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Report: Guest medical events, injuries reported at Florida's major theme parks in 2022

By FOX 35 News Staff
Published  January 17, 2023 5:50pm EST
Theme Parks
FOX 35 Orlando
Theme park 4 box article

ORLANDO, Fla. - Guests visiting some of Florida's major theme parks during 2022 experienced motion sickness, dizziness or passed out while on rides, as others experienced more serious events, including cardiac events, heart palpitations, or in one case, a woman went into labor, according to incidents reported to the state.

Walt Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Legoland Florida all self-report incidents to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), which is in charge of inspecting attractions and rides at amusement parks around the state. However, the major theme parks are exempt, providing they have more than 1,000 employees and have full-time inspectors on staff, according to the FDACS website.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding Exempt Facility Report, some 60 incidents were reported at Walt Disney World, Universal, and SeaWorld during 2022, with most from Walt Disney World's and Universal's theme parks. Certainly, a small number compared to the millions of people that visit the theme parks every year.

Some 30 incidents were reported in 2021 and 20 in 2020, which were during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some 30 incidents were reported in 2019, according to the report, which is updated every quarter.

The most recent quarter, which spans October to December 2022, was updated on Jan. 17, 2023.

Disney self-reported seven incidents and Universal reported three incidents. SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Legoland did not report any incidents.

Here are some of the incidents that were reported:

  • A 35-year-old man with a pre-existing condition suffered a seizure while on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom
  • A 56-year-old man had a cardiac event after riding on the Frozen Ever After ride at EPCOT
  • An 80-year-old woman fell and hurt her leg while in the Carousel of Progress theater at EPCOT
  • A 69-year-old man fell while boarding the boat for Pirates of the Caribbean ride and hurt his arm and shin at Magic Kingdom
  • A 61-year-old man experienced an irregular heartbeat while on Universal's Fast & Furious Supercharged
  • A 40-year-old man experienced chest palpitations while on Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at Universal

During the third quarter, which spanned July - September 2022:

  • A 47-year-old man with a pre-existing condition lost consciousness while on Mission Space at EPCOT
  • A 59-year-old woman hurt her toes while on Alien Swirling Saucers in Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios
  • A 27-year-old woman went into labor after exiting Tomorrowland Speedway at Disney's Magic Kingdom (in 2018, a woman went into labor after riding Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom.)
  • An 83-year-old man experienced a cardiac event while on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover at Magic Kingdom, and later died
  • A 38-year-old woman reported neck pain after riding the Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure
  • A 28-year-old man fainted or passed out while on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal's Islands of Adventure

No incidents were reported at SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, or Legoland.

During the second quarter, which spanned April - June 2022:

  • A 67-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition lost consciousness after exiting Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney's Animal Kingdom
  • A 70-year-old man experienced abdominal and back pain after being on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney's Magic Kingdom
  • A 66-year-old woman had a cardiac event while on Living with the Land at Disney's EPCOT
  • A 44-year-old man lost consciousness while on Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition at Disney's Animal Kingdom
  • A 33-year-old woman reported head pain after being on the Caro-Seuss-el at Universal
  • A 25-year-old woman reported knee pain after The Simpsons Ride

SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Legoland reported no incidents.

During the first quarter, which spanned Jan. to March 2022:

  • A 12-year-old male hurt his leg while on Ice Breaker at SeaWorld
  • A 12-year-old girl cut her finger while getting on Manta at SeaWorld
  • A 50-year-old man reported back pain after riding Mako at SeaWorld
  • A 43-year-old woman passed out after riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios
  • A woman lost balance was dismounting a horse on the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and fractured her hip at Magic Kingdom
  • A 66-year-old male reported motion sickness after riding Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal

Busch Gardens and Legoland reported no incidents.

All of the major theme parks have health and safety info posted to their websites, as well as safety information and guidelines posted outside their attractions with info on height requirements, type of attraction, and who should ride or not ride a particular attraction.