A disabled woman’s death last year following a serious leg injury aboard Disneyland’s Jungle River Cruise ride has led to a wrongful death lawsuit against the Anaheim theme park. But the accident also highlights a gap in safety for the riverboat ride.
The Jungle River Cruise ride, which opened July 17, 1955, is located in the Adventureland section of Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. The ride takes guests on a tongue-in-cheek “treacherous ride” through the jungle.
Jungle River Cruise got a makeover for its 66th birthday and reopened on July 16, 2021 just ahead of the July 24th release for Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” movie featuring Dwayne Johnson. Disney.
Disney does have boats that cater to the needs of people in wheelchairs and the disabled. The guest does not need to get out of their wheelchair and can roll on with a specially designed ramp.
However, this ADA-designed boat was not available when Joanne Aguilar needed it on August 22, 202, according to the Orange County Register. So the park’s employees permitted 66-year-old woman to ride a boat that was not ADA wheelchair accessible with help from her two adult daughters.
When it was time to exit the boat, employees placed unsecured blocks on top of the existing steps to reduce the height of the steps, but the woman lost her balance on the stairway and fell backward.
She fractured her femur in her leg, required surgery and spent 10 days in a hospital. She died five months later on Jan. 29th, 2022 at an Oxnard rehabilitation center from an infection.
She is suing Disney for wrongful death, but the Anaheim amusement park is denying any wrongdoing and requesting a jury trial.
Johnson Attorneys Group does not represent any of the parties mentioned above. Furthermore, Johnson Attorneys Group does not intend to represent any of the parties discussed. However, if you would like to contribute any information or have legal questions, please contact us as soon as possible. Our law firm is a proud, longtime supporter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
SOURCE: OCR
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