Disneyland Sued by Quadriplegic Man Left Stranded on “Small World” Ride

February 10, 2011 by The Master Chief

Disneyland was recently sued by a quadriplegic man who claims the theme park left him stranded on an evacuated ride for nearly an hour!

Jose Martinez is suing the Anaheim, California park for violating the “Americans with Disabilities Act” after he was not taken off the “It’s a Small World” ride along with the other passengers after it was stalled.

Martinez alleges that Disneyland didn’t have proper procedures in place for evacuating disabled passengers from the ride, and he also claims that Disney employees didn’t summon paramedics when his blood pressure spiked while he was trapped on the ride.

“In my opinion, if you are going to put him on the ride, there needs to be a safe and effective way to get him off the ride,” Shawna Parks, Martinez’s lawyer said.

A computer glitch caused the ride to stall before exiting the last tunnel when Martinez visited the park back in 2009. Martinez claims that while he was waiting in the ride for 40 minutes, he suffered from a dangerous condition with people with spinal cord injuries called dysreflexia, which causes blood pressure to spike.

“It feels like an ice pick going through your temples,” Martinez said. The pain was aggravating, he added, “especially when you couple that with the continuous, ‘small world’ music in the background.”

In a statement, Disneyland Resorts disputed Martinez’ claims, saying that their park is accessible to all guests and does have procedures in place for evacuating disabled customers.

Your thoughts?

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  • http://trixiethewhore.blogspot.com/ trixiethewhore

    omg… that little tune stays with you for days.. poor guy

  • beverly

    People who have such extreme medical conditions should not be riding rides at Disneyland in the first place. I just returned from Disneyland and I will never go back, because I feel that it is just too exhausting and the rides too dangerous for anyone with any kind of medical condition especially spinal cord, back injury, cardiac or bloodpressure problems. The people that Disney employs are borderline capable of doing their job as it is. Those mindless teenagers and 20yr olds are barely capable of getting regular people on and off rides and paying attention to normal people. How can you expect someone with a severe disability to be taken care of by people that have no idea about spinal cord issues and central nervous system issues that cause extreme problems. Disney needs to forbid all such kinds of visitors from riding any ride. How did a quadriplegic get on the ride in the first place? Since he does not have the use of his arms or legs? Im a medical person and this seems crazy that either the visitor or the park would consider such an endevour.

  • Ann

    I do not understand what Beverly is talking about. This man would have been put on the ride in his wheelchair, Disney is excellent for people with disabilities, the staff go out of their way to help people with mobility problems. I am disabled and have high blood pressure and go to Disney World every 2 years and most of the rides are fine for me. Disney have signs on the rides to tell people with medical problems that rides are not suitable. What right does someone have to tell me and others who are disabled what we can do and where we can go. I say thank you to Disney and their stafff of all the help they give to the disabled to help us enjoy our time there dispite our disabilities.

  • JD

    1) i worked at Disneyland when I was 18 years old. I knew every inch of my attractions and how to get people in and off the ride in any situation. I also now that the folks working those attractions are very, VERY capable of doing the job asked of them.

    2) I was blessed to have a disabled brother and we used to take him to Disneyland all of the time and her loved every second of it. Especialy when we took him on California Scream’n ( the roller coaster at California Adventure). People with disabilities shoud be able the chance to do everything we “Normal” people can do. Just because they have limitations doesn’t mean they can’t experiance life.

    3) If your a medical person you should open your eyes and see that disabled human beings are just that human beings! and that disney makes special vehicals just so those Humans can enjoy those attractions like everyone else.

    Get your head out of your ass and have a heart for these people. They are confind as it is so you want to confine them some more? That’s just upsetting. Open your eyes!!

  • Matt

    Beverly, is it really the parks fault that he is on the ride? No! He has a spinal cord injury, not brain damage. He has the ability to decide if he wants to get on that ride or not. I have been stuck on rides in Disneyland before and I go back, that is my decision. I was stuck on the incline on splash mountain for 45 minutes before. Due to our location on the ride we could not be evacuated. But I chose to get on the ride and I had to live with the delay. People need to suck it up, take responsibility for their actions and stop being so lawsuit happy.

    Also, I can just imagine the backlash that Disney would have to endure if they put up signs in their parks and on their website that said “No handicap people allowed!” I think that Disney does a great job at making sure people with disabilities have a good experience.

    I hope since you are a “medical person” (which I don’t believe for one second. Unless by medical person you mean someone who watches an above average amount of medical shows on tv), that you are not as naive and simple minded as you seem to be from your post here.

  • DONALD

    I can not believe what I am hearing that disabled persons should not be allowed to go on the rides at Disneyland. I have a Premium pass and utillize it almost every day. I am fully confinrd to a wheelchair. I go on every ride and the Disney staff are very helpfull in every way just so that I have the best experience possible for my duration of my stay. Yes, I have been stuck on the small world ride … but it was the boat designed for a wheelchair. That boat if in the loop of the ride, is only designed to on and off load at the dock only. My problem was the lift would not come up all the way. When this happened…basically I shut the ride down. As I paitently waited for the assistance, within 2-3 minutes…they had paramedics, fire department, maintenance workers and all the ride operators seeing to remedy the solution and got me off the ride. I was thank full but very embarrassed. Yes, I have nitro pills, yes…..I have very high blood pressure. But I thank God / the Almighty for every day that I am able to enjoy myself at the Happiest Place On Earth at Disneyland. And as for you Beverly, I will be highly pissed off, if someone tells me, what I can and cannot do. If I listen to you Beverly……then I would be waisting away somewhere in self pitty. All I can say to you id get a LIFE!

