison, Wisconsin is 30 square miles surrounded by reality.", L. S. Dryfus)
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To: Riley; Political Junkie Too; CAluvdubya
RE :”I couldn't understand at that age why real submarines didn't have huge viewports in the bow like the Seaview did. :-) “

I still watch that show occasionally now and always laugh at that huge front window in front of Nelson's study.

But don't forget those huge mechanized curved doors that slid over those giant curved glass view-ports for when the Seaview had to ram those giant sea-weed monsters that looked like giant men in seaweed costumes.

I saw one the other day where seaweed men were created by a formula: get this, seaweed and radiation and a formula created by an evil scientist (I just hate them);
and one of the seaweed men monsters was roaming the roomy passageways beating up crewmen while the other was a huge giant who looked the same as the small one but big and was punching the Seaview from outside, BOOM.
And evertime he hit it BOOM they would roll the camera from side to side like in Lost in space and then men inside the tub would act like it was the Seaview rolling from side to side.

What a classic LOL

95 posted on 03/27/2013 10:23:39 AM PDT by sickoflibs (To GOP : Any path to US citizenship IS putting them ahead in line. Stop lying about your position.)
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To: Minutemen
He probably waited in line for two hours just to get on the ride.

If someone in your group is disabled, all of you get to go to the head of the line. I'm thinking the wheelchair rental at the front gate should be the first place we should visit next time.

Last time we went, I couldn't get out of one ride because my shoe kept slipping. I'd try to push up to get out and my shoe would immediately slip in something in the floorboard. They had to stop the ride and finally lifted me out. It had gone past funny to embarrassing. I'm sure a previous rider intentionally put something in the floor but I really don't want to know what. When we got out of the building, some friends were waiting in line and were grumbling about the ride being broken. Maybe I should have sued.

96 posted on 03/27/2013 10:25:45 AM PDT by bgill
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To: sickoflibs
Love it!

Now I'm going to have to search. I had no idea it was still on tv somewhere!

97 posted on 03/27/2013 10:33:12 AM PDT by CAluvdubya (Molon Labe)
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To: Huntress
Small potatoes for the House of Mouse. Settling for 8K is nothing for the Mouse if all it gets is some minor bad PR. One thing Disney has is a 1st rate legal department that specializes lawsuits. The water is not that deep and if evacuation was truly needed the Anaheim FD could have extracted him by carrying him out. While I sympathize with the man for his medical conditions and inconvenience a 8K settlement seems rather small.

My wife and I use that ride as a cooling break when its hot at the park. The loading/unloading is usually quick and you can sometimes let your hand drift thru the water to aid in cooling. Sometimes you get caught and all they do is just advise everyone to keep their hands in the boat.

A lot of the stuff that goes down at Mouseland doesn't really hit the papers. On another board that caters to LE it was detailed that several years ago that a LEO on departmental leave for psychological stress related conditions was on the Splash Mountain log ride with a concealed service weapon. He had a “incident” and drew his weapon. The Anaheim PD were there immediately and a short stand off ensued with guns drawn while families stood a short distance away enjoying the exciting new show Disneyland had unveiled.

No shots were fired and the psychologically “stressed” LEO was hauled off.The incident went down the memory hole.

I have it on reliable authority that real Small World (security holding cells) has Mickey and Donald wall paper.
I guess that is to aid in keeping a festive mood to the occasion while you wait for your chaperone/parent to sign you out or the Anaheim PD to haul you off for processing. LOL

98 posted on 03/27/2013 10:41:21 AM PDT by Polynikes (Hakkaa Palle)
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To: sickoflibs
It's A Small World was Disney's main attraction at the 1964/1965 Worlds Fair in Flushing (Queens) NY.

I went there when I was 9 or 10. Even then I thought those animatronic figures were pretty creepy.

99 posted on 03/27/2013 10:42:59 AM PDT by Focault's Pendulum (I live in NJ....' Nuff said!)
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To: Huntress

Pretty soon we will see new signs next to the “You have to be THIS tall to ride”, with a thermometer type sign stating you have to score 19+ on the K6+ Scale to ride.


100 posted on 03/27/2013 10:47:53 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana (HRC:"Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping,"-NKorea)
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