According to Reuters, one of the “happiest places on earth” is being sued by a quadriplegic man named Jose Martinez.
Jose Martinez is suing Disney’s California location, Disneyland, after he was trapped for more than 40 minutes on their “It’s a Small World” ride. Martinez alleges that he was trapped following an evacuation, where the negligence of the Disneyland workers caused him emotional distress. He is suing for liability, negligence and emotional distress.
In the lawsuit, Martinez claims that the Disneyland workers evacuated all the other passengers on the ride, but left both himself and his wife behind.
The Disability Rights Legal Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of Jose Martinez and his wife. They are claiming that Disneyland violated the Americans with Disabilities Act for several reasons. This includes the allegations that they did not have proper procedures in effect for evacuating passengers with disabilities; in addition, Martinez claims to have suffered from stress-induced elevated blood pressure due to the situation, adding that the workers refused to call the paramedics to assist him.
In a statement released to the Associated Press, Disneyland said that their parks are accessible for all visitors. The statement also notes that there are evacuation procedures in place for every ride on the premises.
