A woman has filed a lawsuit against Disney after a waterslide caused "severe" injuries that resulted in surgery.
Emma McGuinness was celebrating her 30th birthday at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon waterpark in Orlando, Florida, in 2019.
She claimed that the park's Humunga Kowabunga slide gave her a painful wedgie.
Disney's website describes the water attraction as having “enclosed body slides” through which guests plummet down a 214-foot drop in the dark and then “spray [their] way to a surprise ending!”
While the attraction did deliver on its premise of a surprise ending, it wound up being an excruciating one for McGuinness.
According to a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the complaint read:
“As Ms. McGuinness neared the end of The Slide, her body lifted up, she became airborne, and she was slammed downward against The Slide—which increased the likelihood of her legs becoming uncrossed or otherwise exposing herself to injury in using The Slide."
Here is a POV video of the "Humunga Kowabunga" waterslide at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park.
Humunga Kowabunga 4K 60fps POV Disney's Typhoon Lagoonyoutu.be
The lawsuit further stated:
“The impact of The Slide and her impact into the standing water at the bottom of The Slide caused Ms. McGuinness’ clothing to be painfully forced between her legs and for water to be violently forced inside her."
"She experienced immediate and severe pain internally and, as she stood up, blood began rushing from between her legs.”
As a result, McGuinness was taken to the hospital by an ambulance.
She was eventually transferred to a different hospital “for the repair of her gynecologic injuries by a specialist."
The lawsuit continued to state that she suffered “severe and permanent bodily injury” and:
“vaginal lacerations, a full thickness laceration causing Plaintiff’s bowel to protrude through her abdominal wall, and damage to her internal organs."
Before reading beyond the news headline, one Disney World guest had a hunch about the culprit.
The complaint noted that McGuinness was instructed to assume the "appropriate position" of crossing her legs at the top of the slide, but that it did not guarantee her safety.
“Whether ankles are crossed or not, riding down The Slide carries with it specific risks about which Disney knew or, in the exercise of reasonable care, should have known,” the lawsuit said.
It also explained how female riders on the slide are vulnerable to specific risks.
“Specifically, when a rider of The Slide reached the bottom of the ride and traveled into the pool of water designed to stop further travel, the force of the water can push loose garments into a person’s anatomy–an event known as a ‘wedgie.’"
"Because of a woman’s anatomy, the risk of a painful ‘wedgie’ is more common and more serious than it is for a man.”
The complaint also stated how the pool at the base of the slide can be harmful to riders—beyond a wedgie—depending on a variety of factors not limited to the type of swimwear.
“The standing water at the bottom of The Slide, however, creates a much greater risk of injury when a rider slams into it at the end of The Slide and is brought to a quick stop."
“In the absence of appropriate swimwear or protective clothing, when a rider impacts the water at the end of The Slide, the forward speed of the rider can cause water to be forced inside the body."
"Because of their particular anatomy, and as a consequence of the type of swimwear women frequently wear, the risk of water being forced inside their body is greater than it is for men.”
The complaint said that while McGuinness wore a full-coverage one-piece swimsuit, it was not enough to protect her.
The complaint continued:
“When water is forcefully pushed inside a person’s body, it carries the risk of injuring internal organs and causing great pain."
“Disney does not warn women of their increased risk of injury while using The Slide, and Ms. McGuinness was not warned that she was at an increased risk of injury because of her gender or the clothes that she wore."
The lawsuit was filed by attorney Alan Wagner on behalf of McGuinness and her husband, Edward McGuinness, who are suing for an amount greater than $50,000 in damages.
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