  • Vivian

    When will disabled people accept the facts that they have LIMITATIONS !!?? They are, indeed entitled to enjoy & appreciate everything available to ALL people…..however, I have seen so many of these individuals – who REFUSE to accept their limitations – impose themselves on everyone else!! It is entirely unfair, completely selfish, and so very inappropriate!! Yet, they continue to place expectations (theirs) upon others and when they don’t get their way – they’ll impose guilt on us all………..or else they SUE!! Grow up or sue God!

  • Wayne

    Wow
    Sued -I think this is a bit extreme- it was something unfortunate and I am sure because of this event that this will not happen again epsecially with a great company like Disney which I am sure will take matters like this very seriously indeed.
    Sorry to hear about being stuck on that ride for 1hr wait it really would have not been fun at all or comfortable and I do fully understand that- I have been on this particular ride so I know how annoying that song must have been to hear 100 times.
    I just think under the circumstance of a 1hr wait- money should not be rewarded- I can’t help but think that ust seems like a oppurtunity to get a payment of alot of money from having a disability.
    To me in my world this does touch upon the word Equality I am afraid to say- would a mother and a small child in the same situation have the ability to sue Disney – I believe perhaps not.
    By the way my intentions are not to make people unhappy with my comment I am just giving my opinion-and I guess I am looking at this incident from a side angle.
    What does make me wonder though- why this gentleman waited 40minutes to get on the ride in the first place- don’t diabled guests skip the lines totally and receive assistance from the ride attendants- surely this gentleman would expect and already know this?
    I have been to Disney many times and disabled guests are always assisted on the rides first without waiting- you see this happen frequently- if you go to Disney I am sure you would have to atleast agree with this point, incidentally I do think this is a very good practice and service.

  • Jd

    Wayne- as a former employee I’ll clear up the disabled pass question. Yes there is a pass but most lines are now wheel chair accessible so they wait like everyone else. There are a few rides where they must wait in a separate area in order to get on at that time depending on capacity they do get to go ahead of a portion of the line, but they must have a pass to do so.

    Vivian- maybe you should take the pleasure of helping others. It won’t make you so bitter. I’ve been around my fare share of disabled people and not a single one has IMPOSED on me or anyone around me. Yes they have limitations and need help but everyone at some point in they’re lives do. I also don’t think they wake up in the morning saying “hmmm…. Who can I make help me today!” how dare YOU presume they are an imposition to anyone.

  • http://www.yahoo.com Ashley Leiterman

    I have been going to Disneyland in Anaheim basically my whole life and I always see a cast member assisting a disabled person whether its getting on the van to go into the park or getting on the rides. Beverly who do need to get a life. Disneyland is very caring and make sure that they make you feel young at heart and they always keep the magic. I know that because i have made friends with the cast members and wan to work there.

  • DONALD

    VIVIAN, I think that you do not understand what it is to be disabled. I wish you could see it through our eyes. Just for one day…..rent a wheelchair and wheel it your self, no standing behind and pushing it, at both parks…DL and DCA. Pretend that you are a disabled person for the whole day from opening till closing on a Friday or a Saturday. I want you to see just what we go through and to see what our lives are like. Try to ask for no help and be independant unless you cannot open a door or you drop something or need help with your food to a table. See what we go through and sit back and watch all these healthy people arond you enjoy them selves and see how you wish to be like them so you yourself go on every ride to feel better and enjoy life like everyone else to forget your pains and stress of everyday life. After that day, right back and give your opinion again. I would really like to hear it then. I honestly feel that you will see it in a different light.

    The disabled……..

  • http://www.yahoo.com Kristi

    If Disneyland can decide what height and/or age you have to be on a ride, and it can give guidelines re cardio issues on rides like Space Mountain, then the park should be adept enough to have in place an evacuation plan for wheelchair patrons for each of its rides when they shut down or get stuck.

    This is not the first time “It’s A Small World” has shut down, but perhaps it was a first for a patron in a wheelchair. I think the point of Mr. Martinez’ complaint wasn’t about being stranded for 45 minutes, it was that everyone ELSE (the “normals”) was evacuated, and he had to stay for 45 minutes with no one else there. If they could not evacuate him from the boat, then there should have been someone to be there with him out of park COURTESY for the inconvenience caused him.

    The only shortcomings I see are that the park failed to show consideration in the absence of a means to evacuate Mr. Martinez from the ride – and, of course, to show some mercy and turn off the soundtrack until the ride started again. Let’s face it, 45 minutes of “It’s A Small World” would give almost anyone PTSD! I have a friend who was stranded on the same ride once, and he said he’s never been able to listen to that song again without wanting to run away screaming!

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