Lawsuit filed after man sustains ‘catastrophic injuries’ on Disney ride

Downhill Double Dipper at Disney World in Florida (Disney).

A Florida man is suing Disney World after he allegedly suffered “catastrophic” injuries while riding down a waterslide.

Filing the lawsuit Thursday in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orange County, which includes Disney, Eugene Strickland is seeking over $50,000 and alleging negligence on the part of the theme park.

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During his visit to Blizzard Beach water park on July 31, 2021, Strickland, who weighed 334 pounds at the time, decided to ride the Downhill Double Dipper waterslide. The lawsuit highlights that the American Society for Testing and Materials recommends individuals over 300 pounds refrain from using single-rider waterslides, though the specifications for the Dipper slide are unknown.

Using an inner tube on the slide, Strickland experienced a moment of being airborne due to the ride’s high speeds and design. This caused Disney’s inner tube to dislodge suddenly from underneath him, leading to a forceful impact on the slide’s hard plastic surface and resulting in severe permanent injuries, as per the plaintiff’s claims.

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According to the suit filed on behalf of Strickland by Morgan & Morgan, the inner tube he used was defective. The theme park used “deficient/inadequate/ineffective/underinflated inner tubes to be utilized on the premises knowing that they could forcefully dislodged from under the patrons relying on them,” plaintiff lawyers wrote.

The lawsuit claims Disney knew of the “dangerous condition” of the ride which was a “safety hazard.” As a result, Strickland suffered “scarring [and] disfigurement,” the lawsuit said.