Dee Ann Glover, a Disney Annual Passholder is suing Disney after an incident where she says she was run over by a motorized scooter. The incident took place last year, and since then, she has needed surgery to ‘pin a steel rod into her hip’ which may require hip replacement surgery according to their attorney, Trenton Swan, in an article recently published by the Orlando Sentinel. In the article, a Disney spokesperson issued a statement, which read:
“This lawsuit centers on an incident between two guests… We are committed to providing a safe environment for our Cast Members and Guests, and we will respond to the allegations as appropriate in court.”
According to Glover, she says she was “hit from behind and didn’t see the electric scooter coming.” Her surgery consisted of pinning a steel rod to her hip.
This is not the first time a similar incident has taken place at Walt Disney World. In December 2018, it was reported that Vicki Denton sued Disney when a scooter driver attempted to reverse but instead went forward into Denton, pinning her against the checkout counter at a Hollywood Studios gift shop, where Denton fell over the scooter. In a previous article from the Orlando Sentinel, the Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit, the filing stating that “each side is responsible for its own legal bills.”
As always, stay up to date on the latest Disney Parks news here at WDWNT.
Wow, where Disney is not at fault, but gets sued anyways. She says it’s Disney’s fault because there are no scooter Lanes and scooter drivers aren’t instructed how to use the scooters. Lol, she probably doesn’t even know the person that hit her, so sue Disney instead. Hope she gets nothing like the other person.
The scooters need to be banned if Disney doesn’t want fault. Disney does not enforce the waiver theybmake everyone sign and no matter who you complain to, Cast Members look the other way. People go too fast, blow their horn and have no problem running into children or anyone else for that matter. And they have an attitude that you are in their way. If you have a motorized wheelchair, that works. Anything else creates a dangerous environment. How is Disney committed to a safe environment? Just by stating it via their PR department?
How about when people don’t look to see that there’s a scooter? How about the people that let their kids run wild and in front of the scooter? How about the people who try to cut in front of the scooter? How about the people who just abruptly stop without going over to the sidewalk first, or at least go over to an area where scooters aren’t at? Disney doesn’t ban them. No, people point fingers at the scooter drivers.
My mom uses a scooter. She loves Disney just as much as I do, if not more. All of those things have happened to her. It’s not right or fair for her – who is a good driver as she doesn’t speed or blow her horn – to get punished for something that dumb people (walkers or other scooter users) do.
Exactly. How many of the kids that are bumped into ran in front of scooter thinking there was space?
Are there bad scooter drivers at Disney? Sure. Just as there are awful kids, parents who don’t pay attention, and adults who think because they paid $100 for a ticket, they are entitled to anything they want.
The majority of scooter drivers are more than courteous, and work really hard to not cause a problem for other guests.
You forgot one
How about when people try to jump over the scooter? Yeah, had that happen to my wife 2 years ago. She was recovering from knee replacement surgery.
My Mother-in-law had her leg ripped open by a person in a scooter. Scooter driver looked at her bleeding all over the ground, and said “First Aid is over by Crystal palace restaurant”. Not “sorry”, or even a feeble, I hope you are Ok. Just tell us where first aid is and drive away at 10 MPH. These things are out of control. It is great that people who could not usually get around get to enjoy Disney, but I really think they should have to take a 4 hour scooter driving course or something
How in any way, shape, or form is Disney responsible for this? She should sue the scooter driver, which is a case she’d actually win. This case, she can’t win.
Disney should just pay out. They really put safety LAST, and try to cram in as many guests as possible, with minimum work on their part for the experience or safety.
People on scooters and pushing carriages at DW can be a bit obnoxious.. I’ve had passes for a number of years now, and always get bumped, pushed, or just generally run up on by these folks. I get they need them, it really is just a matter of being situationally aware.. I feel these folks think it’s their direction seeker.. it’s a busy place, and some common courtesy, and common sense, would go a long way. Unfortunately, both tend to be not so common.
I’ve seen it go both ways though. Guests also need to be aware of people around them. My wife had to use a scooter on our last trip, and I couldn’t believe how many guests (adults and kids) would just cut in front of her and she’d have to swerve or quickly break to avoid hitting them. And she was always moving slowly to keep distance from other people
The people walking can be just as obnoxious. People don’t pay attention where they are walking and don’t see someone in the scooter because they sit no higher than 4ft. As a result, they walk into them and then yell at the rider.
Or they see the one foot gap in front of the scooter and take it. They think that the scooter can stop on a dime. There are NO BRAKES on these scooters. You should not be crossing any closer than 6 feet in front. If you take that foot of space, you have no one to blame but yourself. Cars in parking lots have brakes, would you cross 6ft in front of them?
While some scooters can be speed adjustable by the lever, many are go/nogo and the speed is adjusted from a dial. I am sure the personally owned scooters can go faster, but rentals don’t go beyond 5 miles an hour.
