Woman says she went to hospital after ‘wedgie’ from Disney waterslide. Now she’s suing
A woman rode down the 214-foot Humunga Kowabunga slide at Disney’s water park for her 30th birthday, then ended up in the hospital, a lawsuit filed in Florida says.
Now, she’s suing Disney for negligence after saying she sustained an “injurious wedgie” on the water slide at Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando.
According to the lawsuit filed Sept. 27 in Orange County, the woman traveled to the park in October 2019 with her family.
They visited Typhoon Lagoon, home to the water slide that features a near-vertical five-story drop in darkness, Disney’s website advertises. The woman, her mother and her daughter decided to ride the slide and were instructed to cross their ankles as they went down, the lawsuit says.
A pool of water at the bottom of the slide is designed to stop the rider.
“The force of the water can push loose garments into a person’s anatomy — an event known as a ‘wedgie,’” according to the lawsuit.
As the woman slid down one of the tubes, she said she briefly became airborne and slammed back down on the slide.
“The impact of the slide and her impact into the standing water at the bottom of the slide caused (her) clothing to be painfully forced between her legs and for water to be violently forced inside her,” the lawsuit says. “She experienced immediate and severe pain internally and, as she stood up, blood began rushing from between her legs.”
The woman, according to the lawsuit, had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance and later taken to another hospital for specialized treatment of “gynecologic injuries.”
Her injuries included severe lacerations and damage to her internal organs, the lawsuit says.
She said if she had known that her style of swimwear would make her more likely to get a painful “wedgie” or if the slide itself could result in water being forced inside her, she would not have ridden the slide, according to the lawsuit.
McClatchy News could not immediately reach Disney for comment on Sept 29.
The woman is suing Disney for damages in excess of $50,000 for pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and economic loss, among other damages.
She said Disney was negligent by failing to make sure the slide was safe so riders didn’t become airborne, and the company failed to provide the “proper protective clothing or equipment” to prevent injury.
Her husband is suing for loss of consortium, a claim in personal injury lawsuits that involve a loss of “benefits that a familial or intimate relationship offers,” according to Forbes. This most commonly refers to sex, affection and emotional support.
The lawsuit says the woman “did not know of the unsafe and dangerous condition of the slide or the substantial and significant risks attendant to using the slide, which risks were known, or with the exercise of reasonable care, should have been known by Disney.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2023 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Woman says she went to hospital after ‘wedgie’ from Disney waterslide. Now she’s suing."