A woman is suing Disney after she says the monorail doors malfunctioned without any warning and shut on her, trapping her and requiring other guests to intervene to free her.
The incident happened March 24, the woman said in her new Orange County Circuit Court lawsuit filed in July.
Rebecca Vanturini was in “excruciating pain being stuck between the monorail doors for a few minutes,” her lawsuit said. “About five male guests tried to pry her loose from the monorail doors and eventually got her out.”
Disney’s “Cast Members did not help in any way,” the lawsuit also said, adding the “monorail captain got on the intercom and stated there was a malfunction and the monorail would be shut down to restart the system immediately.”
The three-page Orange County lawsuit is scarce on details and doesn’t say how the woman was injured other than she had “a permanent injury to her body.” It also does not give any more information about what happened on board to explain how the train broke down.
She is suing for more than $50,000.
Morgan & Morgan, which is representing Vanturini, was unable to provide any additional information or give a statement, a law firm spokesman said this Wednesday.
No public records existed for Reedy Creek firefighters responding to such a call, according to the special district that provides emergency services for Disney property.
The lawsuit comes as the state is going to take a harder look at Disney World’s monorail system.
For the first time, state inspectors will be inspecting the monorail, thanks to a new law passed this year.
Disney has called the law retaliation for The Mouse speaking out against Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education law, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.
However, some Florida Republican lawmakers argued there needs to be more oversight for the monorail so visitors know it’s safe.
“I want to go to Disney with my family because I do love Disney. I want to make sure when I’m on the monorail that the monorail is safe. I want to know that this great state and the great folks at Florida Department of Transportation are inspecting these just like they do the other monorails,” said Sen. Nick DiCeglie, according to Florida Politics, the lawmaker who sponsored the monorail amendment and advocated for state inspections during a May hearing. “Has Disney done anything wrong in their maintenance of the monorail system over the last 50 years? It’s a great question, and I think that’s a really great reason why we should all support this amendment. We don’t know this.”
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