DISappointed

[carolinesc7]

UNACCEPTABLE!!!! Have an attorney contact Disney. I love Disney, but safety first!!!! Who cares about a free trip or whatever? I'd like assurances they will review their safety policies, inspect the situation, do employee training, etc.! And yes, I think doctor bills being paid after being dragged 5-10 feet under a tram is appropriate!!! If you also get offered a perk, then YAY for you! What if this mishap had resulted in death? It's okay to say "oh, well, accidents happen, you expect a free trip?" WRONG!! Nasty people!

 

[Mama Mouse]

I think the CM who asked "are you going to sue" was tipping you off. You want Disney to help? Have a lawyer contact them. It seems their unstated policy is to not respond to injury reports unless a lawyer is involved. I'm not a litigious person, but when the company says to you that this is the only way they will respond, it doesn't leave you any options.

My ds was injured on Primeval Whirl in May. Long story short he was restrained improperly and the CM knew it but let them go through. My husband should have stopped things but so should the CM. I was watching, not riding or it never would have happened. But that's another story.

Anyhow his face was bashed against the bar repeatedly and he had to hold on for dear life while my dh also held on to him. Had they not had good enough grips, the bar was at face level-he'd have been flung out. I don't even want to think about that.

My dh felt it was his own fault but I went straight to a CM who got a manager and took down a bunch of notes about the situation. I told him point blank I don't want anything at all other than the CMs to be re-trained and told immediately that this is DANGEROUS. He could have died. I don't care if it embarrasses someone. Life is more important than someone's delicate sensibilities.

Maybe that's all the OP wants in this case? For the issue to be addressed and treated like it's the very serious thing it is so that it can be prevented from happening again.

 

[caselaw3]

What do you expect in return? Things happen. You cannot let this incident take over your lives.

I hope you aren't trying to get a free trip or something out of this...

No, I am not trying to get a free trip out of it! I am trying to get an apology and if for some reason we have any medical bills, I would like them to be paid - My husband has been to the doctor twice since we have been home - he has water on the knee which they have drained (or whatever they do to that) and they have given him 3 cortisone shots(?) I think my insurance will cover all of this, but if they don't - I don't have the extra money to pay out of pocket for this!

I understand that things happen but I also understand that someone should be able to take responsibility when there is negligence.

 

[caselaw3]

I'm guessing she, just as any other normal person would expect a business, especially Disney to show a reasonable amount of concern and to give a rather large apology. Really, this situation could have ended so much worse for all involved...including Disney.

Thank you! That is exactly my point, what if my husband had dropped my son while he was being dragged??? Or what if it had been the mother with the infant in the carrier? Or what if it had been me? I am much shorter and those doors would have been hitting me in the back of the head...i certainly would have gone down!

I don't want this to happen to someone else! I want to make sure that they are aware there is a problem and fix it for the future before something really bad happens!

 

[caselaw3]

I think the CM who asked "are you going to sue" was tipping you off. You want Disney to help? Have a lawyer contact them. It seems their unstated policy is to not respond to injury reports unless a lawyer is involved. I'm not a litigious person, but when the company says to you that this is the only way they will respond, it doesn't leave you any options.

That's just awful! I don't to even think about having to get a lawyer involved - even the thought of having to consider suing disney leaves a bad taste in my mouth

 

[caselaw3]

UNACCEPTABLE!!!! Have an attorney contact Disney. I love Disney, but safety first!!!! Who cares about a free trip or whatever? I'd like assurances they will review their safety policies, inspect the situation, do employee training, etc.! And yes, I think doctor bills being paid after being dragged 5-10 feet under a tram is appropriate!!! If you also get offered a perk, then YAY for you! What if this mishap had resulted in death? It's okay to say "oh, well, accidents happen, you expect a free trip?" WRONG!! Nasty people!