Why are they suing Disney exactly? Disney had nothing to do with this, could’ve happened anywhere. Nothing was Disney’s fault. You wanna sue, sue who ran over you
Honestly wondering about the reasoning behind the suit. I can get it if it’s one of those weird cases where they basically had to sue because of a weird insurance requirement (like the woman who sued her nephew for hugging her).
Why should Disney be responsible for a guest’s actions?
Cast members should be allowed to sue then. Plenty have been hit by those scooters or had a foot run over. The scooter users don’t seem to care who they hit.
How is another guest running into you, Disney’s fault? This is insane. Sue the other person or better yet nobody!
We live in a world were any one will try to sue.
The scooters could be replaced by wheel chairs and this may stop.
Not Disney’s fault people can’t drive!
Sadly something will be done when a child is seriously injured. Does Disney even provide riders lessons on how to navigate the scooters inside the parks?
My parents and I have rented Disney ECVs several times at both WDW and DLR. The CMs checking the vehicle out to you show you how to move forward, move backward, control the speed, and they help adjust the seat for you if necessary. That’s pretty much it, while you sign a waiver. Safety instructions SHOULD be given but they really aren’t. If anything Disney can add a 2-minute lecture to what the CMs have to tell the renters before they take off. Renters need to be responsible and be able to control the ECV (scooter), go slower when there are a lot of people around, and not get too close to pedestrians. It wouldn’t take 4 hours to teach someone that, but a 2-minute reminder to be careful out there and keep more to a normal walking speed with the vehicle would be helpful. And if this accident involved in the suing case involves headlights not working (if it happened after dark) that should be a factor for Disney’s also making sure the vehicles’ parts all work (my dad’s scooter’s headlight never came on the one day he had one in December, so he was extra careful and didn’t get too close to any walkers. My little booklight clipped to the basket only helped him be seen but not help him see anyone better. He at least got double the deposit back upon return time after he told the CM the automatic headlight never came on).
As a guest who requires the assistance of a scooter (my own), I totally understand that there are some bad drivers out there. But it isn’t all on us either. I have had people run in front of me trying to cross the street or join up with someone. I, in turn, had to stop on a dime to keep from hitting them which caused the people behind me, who were not really paying attention because they were looking at the sights, to run into me from behind causing them to get hurt and “of course” it was my fault because I stopped suddenly. Or there is the guest, who thinks they are the only person in the pathway, walking backwards trying to focus on a picture and walks into your scooter and flips over your scooter causing them an injury. That was my fault too they thought. I should have seen her coming. Well excuse me, I was looking forward and driving forward, I did not see you coming on my side..and when I did, it was too late to stop you. It didn’t feel too good to me when you elbowed me in the head as you went over my scooter. But I didn’t get mad at you. We are at the Happiest Place on Earth!
I think everyone just needs to be aware of their surroundings, because it isnt always the scooter drivers fault. I really think that it would help if everybody would follow the general flow of traffic rules. Always walk on the right side of your path and things would be a lot better. And dont stop in the middle of the flow to look at a map. Walk to the side. When everybody is all mixed up going every which way and you are dodging scooters and strollers and runaway kids, accidents are bound to happen, even with the best of efforts.
Under the law in most states, a landowner/business owner can be responsible for even criminal acts of a third party if it was reasonably foreseeable that it could happen (one good example is big event with drinking where fights can break out). While the driver of the scooter could have been primarily responsible, that doesn’t mean there is not some responsibility that falls on Disney – it’s not an all or nothing thing (the person injured can even bear some responsibility, as long as it’s less than 50%). Disney could have designated lanes on the walkways for scooters and wheelchairs. While that may not be cost effective or cause other difficulties, that’s a choice that’s made. They’ve chosen to increase the risk that people (or frighteningly, children) could be injured. It’s a trade-off. If a jury were to decide they were 10% responsible, their insurance would pay, then they can go after the person who was in the scooter and make them reimburse them (good luck with that).
There is a reason, however, that they purchase liability insurance (or self-insure). When you invite customers onto your property and into your business, and especially – make money off of them being there – you have a responsibility to provide a safe premises for those customers. That includes taking measures to keep those customers safe even from other customers if the risk of harm is foreseeable. Just from the anecdotes in these comments it is clear that these situations happen quite a bit and are thus foreseeable.
exactly, this isn’t some any rand novel where everyone is in some sort of free for all and businesses have zero responsibility for how they use their property.
Disney determines the crowd sizes, amount of scooters rented and at the end of the day provide the service and device that can cause grievous injury. Hell it’s why even renters in most states are required to carry insurance for accidents on property they only rent.
The biggest problem is that most people at Disney because they pay a premium to be their are all a little extra selfish and less aware of their surroundings.
