Tourist drops electrical shock suit
A Massachusetts tourist who says she was electrically shocked at Universal’s Volcano Bay water park last year has dismissed her lawsuit, court records show.
Court documents indicate Universal and April Carlino had been in settlement talks earlier this year leading up to Carlino voluntarily dismissing her Orange Circuit Court lawsuit in mid-May.
Universal declined to comment, and a spokesman for Morgan & Morgan did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
On June 2, 2019, several visitors and employees reported feeling electrical currents running through their bodies at the water park. Nobody was seriously injured. The park closed early that Sunday and reopened later with Universal saying the electrical problems had been fixed and the park was safe.
Five months later, an OSHA investigation revealed the issues stemmed from the water park’s construction that Universal hadn’t been aware of until the June incident. OSHA did not fine Universal.
Carlino, who had been at the park in June with her family, had sued for more than $15,000 in damages. Her suit did not provide details on what happened that day, although her sister had told the Orlando Sentinel in an interview that Carlino walked on the pavement near the lazy river when she felt a zap.
Comcast, Disney earnings to be released
Comcast-owned Universal and Walt Disney Co. are both releasing their latest quarterly earnings in the next few weeks, reports expected to reveal more details how the coronavirus has hurt their businesses.
Comcast’s release is set for July 30 while Disney follows Aug. 4. As of press time, Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment has not announced when its earnings will be for the quarter that runs from April through June.
In April, all of Orlando’s theme parks were empty and silent. By June, SeaWorld and Universal had re-opened. Meanwhile, Disney World’s return officially starts Saturday for the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom with the other two theme parks, Epcot and Hollywood Studios, reopening Wednesday. Both companies had already said the impact of closing has been significant.
As a result, Comcast announced in April it was pausing construction on its third theme park in Orlando. The company hasn’t said when work will resume again at Universal’s Epic Universe.
Closing the California and Florida theme parks for two weeks in March alone cost more than $500 million, Disney said in May.
Premier Rides exec win award
Sara Seay, sales and marketing director at Baltimore-based Premier Rides, won an award for helping to promote the rides the company built, the company announced. Sara Seay was awarded the prestigious Paragon Award by the New England Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, Premier said, citing her work for the new Tigris coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
“We are extremely proud to have won this award and are very grateful for the NEAAPA’s recognition. Premier Rides is known for our “guerrilla marketing” efforts to promote our clients and new products,” Premier President Jim Seay said in a press release.
Sara Seay and her team worked with SeaWorld Entertainment to develop an edible cake that looked like the coaster train. The cake was unveiled at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, attracting attention from bloggers and journalists.
“Months after the coaster’s opening, USA Today nominated Tigris as a contender for their 10BEST New Amusement Park Attractions. Seay and her team created and distributed multiple graphics to encourage people to vote for Tigris,” Premier said in a press release. “Seay’s focus to provide creative and new ways to encourage engagement resulted in Tigris being named the top roller coaster in the poll.”