Thank you! That is exactly my point! We were lucky that nothing really bad happened but DIsney needs to make sure that this doesn't happen again to someone else with a more serious result!!! I want to make sure that something like this NEVER happens to another person...just thinking about the what ifs makes my stomach queasy....

 

[caselaw3]

My ds was injured on Primeval Whirl in May. Long story short he was restrained improperly and the CM knew it but let them go through. My husband should have stopped things but so should the CM. I was watching, not riding or it never would have happened. But that's another story.

Anyhow his face was bashed against the bar repeatedly and he had to hold on for dear life while my dh also held on to him. Had they not had good enough grips, the bar was at face level-he'd have been flung out. I don't even want to think about that.

My dh felt it was his own fault but I went straight to a CM who got a manager and took down a bunch of notes about the situation. I told him point blank I don't want anything at all other than the CMs to be re-trained and told immediately that this is DANGEROUS. He could have died. I don't care if it embarrasses someone. Life is more important than someone's delicate sensibilities.

Maybe that's all the OP wants in this case? For the issue to be addressed and treated like it's the very serious thing it is so that it can be prevented from happening again.

OMG!!!! Is your son OK? That is TERRIBLE! TERRIBLE! I would have been so scared!

You are exactly right! I just want it addressed and fixed...Disney is a place with tons of kids and families - I want to make sure that they are all safe and can have happy magical vacations! I know that things happen - BUT things like this and the incident with your DS can be prevented and that is all I want.

 

[NinaBella]

Hi all - I just wanted to put this out there because I am very disappointed with the way Disney has handled my situation.

On Friday the 13th my family and I were at Epcot. We got on the tram to get back to parking....we had two sleeping children, our double stroller, and our backpacks...in our seat was a young girl with her infant in an infant seat and another woman in her party (seated near one of the exits). The Tram stopped at our parking area and my husband attempted to get off while carrying our mostly sleeping son in his arms....before he could get fully off the tram it started moving (fast) despite the fact that all the passengers in our car and the adjoining car were screaming stop...

the tram dragged my husband and my son for about 5-10 feet before my husband was able to roll away from the door and escape. My son and daughter were both terrified. The door of the tram caused some damage to my husbands already damaged knee.

We contacted security in the parking area and they told us to tell the hotel concierge and they would look into the issue.

My disappointment comes from the fact that when we called to see if they would at least cover the co-pays for the doctor visits, Disney's response was a snotty "are you going to sue us.." of course we are not going to sue them...we love disney....but they could have at least apologized....which they did NOT do and they could offer to pay for the doctor visit...which they did NOT do....

I just read someone else on here getting $150 credit because they couldn't get in their room for 30 minutes....my husband is hurt and my kids are scared and I can't even get an apology!!!!!

end of rant....

thanks for listening

Are you saying your husband and child were outside the tram being dragged? So when it stopped, your family just proceeded to your car? I am sorry this happened; however, knowing how to react at the scene of an incident if critical in getting the proper response and treatment. At this time, police (or Disney security) should have been called and even possibly an ambulance to the scene. A report should have been filed along with witness statements. I am not saying all this to sue but to properly document the incident. My insurance company also goes after other parties to pay for medical coverage if an accident happened on their property. I am curious what type of documentation you have on this incident now? We always drive to the park and take the tram, and usually the drivers are very careful ensuring everyone has moved away from the tram before departing. The driver also makes the announcement for no one else to get off because he is departing. It does sound like this driver made a mistake unless your family was extremely slow getting off after the driver announced he was departing.

