Woman Sues Disney World Over Injury in ‘Little Mermaid’ Ride, Calling Herself “Business Invitee”
A lawsuit filed against Walt Disney World Resort claims that a queue design flaw at one of Magic Kingdom Park’s most family-friendly attractions left a guest with a fractured bone, permanent injuries, and a legal case demanding $50,000 in damages.
The Incident in Fantasyland
The events at the center of the lawsuit took place on August 7, 2024, while Deborah Montgomery and her family were waiting in line for Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park. Deborah, who has chronic arthritis, was using an ECV — an electric convenience vehicle (sometimes known as a cooter) — rented from the park to navigate the attraction‘s cave-like queue.
According to the legal filing, the family was positioned at the bottom of a dramatic slope in the queue when Deborah’s foot became wedged in a crevice along the wall. The filing describes the crevice as narrowing as the slope increased — creating a trap for her foot as the ECV continued moving forward.
Unable to free herself in time, Deborah sustained injuries to her foot, ankle, and leg that included a fractured fibula and what the lawsuit characterizes as “severe and permanent shock to her nervous system.”
The Montgomerys’ attorney states that Deborah remains impaired to this day and is “unable to continue and pursue a normal life” as a result of the incident. The injuries also generated significant medical expenses over time.
The Legal Argument
The filing argues that Walt Disney World Resort “failed to provide a safe means through the queue, inspect the pathways, provide warning signs, and provide sufficient lighting, particularly for business invitees such as Deborah.
In other words, the lawsuit contends that Disney knew or should have known that the queue posed a hazard to guests using mobility devices and failed to take appropriate action before Deborah was injured.
Deborah’s husband, Matthew Montgomery, is also named as a plaintiff. His claims center on the personal toll the injury took on their daily life — he alleges being “deprived of the aide, comfort, society, and companionship of his wife” and sustained a loss of sleep and income while serving as her caregiver and transportation to and from medical appointments in the aftermath.
The couple is seeking $50,000 in total compensation. Walt Disney World Resort has not commented publicly on the lawsuit.
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