The Magic Kingdom has a scooter problem. People on scooters are plowing into pedestrians and those riding the scooters are also getting hurt. Just last year, there were 11 or more lawsuits filed against the “happiest place on Earth” regarding injuries allegedly arising from scooter mishaps at Disney’s Florida properties.
The Orlando Sentinel analyzed litigation filed in the Orange County Circuit Court over the past half-decade. They found the near-dozen lawsuits was a major uptick from the two or three filed there annually in recent years.
This year appears to be following that pattern. As of late April, there have been four personal injury suits filed in Orange County that seek damages for injuries allegedly related to tangles with Disney scooters. That breaks down to one per month.
Disney had no direct response but maintains that with the vast number of tourists who annually come to their parks, it’s a very small percentage who get injured.
Still, if you are among the injured, it’s not so insignificant. One Tennessee tourist was injured attending the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot in 2017 when somebody riding a scooter knocked him down.
Another man from Connecticut needed spinal surgery after workers sent him backward on his scooter — according to protocol — down the Monorail ramp and he flipped over.
Scooters are in the same category as wheelchairs and are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Using them to get around the sprawling Disney theme parks and resorts allows millions of mobility-challenged Americans to fully participate with their families on vacations.
But any time there are motorized vehicles, the possibility of injuries exists. If you were injured by a Disney scooter, you may need to file a claim for damages to recover your financial losses.