Disney Water Slide Lawsuit Seeks $50,000 for Severe Injuries Due to Negligence
Emma McGuinness and her family visited Walt Disney World in October 2019, intending to celebrate her 30th birthday. However, during a ride on the 214-foot water slide called the Humunga Kowabunga, she endured a ‘painful wedgie’ and sustained ‘severe and permanent bodily injury,’ as outlined in a lawsuit filed by Emma and her husband, Edward McGuinness, in Orange County, Fla. last week.
“The lawsuit, seeking a minimum of $50,000 in damages, alleges negligence on the part of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Disney World has not yet responded to email inquiries for comment. The incident occurred on the Humunga Kowabunga slide at the Typhoon Lagoon water park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., a ride described on Disney’s website as featuring a ‘near-vertical, five-story drop — in the dark!’
According to the lawsuit, Emma McGuinness followed the slide’s rider instructions, which advised crossing legs at the ankles. However, as she approached the slide’s end, her body lifted, causing her to become airborne and collide with the slide. This increased the risk of her legs becoming uncrossed or exposed to injury. The impact of the slide and landing caused her clothing to painfully force between her legs, leading to the intrusion of water and immediate, severe internal pain. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance and later received specialized treatment for gynecologic injuries, including severe vaginal lacerations and damage to internal organs.
The complaint argues that Disney World was aware of or should have been aware of the risks associated with the slide. It notes that when riders enter the pool of water at the slide’s end, the force of the water can push loose garments into a person’s anatomy, a situation known as a ‘wedgie.’ The lawsuit emphasizes that due to a woman’s anatomy, the risk of a painful ‘wedgie’ is more common and severe for women than men.
The suit also mentions the emotional toll on Mr. McGuinness, who ‘has suffered loss of his wife’s care, comfort, consortium, support, and services.’ Alan F. Wagner, the couple’s attorney, has not yet responded to requests for comment.
In contrast to other water slides at Typhoon Lagoon, the Humunga Kowabunga does not involve rafts or tubes, and riders can reach speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour. The lawsuit alleges that Disney World failed to provide proper protective clothing or equipment for riders and did not adequately warn of the attraction’s inherent dangers or address the defective and unreasonably dangerous conditions that led to Emma McGuinness becoming airborne during her descent.”