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Disney World employees come to Star Wars attraction ready for their roles.
A tourist from the United Kingdom is suing Disney after she was hurt climbing onto Space Mountain because the safety bar was still down, according to a new lawsuit.
The suit, which is seeking more than $15,000 in Orange Circuit Court, was filed earlier this month after the September 2017 incident.
The attraction was dark, so it was hard for Samantha Howard to see the restraint bar was still down, catching her foot on the bar, her lawsuit said, which accused Disney workers of being negligent by not lifting the bar up before passengers climbed on.
Howard, now 50, ended up losing her balance, falling and breaking her ankle, said her attorney Stefano Batista-Cagan of Morgan & Morgan.
“We will respond to the allegations, as appropriate, in court,” a Disney spokeswoman said in a statement.
At Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain is the oldest standing coaster in Central Florida since it opened in 1975.
PETA complains to SEC about SeaWorld’s dolphin shows
PETA says it has complained to the SEC, accusing SeaWorld leaders of misleading investors about its dolphins’ well-being at shows in the Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio parks.
“While we are still in the process of reviewing the filing, it appears that this is yet another attempt by a radical organization desperately trying to distract from the real work SeaWorld does every day caring for and protecting thousands of animals,” said SeaWorld spokeswoman Suzanne Pelisson-Beasley in an email.
PETA’s complaint stems from the SeaWorld’s June annual shareholder’s meeting.
PETA, which holds SeaWorld shares and has fought back and forth with the company for years, asked SeaWorld leadership during the meeting about its “harmful circus-style” dolphin shows that are “disguised as entertainment,” alleging they hurt the animals.
During the meeting, SeaWorld said no animals are injured during the shows.
“SeaWorld’s statements are flatly contradicted by public information and expert opinion demonstrating that dolphins have been injured at SeaWorld in performances and other interactions, and that captivity is physically and psychologically harmful to dolphins and orcas confined there,” PETA wrote in a letter Monday to the SEC. “SeaWorld is acutely aware that animal welfare concerns are material to its current and potential investors.”
Pelisson-Beasley said SeaWorld has cared for more than 35,000 animals over more than five decades.
“An organization that is truly committed to the welfare of animals should want to partner with SeaWorld to increase conservation efforts rather than wasting time filing allegations to further its own political agenda,” she said