Child Suffers Severe Foot Crush Injury at Universal Studios in Orlando

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on March 14, 2019

In what was suppose to be the vacation of a lifetime for the Perez family to the “Happiest Place on Earth”, quickly took a turn for the worse after their 11-year-old was involved in a horrible foot & leg crush injury accident at Universal Studios in Orlando earlier this year.

On January 31st, 2019, Roberta Perez and her son Tiago arrived at Universal Studios Orlando, excited to enjoy the magic and wonderment that we’ve all come to know & love about Disney World. Unfortunately for the Perez’s, today’s visit to the theme park would be quite different than any other vacationer’s experience.

At the time of this publication, it is unclear whether or not the mother of the child was riding E.T. Adventure along side of her son, or if she was waiting for him on the ride’s platform. Edmund Normand, legal representation for the family, stated in the lawsuit that he believes Tiago sustained severe toe, foot, and leg injuries when his foot became wedged between the cement loading dock area and the attraction’s bicycle-style seating. Additionally, unlike similar rides at the amusement park, the E.T. Adventure had no netting to protect riders’ legs.

The E.T. Adventure was built in 1990, making this theme park attraction one of the oldest in the Disney World family. In the early years, guests were given a choice between sitting on the famous E.T. bike, or the spaceship he originally came to Earth in. The ships were later removed due to their unpopularity. Everyone wanted to ride on the bicycles like their favorite extra-terrestrial.

“Prior to this incident, [Universal] had knowledge that the design, manufacture, testing, construction, and/or operation of the E.T. Adventure ride, created an unreasonably dangerous ride resulting in injuries to guests, but [the theme park] continued to market the ride as safe to the unsuspecting public,” stated the lawsuit, according to reports from the Orlando Sentinel.” The Perez family filed their suit at the Orange County Circuit Court are seeking at least $15,000 in damages.

Additionally, according to the lawsuit, the child involved in this theme park accident does not speak English, and therefore could not read the safety instructions & precautions that are posted at the beginning of each ride. A representative from Universal has since spoken with the Perez’s attorney, stating that “ride operators now perform an additional safety check to make sure hands and feet are inside the ride before reaching the offloading platform,” he said.

Sources:

• E.T. Adventure
• Lawsuit claims boy’s foot was crushed on Universal Studios ride
• Boy’s foot crushed on Universal Studios’ E.T. ride, lawsuit claims

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.