Universal Orlando Admits Guests And Team Members Felt Electrical Shocks At Volcano Bay Water Park
On Sunday, the Volcano Bay water park at Universal Orlando Resort ended up closing early for what was being called a “technical issue.” There were numerous accounts on social media which threw out speculation, but some guests even complained of feeling “electrical shocks” while walking around the park. Universal Orlando has now admitted that there were indeed electrical issues which caused an early park closure and four employees to be sent to the hospital.
It was on June 2 that the park closed early, as reported by Fox News, with some guests saying that people were “electrocuted.” A Universal spokesperson gave a statement on Monday which said they were going with precautionary measures to make sure everyone was safe.
“Yesterday we had some technical issues at Volcano Bay. As a result, we closed the park early while we worked to resolve this issue. Out of an abundance of caution, a small number of our team members were transported to the hospital and all were released and fine last night. We are back to regular park operation today.”
That was on Monday, but things have certainly changed a bit in the last couple of days. Click Orlando is now reporting that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the incident at Volcano Bay on Sunday.
Both guests and team members/employees said they felt as if they were being electrically shocked while walking around the park. Universal Orlando has now confirmed that was indeed the case.
BREAKING – Universal Orlando issues a statement about visitors and employees feeling "shocks" at its Volcano Bay water park on Sunday. https://t.co/Sn6Q0R6u8o #News6
— Mike DeForest (@DeForestNews6) June 6, 2019
On Wednesday evening, Universal Orlando Resort released a statement, which included them saying they first gave “technical issues” as the closure reason so they could investigate it further. They wanted to know exactly what was going on before stating what the specific issue was.
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) June 6, 2019
Universal Orlando went on to say that they know it is “disturbing” to feel any kind of shock in a water park and that is why they’re investigating this so thoroughly.
Several guests did tell employees at Volcano Bay that they felt “shocks” or similar sensations while walking around the park. A number of lifeguards informed management that they had experienced the same sensations. Some of them asked to go to the hospital and were taken there. Soon after, they were all released and “are fine.”
Medical staff at Volcano Bay asked guests if they wanted to go to the hospital and “all said no.”
For now, those visiting Volcano Bay at the Universal Orlando Resort may find a number of rides and attractions closed. They will remain that way until OSHA and the resort can investigate the “electrical shocks” and make sure there is no longer a problem.
