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Disney World reports 4 times as many injuries as Universal Studios on Florida’s theme park injury report

sea world disney world universal
Credit: MyNews 13

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has released its quarterly theme park and amusement park injury report for January through March 2022.

The report details injuries at the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studios Orlando Resort, and Sea World Orlando Resort. The term “injuries” can be used to describe things like broken bones, illness, chest pain, seizures, heart attacks, and other scenarios. Some of the “injuries” on the report aren’t actually injuries, but rather, they are events that happened on theme park resort property that resulted from an underlying condition, such as a chronic cardiac condition.

four parks disney world

Credit: Disney Parks

Only those injuries that were incurred on resort property and resulted in hospitalization for greater than 24 hours are included in the department’s report. Injuries to Guests at theme park resorts that did not result in the need for such a hospitalization–even if the injuries warranted the need for emergency intervention–are not included in the report.

Legoland Florida and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay had no injuries to report in the first quarter of 2022.

Cinderella Castle

Credit: Disney

The list of injuries reported at the Walt Disney World Resort during January, February, and March 2022 note several types of injuries, including “stroke-like” symptoms, loss of consciousness, falls, fractures, and “cardiac event.”

During the first quarter of 2022, Disney World reported two events in which a Guest lost consciousness on rides. A 72-year-old woman lost consciousness on the Magic Kingdom‘s Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover in February, and a 43-year-old woman passed out after disembarking the ride vehicle at the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in March.

rock n roller coaster

Credit: Disney Parks

In late March, a 63-year-old woman lost her balance as she was stepping off a horse on Prince Charming Regal Carrousel at Magic Kingdom, resulting in a hip fracture. A 74-year-old woman hurt her hip stepping down from the carousel in February.

Five of the twelve reported injuries at the Walt Disney World Resort were described in the report as “stroke-like” symptoms, “chest pain,” and a “cardiac event,” three of which took place at EPCOT in the Land pavilion at Soarin’, making the Disney World attraction with the greatest number of incidences for the park on the first quarter theme park injury report Soarin’ Around the World at EPCOT.

Soarin Around the World

Credit: Disney Parks

Sea World reported an injury on its brand-new Ice Breaker coaster during the ride‘s passholder preview. Another injury took place on a ride at the Aquatica water park.

Universal Studios Orlando Resort reported only one injury for each month in the quarter. Two of those injuries took place at the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction. One involved motion sickness, while the other involved hip pain. The third injury was reported at Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl, and was attributed to a pre-existing condition.

The theme park injury report released by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services includes injuries at theme parks with greater than 1,000 employees. Self-reporting allows those theme parks to avoid state inspections of their attractions. The State of Florida requires ride operators to complete a report at the time of the injury, but there is no method by which the agency receives updates on a Guest’s condition after the report is made.

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Logo - Florida Tax  Collectors Association

Credit: FDACS

Some say this process results in reports that are largely vague and don’t include specific details on the full extent of injuries, meaning that those injuries could be more severe than the report makes them sound, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The death of a 14-year-old boy on March 28 at the Orlando FreeFall drop tower attraction at Orlando’s ICON Park does not show up on the department’s quarterly report because ICON Park is one of Florida’s theme parks that employs fewer than 1,000 employees. Because of this, ICON Park must yield to biannual state inspections of its attractions.

the wheel at icon park

Credit: FOX 35 Orlando

The young man died after falling from his seat on the Orlando FreeFall, from a height of hundreds of feet above the ground. The attraction opened in December 2021 and had passed its state inspection just before opening to the public. An initial report of investigation released this week found that the ride operator manually adjusted sensors on the ride that rendered the attraction unsafe for riders.

About Becky Burkett

Becky's from the Lone Star State and has been writing since she was 10 and encountered her first Disney Park when she was 11. It was love at first Main Street Electrical Parade. Joy is blank lined journals, 0.7 mm pens, and all things Walt, Woody and Buzz, PIXAR, Imagineering, Sleeping Beauty (make it blue!), Disney Parks history and EPCOT. At Disney World, you'll find her croonin' with the birdies at the Enchanted Tiki Room or hangin' with Woody and the gang at Toy Story Land. If you can dream, you really can do it!