They thought they were going to experience the magic of a Hollywood movie studio, but they ended up being sent to the hospital after a terrifying crash.
Late in the evening of Saturday night, April 20, reports came flooding in of a tram crash on the Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour. The cause of the crash was — and still is — unknown. All we knew was that a tram had crashed, the LA County Fire Department responded, and more than a dozen people were taken to the hospital.
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At the time, a Universal Studios Hollywood spokesperson released a statement saying that the crash only resulted in multiple minor injuries. However, we have since learned that while some of the injuries were minor, there were some whose injuries were more severe. One woman even suffered from a brain injury that was so severe, her brain started to bleed.
Now, one family who were victims in the crash is accusing Universal of downplaying the seriousness of what happened on its World Famous Studio Tour.
The family — who are remaining anonymous and speaking through an attorney — are from Murietta, California, and remember how terrifying the incident was: “He indicated it was incredibly dark at the scene,” said Steven Dhillon, the family’s attorney. “Many victims were holding up their flashlights, trying to locate other victims, everybody was screaming. It was mass hysteria.”
One family visiting from Murrieta was injured in the crash, including 11-year-old Sophia who was celebrating her birthday at the theme park.
Sophia was ejected from the tram and her father suffered leg, back and shoulder injuries. The girl’s mother was the most injured in the family.
“She was propelled so violently into the plexiglass wall in front of her,” Dhillon said. “It impacted her brain so much that it started to bleed. She’s been experiencing headaches, nausea, vomiting, disorientation. The list goes on and on.”
The family’s lawyer said that the tour tram was moving too quickly and was not strong enough to support the guests who were riding on it when it crashed. When the tram crashed, multiple passengers were thrown into the guardrails, which collapsed, causing the guests to be thrown to the ground. He also said that people are not typically transported to the hospital for “minor” injuries.
According to California Highway Patrol, the crash occurred as the vehicle was passing the Jurassic Park exhibit. The tram turned, and the last car hit a guardrail. This caused the car to tip over, with the guests trapped inside. The injured Murietta family says that they believe the tram driver was going too fast, which caused the car to hit the guardrail in the first place.
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California Highway Patrol said that alcohol and drugs were not factors in the accident.
The family said they do not intend to sue Universal, but we do not know if other guests injured in the crash will pursue legal action.
Do you think Universal’s tram crash was preventable? Let us know in the comments!
