How did these people get hurt at Florida theme parks like Disney? There’s a way to check

Howard Cohen
·2 min read

Now that we are getting out more as restrictions relax and summer vacations beckon, thoughts may turn to visiting one of Florida’s theme parks again.

Wondering about injuries on the rides? Stuff happens. There’s a way to check.

Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Customer Service has posted an updated version of its Memorandum of Understanding Exempt Facilities Report. The latest version of the 46-page report, dating back to 2001, includes first quarter — January to March 2021 — injuries at popular attractions including Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal. There were no reported injuries at Legoland or Busch Gardens listed in the first 2021 quarterly report.

How does the theme park injury list work?

Major Florida theme parks are required to report the most serious injuries where visitors are hurt on the rides and hospitalized for at least 24 hours, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The listings are self-reported.

Amusement parks and fairs such as seasonal offerings like the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition are subject to state inspection. But permanent facilities that employ at least 1,000 full-time employees and that have full-time, in-house safety inspectors are exempt from Florida inspection, according to the blog, WDW News Today and WESH2. These would include the popular permanent attractions like Orlando’s Disney, Universal and the others.

Critics say the public doesn’t get the full details on self-reported injury releases, an Orlando Sentinel investigations report found in 2020. The news organization cited an example in 2019 in which Universal reported “numbness” when a tourist broke his neck on a Volcano Bay slide.

Theme park injury report

So what will you see on the report for the current 2021 quarter?

▪ A 25-year-old woman suffered a hip injury on Ihu’s Breakaway Falls water ride at Sea World on March 29.

▪ A 72-year-old woman “became ill” while riding the Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition at Disney on March 13.

▪ A 71-year-old woman suffered motion sickness on E.T.’s Adventure ride at Universal on March 13.

▪ A 69-year-old woman hurt her ankle on Disney’s Gran Fiesta Tour attraction on Feb. 15.

▪ A 42-year-old woman passed out on The Incredible Hulk ride at Universal on Feb. 15. The injury was listed as syncope, which means a temporary loss of consciousness due to a drop in blood pressure.