Rides and attractions at theme parks have warning signs posted with employees often spouting out even more safety instructions. Still, it’s very possible that accidents are going to happen and injuries may occur, but some are worse than others. A lawsuit has now been filed against Universal Orlando with claims that an 11-year-old boy had his foot and leg crushed on the E.T. Adventure attraction.
The attraction at Universal Studios Florida is a slow-moving ride through the story of E.T. While some may question as to what kind of injury could possibly happen on it, the lawsuit claims it is one that is quite serious and caused a lot of damage.
According to the Orlando Sentinel , the incident happened in late January as stated by Roberta Perez, the mother of the 11-year-old Brazilian boy in question. She is seeking at least $15,000 in damages for the incident which is said to have taken place on January 31, 2019.
Tiago Perez was on the E.T. Adventure attraction when his left foot ended up becoming stuck between the ride vehicle and a cement offloading area near the end of the ride. This is where the injury occurred as Tiago’s foot was crushed, which caused his shoe to fall off.
Perez’s attorney Edmund Normand said that the situation was much more than one may anticipate and it was quite a bloody scene.
Boy’s foot is crushed on Universal Studios’ E.T. ride, lawsuit claims https://t.co/u8FcSOMkIj pic.twitter.com/Adm3SzUw2G
— Orlando Sentinel (@orlandosentinel) March 11, 2019
The lawsuit states that Universal Orlando Resort was already aware of the safety risks brought about by this attraction before the accident happened. Normand and Perez believe the theme park needs to be held responsible as it did not keep E.T. Adventure in working order that kept guests safe while riding it.
“Prior to this incident, [Universal] had knowledge that the design, manufacture, testing, construction, and/or operation of the E.T. Adventure ride, created an unreasonably dangerous ride resulting in injuries to guests, but [Universal] continued to market the ride as safe to the unsuspecting public.”
Normand said that Tiago was doing nothing wrong while enjoying his day at Universal Studios Florida.
“He was just being a normal kid, a normal ride,” Normand said of the accident.
Back in late January, social media lit up as rumors of an accident on the E.T. Adventure attraction began spreading over Twitter. It has been open since 1990 while the version in Universal Studios Hollywood closed back in 2003. A number of big changes and additions have arrived at and are coming to the parks, but the E.T. Adventure continues to hold on as one of the oldest attractions to remain.
