A 334lb Disney World fan who was left “permanently disfigured” after “flying” off a water slide is suing the company for negligence.
Florida resident Eugene Strickland was permitted to go on a ride at Blizzard Beach, even though he exceeded the weight limit and was reportedly using equipment that was not well-maintained.
He filed the lawsuit on May 29 in Orange County, seeking over $50,000 in damages for his “permanent catastrophic injuries”.
The complainant said he was riding the Downhill Double Dipper, a dual-track slide.
Disney World boasts that the slide will plunge guests “50 feet downhill at exhilarating speeds”.
At the time, Strickland’s weight was 334 pounds, putting him 34 pounds above the maximum limit specified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) safety standards for solo slides.
But Disney World employees allegedly turned a blind eye, allowing the man to go on the ride using one of the park’s provided inner tubes.
During the descent, Strickland says he “became momentarily airborne”.
He described how the tube “abruptly and unexpectedly dislodged” from beneath him, causing him to “impact forcefully with the hard plastic surface of the slide”.
The lawsuit blasted Disney’s safety protocols, and claimed the slide was in a “dangerous condition”
It also branded the ride as a “safety hazard and concealed trap”.
They accused the company of knowingly keeping the ride open without proper warnings or sufficient repairs.
Strickland’s lawyers said: “These injuries are permanent and continuing within a degree of medical probability, and Plaintiff will suffer these losses in the future.”
The complaint also accused Disney of using “deficient, inadequate, ineffective, or underinflated inner tubes”, while knowing that they were not fit for use.
They also said the park failed to properly inspect the slide, maintain the equipment, or enforce posted weight limits.
The scathing complaint outlines 13 specific examples of negligenc.
It included allowing the “unrestricted use of an unsafe high-speed water slide”, failing to correctly train staff, and ignoring its own safety regulation.
Strickland said he is still suffering physically and emotionally as a result of the horror ordeal.
He explained that he suffers from pain, disability, scarring, disfigurement, mental anguish, and a diminished quality of life.
These came alongside his ongoing medical expenses and the exacerbation of pre-existing conditions.
A jury trial is scheduled for May 2027, and Disney are yet to comment publicly on the case.
The Sun reached out to Disney for comment.
