Disney grants man $8,000 after ride malfunction forces him to listen to It’s a Small World for 30 minutes
Worldwide, Daily news | ankakh | March 28, 2013 7:50
A disabled man was awarded $8,000 by Disneyland after the It’s A Small World ride broke, stranding him for 30 minutes while the theme song played on a loop.
Lawyer David Geffen says Jose Martinez was the only passenger not rescued when the ride broke down in 2009, and staffers failed to call the fire department to free him.
The ride’s familiar, and arguably irritating, song could not be turned off the entire timeMartinezwas stuck.
Geffen says half the award ordered Friday is for pain and suffering, and the other half for disability law violations.
Disneyland employees helped other visitors off the ride, but had no way to reach Martinez, who is paralyzed and wheelchair-bound, Geffen told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The man’s chronic health conditions became an issue as he sat stranded in the boat with the ‘Small World’ tune playing over and over again, according to the attorney.
Martinez’s lawsuit filed in February 2011 claimed thatDisneylandshould have called firefighters to remove the disabled man, but instead staffers waited for the ride to be repaired.
Martinezwas eventually taken off the ride and treated at a first aid station, Geffen said.
Judge James Selna ruled Friday that besides failing to take proper care ofMartinezwhile he was stuck on the ride,Disneylanddid not notify disabled riders that if It’s a Small World broke down, they could be stranded.
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