You run into someone who is facing away from you and your driving a scooter, you just might be at fault.
If you let your 2 year old wander the park and it gets hit, maybe you’re an awful parent.
liability is complicated.
This has happened to me as well. I was waiting to order at a register in Cosmic Ray’s when someone slammed me from behind pinning me to the counter. My ankle was severely bruised and skinned up making it difficult to move about for a couple days but I got by. The worse part was seeing this same gentleman park his scooter at the table next to mine once I had sat down and then proceed to WALK all the way back across the restaurant to grab condiments and such. It not the part of someone ACCIDENTALLY running into guests that is the problem, it is the fact that there is no control over the use of these things causing them to have too many of these in service in the parks. Anyone can get these whether it is medically necessary or not and it should not be that way. JMO
I would also agree not all scooter drivers are bad. We make frequent trips as passholders and DVC owners and have seen an abundance of bad behavior though. The previously mentioned honking of horns, driving right up to you to get you to get out of the way if not outright hitting you, and my personal fave, the child sitting on the person’s lap driving the vehicle. Sorry, but Disney is too crowded to let this become another “attraction” for your child to drive the scooter, and while I have never driven one I am sure it has to be in their policy somewhere that children should not be operating. I don’t pretend to have a solution, but I do think the use has grown to the level that it needs to be addressed in some way by Disney.
This is a sadly ignorant way to think about it. I’m sorry, but the truth is, not all people who need scooters need them because they can’t walk.
My fiancee has to use the scooter every time we go. She can walk fine. She can’t walk all-around-the-park fine, though, because he has a heart condition. Not all mobile disabilities are visible, Leo.
And I’ve seen her drive as carefully as possible, but it’s true: a bunch of little kids running wherever they want has led to her almost hitting several children because their parents weren’t watching, or at least holding their hands. Remember, people in scooters are navigating crazy crowds, too, without the benefit of height. And I’ve seen people blatantly NOT moving to the side for scooters, almost daring them.
Basically, crowds are horrible.
I will say one thing, though: Disney needs to make the lines to the rides wider if they make someone take the scooter through there. There are some incredibly tight turns, and inching forward without hitting someone is difficult.
I hear your complaints Disney people and I trump them all with my tale of woe. (snark snark) Im a paraplegic wheelchair user. No one is as annoyed as I with these dang ECV’s Sometimes they are rightly used, but most times….not. The intent however is for people to rent them that need help with the long distances. They should be parked outside of attractions and should give way to bi-peds (pedestrians). If you cannot stand for the duration of a ride queue, then you are suppose to get a return time like the rest of us crips and come back for the attraction at your specific time. There really shouldn’t be a need to take the ECV on elevators or into bathroom stalls. If you are that impaired, you may need an actual power wheelchair or manual wheelchair like I use. No excuses for laziness. Get some exercise. Please be courteous and apply the same rules of the road to the parks.
I can sympathize with those that actually need the scooters. But those that are commenting about people are walking out, stopping, etc in front of the scooters, that also happens to those of us that walk in the Parks. You are operating a piece of machinery that weighs a couple hundred pounds and can do some damage (as seen in this post.). Those operating the scooters have the responsibility of being aware of those that are walking. In the same manner that someone driving a car is responsible for watching for pedestrians. It is getting ridiculous with the amount of scooters are in the parks, where a good percentage of them are not needed.
OK, now all the walking people have to take a 2 to 5 minute class on avoiding scooters/WC, being courteous and not stopping in the middle of main walk areas and so on…. Just to be fair.
I pushed my Dad in a WC around Disney many times and I had one child get hit by the foot plate after I warned him and his mother several times that he kept running in front of us in a crowd. When he got hit the mother started to say something but I reminded her of my warnings. She said nothing.
This seems to be an ongoing problem at Disney as the crowds have grown and more people don’t seem to have common sense or courtesy. I do not see this getting better for anyone and Disney sure is not going to do anything that costs money any time soon.
In the court of common sense Disney is not a fault. In our messed up system one could argue Disney has some responsibility. Personal responsibility has been lost in our society. Maybe Disney can make people have insurance on wheelchairs, strollers and scooters and documentation that they really need these as some have commented. I promise you after pushing my Dad around in a wheelchair and being hit in the achilles tendon by a stroller there are tons of issues and problems. Can Disney take away some freedom for safety or add cost or reduce crowds and remain viable? Not an easy situation. A good place to start is personal responsibility. If you hit someone with something apologize immediately and if it was your fault even more need to apologize. If you are walking and not being careful do not blame others. Most people use to know the golden rule and a lot lived by it. I dare say now most have never even heard of it. Maybe Disney can give suggestions on safe use of devices and how to move about the parks and it might help a bit. There is no easy fix. SO BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!!
what the heak