John Jefferson
A 7-year-old New Jersey boy was badly hurt after taking a red-hot ember to the eye during a fireworks display at Disney World, according to a lawsuit filed in Orange County, Florida Circuit Court.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts US Inc. was negligent in “failing to account for wind or other weather-related conditions,” leading to the boy “being struck by falling firework debris,” the suit states, noting he sustained “significant personal injuries.”
In the lawsuit, Nicole Ufie, the child’s mom, contends the fireworks show “was conducted in a crowded area which… had previously catastrophically injured at least one other guest.”
The boy, who is identified in court filings by his initials, A.S., was watching the March 13, 2023, show from a vantage point near Cinderella’s Castle, according to FloridaPolitics.com, which first reported on the suit.
“Our lawsuit alleges that he continues to have eye problems and permanent scarring and that Disney World failed in their responsibility to tain a safe environment at their park,” attorney Roman Diveev told the outlet in a statement. “We will hold Disney and other parties involved accountable for their negligence to get justice for this family and hopefully prevent another child from getting injured by Disney’s fireworks.”
The suit was filed August 2.
In 2014, a woman attending the “Summer Fun” fireworks show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, was “struck in the eye by smoldering fireworks debris falling from the sky, causing significant injuries, including permanent blindness,” she claimed in a subsequent lawsuit.
The parkgoer and Disney later settled the suit for an undisclosed amount, court records show.
That same year, a British visitor to Disney’s Magic Kingdom reportedly lost the tips of his right ring and pinky fingers while on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. In 2006, a 70-year-old man was airlifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after getting pinned under one of the cars on the Peter Pan’s Flight ride at the Magic Kingdom as he was attempting to board.
The State of Florida requires Disney parks to report on-site injuries only if the person involved was hospitalized for 24 hours or more, FloridaPolitics.com reported.
A Walt Disney Company spokesperson did not immediately respond on Tuesday to a request for comment by The Independent.
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