There are few things more morbidly interesting than accidents at amusement parks. A large part of it is the contrast in circumstances. Rides of all kinds, from roller coasters to bumper cars are supposed to be fun. When something tragic or terrifying happens with one of these rides, the mental dissonance resonates with people. Fortunately, these accidents are rare but they can often result in death or permanent injury. A woman from Arizona found this out in 2022 and she’s just been awarded $7.25 million for what she went through.
Pamela Morrison was visiting Universal Studios Hollywood with her grandson when they were going on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride in September of 2022. Reportedly, the woman’s harness wouldn’t secure properly and the woman was asked to leave the ride because of this. The terrible irony of this is that the action that was meant to keep her safe is what inadvertently caused the injury that resulted in part of her spine being damaged.
When leaving the ride, Morrison took a hard fall due to having to step onto a moving walkway that should not have been in motion when she was trying to exit the ride. That sounds like a fair enough critique, and apparently the court agreed. Morrison was granted $2 million for past damages, $5 million for future damages, and $250,000 for future medical expenses. We can only hope that her recovery is going as well as it can be.
Considering Morrison is 74 years-old, a fall like this is clearly not the same as if it happened to someone in their 20’s.
We’ve reported on some accidents or near accidents like this before. There was an incident in 2022 where a girl was not fully buckled into a tower drop ride. The buckle only turned out to be a secondary safety device with the harness being the main one. Still, the buckle never should’ve been missed and safety should never be compromised. Sadly, lawsuits and monetary judgments are sometimes the means by which companies learn. It would be better if the incidents that result in these lawsuits never happened, but maybe that $7.25 million can prevent someone else from being hurt in the future.
