Family Sues Universal Orlando Resort over Death of Family Member

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on December 30, 2018

Universal Orlando Resort is currently facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by individuals from Guatemala that claims the lack of proper signage at the resort directly led to the death of a member of their family. While much of the details pertaining to the incident itself are not clear, we do know that the incident in question happened two years ago.

At that time, a family of individuals from Guatemala visited Universal Orlando Resort for a vacation. Included in this family was its 38-year-old father. It was while they were walking through the park that some of the family members, including the father, decided to take a ride on the famous “Skull Island: Reign of Kong.”

“Skull Island: Reign of Kong” conforms to the park’s habit of creating lush and immersive environments that recreate scenes or habitats from popular movies. In this particular ride, guests sit in a vehicle much like a trolley as it goes through a cave before entering a chamber where 3D images are projected onto screens surrounding the vehicle. These images depict dinosaurs as well as the king of Skull Island himself, Kong, engaged in heated battle. When combined with the 3D technology, these scenes can become quite frightening.

On the day in question, the 38-year-old visitor to the park began to experience chest pains while in the ride. In the lawsuit, the family claims that this was a direct result of the thrills associated with the being on Skull Island. Soon it became apparent that the pains were far more serious than first believed and that the 38-year-old was suffering from a heart attack.

Emergency teams rushed to aid the person, but the extent of the damage was too great and he ultimately succumbed to the attack.

In the lawsuit, the family claims that the deceased individual did not speak English, and that he was therefore unaware of the dangers posed by the ride – dangers that are clearly explicated on signs printed only in English. With added signage in Spanish as well as French, it is believed that more guests at the park will be able to avoid finding themselves unwittingly in dangerous situations.

Sources:

• Lawsuit says Universal should have signs in Spanish after man’s death

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.