Even if it's only half an hour...
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.
CC
Anyone who has any disorder should have not gotten on the demonic ride in the first place.
What was he thinkg?
Same here. That lame ride ironically forecast what would happen to Flushing Queens the next two decades 70s and 80s and to the rest of the East coast afterward 2000s,
'Its a small world' because they are here NOW voting for Obama.
It's a slow-moving boat ride. Hardly something that should cause a problem -- they have a special loading area for guests with disabilities and everything.
Having been on that ride I can definitely state: "That song will drive you batty in no time. Once is enough but over and over and over and ..."
LOL! Roger that. Power drill helps. Gotta feel for the guy being subjected to that tune for that long. Maybe they should offer him lifetime tickets to any dizzy park in the world.
I have been on it, I know what it is, and that doesn’t change my comment one iota. It is on water, what if he fell out and frickin drowned, he is wheelchair bound, Disney ought to point out these morons need to assume their own risk if they are getting on the ride. It ain’t a cocoon folks.
Only 8 grand? Disney got off cheap.
Even if it's only half an hour...
that tune is atheist?
what the hell is a wheelchair bound man with a panic disorder doing on a carnival ride????????????????? have people lost their ever loving mind
Stupid, yeah. Still doesn’t excuse them from not calling the fire dept., though.
Disney has a wonderful legal dept. they almost always get off real light
That’s what we call a nuisance settlement. I guarantee the plaintiff’s attorney has more than $2600 (his third) in time and expenses invested in the case. He lost.
“what the hell is a wheelchair bound man with a panic disorder doing on a carnival ride????????????????? have people lost their ever loving minds”
That’s what I was thinking! You have to be physically able and mentally stable to go on any rides! I hope he didn’t go on Space Mountain. There’s another $8,000 for getting scared. I won’t even go onto flume rides. But having to wait at Small World for 1/2 hour? I am so tired of stupid lawsuits and greedy people.
Feelings...........nothing more than feelings.........
1/2 an hour!!! Oh good grief, I swear some people are such wimps! I was stuck for about fifteen minutes on Space Mountain, near the top. You didn’t hear me whining about it. Although at first I was concerned that maybe the car behind us might run into us but that didn’t happen.
If this man has panic attacks, then maybe he shouldn’t go on rides.
-PJ
That song is the single most performed and most translated piece of music on Earth. One shudders.
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