A lawsuit alleges that Disneyland Cast Members laughed at a disabled woman instead of helping her out of a Jungle Cruise boat before suffering a fall that led to her death, according to The Orange County Register.
What’s Happening:
- A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Disneyland, alleging that a 66 year old woman fell while getting out of a boat at the popular Jungle Cruise attraction died five months later due to complications from her injuries. The lawsuit has been assigned to a federal judge.
- The lawsuit was filed by the family of the victim, Joanne Aguilar, and was assigned on January 5th to U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney in the U.S. Courthouse in Santa Ana.
- Disney has responded, denying all the allegations and is seeking a jury trial.
- The incident took place in August of 2021, when Aguilar visited the park with her adult daughters. It was at the Jungle Cruise attraction that the physically disabled Aguilar was informed that the boat that is wheelchair accessible was currently unavailable. In lieu of the boat that allows wheelchairs to roll onto a platform and into the boat directly from the dock without leaving the chair, the family opted to help transfer Aguilar with assistance to another boat. According to the lawsuit, cast members “placed small unsecured blocks on top of the existing steps inside the boat to reduce the height of each step.”
- After the attraction was complete, Aguilar’s daughters helped their mother out of the boat without assistance, with the lawsuit noting that cast members laughed at their struggles, “leaving her feeling ashamed, embarrassed, and dehumanized.”
- The lawsuit notes, “exiting the boat was more difficult as it required her to propel her body upward with her lower legs, which due to her disability was not possible. The struggle was apparent and Disney cast members began snickered [sic] and giggling as they watched Ms. Aguilar try to safely exit the boat.”
- The lawsuit states that Aguilar then fell on the unstable blocks, falling backwards and fracturing the femur in her right leg. She was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where she underwent surgery and remained for 10 days, moving to an Oxnard rehabilitation center where she then stayed for five months.
- According to the lawsuit, Aguilar got an infection and went into septic shock, passing away in January of 2022, and the lawsuit alleges that this death was the result of the injuries sustained during her fall at the Jungle Cruise in Disneyland.
- The lawsuit was filed in November, suing for wrongful death and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and seeking a monetary judgment for physical pain, mental suffering, humiliation, medical costs, and funeral expenses.
- Disney responded in late December, with their lawyers saying that the injuries were caused by her own conduct and negligence, and that Disneyland did not discriminate in any way.