Disabled man awarded $8,000 for being stuck on Disneyland's Small World

Is this all it takes to get money out of Disney? I almost had a panic attack waiting in the boat stack at the end of the ride when I was there. It wasn't fun.

The music is annoying. I am more offended that nowhere on the ride does it say "Merry Christmas" during the holiday decoration package.

That's really something to be offended by.

Yeah. Agent Johnson should sue Disney for that. lol

I find this ridiculous, I watched the news report video which is not included in this link. The guy was stuck in a car that was outside, you're telling me Disney didn't have two strong guys in their employ to carry this man from his seat to his wheelchair? Ridiculous.

$8,000 is certainly worth being forced to listen to the It's a Small World music for hours. They didn't even turn it off!

You don't have to read between the lines to see that Disney likely didn't want risk hurting the guy in any position where they couldn't safely evacuate him. They did the right thing, but they're damned either way.

Jeff said:

You don't have to read between the lines to see that Disney likely didn't want risk hurting the guy in any position where they couldn't safely evacuate him. They did the right thing, but they're damned either way.

I don't know, this guy seems like a pretty down-to-Earth guy. From what I've seen of his ordeal (his wife (or some woman) recorded the whole thing and he seemed like he just wanted to get the f out of there).

My family would have to sue on my behalf after I went insane and ended up in a padded cell from listening to IASW for hours on end.

Jeff said:

You don't have to read between the lines to see that Disney likely didn't want risk hurting the guy in any position where they couldn't safely evacuate him. They did the right thing, but they're damned either way.

Also, sorry to double post but it's necessary. Why should Disney even need to be concerned about this?! Is this not insane?! It's better to let a disabled man suffer for hour(s) than to just lift him out of his seat and place him in his wheelchair?! Is this not insane?! Where are we as a society?! (Excessive use of interrobangs, I apologize, but I'm concerned lol).

I agree with Jeff, there's way more liability in having your employees try to remove him from his seat than to just leave him sit there. I suppose they could have called in EMT's or someone with medical training, but they'd still be liable if anything went wrong.

bjames said:
It's better to let a disabled man suffer for hour(s) than to just lift him out of his seat and place him in his wheelchair?!

He was only stuck on the ride for 40 minutes. Not hours.

And if there wasn't a way to safely evacuate him, then you don't evacuate him. He wasn't in danger where he was at, so there's no need to move him if it can't be done safely.

If you injure the man while "lifting him out of his seat and placing him in his wheelchair" - then you've gone and created a real problem. I'm sorry, 40 minutes just doesn't seem to be that big a deal (although, I'd LOVE to find a way to make 12K/hr, even if just for a couple minutes).

He wasn't in danger where he was at

Can you say that with 100% certainty? What if he had a heart problem exacerbated by the situation. What then? Safer to leave him there?

IIRC there was another article that stated the man had other health problem. I'm not saying Disney is at fault but to say he wasn't in danger when he obviously already had health issues us assumption.

Don't the parks have printed on the admission ticket's and/or at the ride entrances a "Ride at your own risk" statement? People should take responsibility for their own actions and not get on a ride if they believe that there is a chance for a problem. Disney can't tell what a person's limitations are.

Those statements aren't legally enforceable. If Disney can't accommodate someone on the ride to get them off then they shouldn't allow them to ride.

bjames said:
It's better to let a disabled man suffer for hour(s) than to just lift him out of his seat and place him in his wheelchair?!

Tekwardo said:

The word suffer and unsafe are being thrown around here, but really this is a matter of a customer being inconvenienced. Let's take the wheelchair out of the equation here. What makes this any different than being locked in on Windseeker 50 feet off the ground for 40 minutes? Why do the people who get stuck on a ride get a free soda for their troubles, and this guy gets 8 grand?

Was there a lawsuit made by any of the people who were stuck on Two-Face for 2 hours? I don't recall hearing of any. The frivolity abounds in this country.

Those statements aren't legally enforceable. If Disney can't accommodate someone on the ride to get them off then they shouldn't allow them to ride.

...at which point they get sued for discrimination. I never get on rides expecting forty minute breakdowns, but if one should happen, unless it's due to gross negligence on the part of the park, they don't owe me anything. If I freak out, that's my issue, not theirs.

Not to be insensitive, but there's just so much wrong with a lawsuit like this. A park shouldn't be in a no-win situation over something so mild.

With that said, I know there's the issue with the fire department not being summoned immediately, but come on, it was forty-five minutes. In the time it would have taken for all that, he'd have been nearly off anyways. Also, would them working to evacuate him strand others longer? I'm not familiar with what the process would be.