 

[caselaw3]

Are you saying your husband and child were outside the tram being dragged? So when it stopped, your family just proceeded to your car? I am sorry this happened; however, knowing how to react at the scene of an incident if critical in getting the proper response and treatment. At this time, police (or Disney security) should have been called and even possibly an ambulance to the scene. A report should have been filed along with witness statements. I am not saying all this to sue but to properly document the incident. My insurance company also goes after other parties to pay for medical coverage if an accident happened on their property. I am curious what type of documentation you have on this incident now? We always drive to the park and take the tram, and usually the drivers are very careful ensuring everyone has moved away from the tram before departing. The driver also makes the announcement for no one else to get off because he is departing. It does sound like this driver made a mistake unless your family was extremely slow getting off after the driver announced he was departing.

my husband was half on half off the tram holding my son when it started going - my daughter and i were still on the tram - we didn't get to get off - we got off at the next stop and I immediately went to security who followed me back to the lot where my husband got off - our car was right next to the tram so he had hobbled over to the car to put my son in his carseat - when my daughter and myself and security got to the car my husband was on the ground outside the car and his leg was all swollen and he said it was painful to stand on - security took notes but never gave us any kind of paperwork....they asked if we wanted an ambulance my husband said no we needed to get the kids back to our room.....
security told us to report it to the concierge when we got back to the hotel - which we did and then we went to the room so my husband could get off his feet and ice the knee....

i didn't know what else to do but I thought I had done the proper thing.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

This just makes me horrified to hear.

I know you are averse to contacting a lawyer, but even a simple letter might do, even one that expresses that you have no current intentions of litigation but simply seek any copays for follow up medical treatment, and an apology and assurances that they will reeducate staff.

It sounds awful but unless companies are forced to address incidents like this, they can be swept under the rug and repeated. I'm NOT saying take anyone to the cleaners, but I AM saying it is your job to raise a bit of a stink over it so that Disney does something about it, that higher level managers know this can and does happen and have to figure out a way to address this.
Think about your next trip; imagine this happens right in front of you and a child is killed. Think about how terrible you'd felt for not forcing someone to acknowledge that this is a problem and can happen given their current protocol.

If you can do it without a lawyer, great. But if you can't....

Lawsuits, insurers, and lawyers get a bad rap, but they are often what gets results as far as making changes to reduce incidents of liability. Incidents of liability may look like expenses to them, but they are priceless lives and healthy bodies to consumers/guests. The same lawyers/insurers that force monetary settlements may also secure industry practice reforms and product safety advances; and even if they don't secure those, the cost of the settlements drive companies to improve their practices and safety so they will not have so much liability (i.e. payouts).

Also, I am so sorry this happened to you. I cannot imagine that trauma. I can tell you did exactly what you thought was best.

 

[caselaw3]

This just makes me horrified to hear.

I know you are averse to contacting a lawyer, but even a simple letter might do, even one that expresses that you have no current intentions of litigation but simply seek any copays for follow up medical treatment, and an apology and assurances that they will reeducate staff.

It sounds awful but unless companies are forced to address incidents like this, they can be swept under the rug and repeated. I'm NOT saying take anyone to the cleaners, but I AM saying it is your job to raise a bit of a stink over it so that Disney does something about it, that higher level managers know this can and does happen and have to figure out a way to address this.
Think about your next trip; imagine this happens right in front of you and a child is killed. Think about how terrible you'd felt for not forcing someone to acknowledge that this is a problem and can happen given their current protocol.

If you can do it without a lawyer, great. But if you can't....

Lawsuits, insurers, and lawyers get a bad rap, but they are often what gets results as far as making changes to reduce incidents of liability. Incidents of liability may look like expenses to them, but they are priceless lives and healthy bodies to consumers/guests. The same lawyers/insurers that force monetary settlements may also secure industry practice reforms and product safety advances; and even if they don't secure those, the cost of the settlements drive companies to improve their practices and safety so they will not have so much liability (i.e. payouts).

Also, I am so sorry this happened to you. I cannot imagine that trauma. I can tell you did exactly what you thought was best.

Thanks so much! I know that I definitely want disney to reevaulate the protocol for the trams and to make sure that all CMs operating the trams are educated properly and following proper protocol.

I don't know any lawyers and don't really know where to start with something like that - but I don't want this to happen to someone else - I would feel awful if that were to happen...

 

[twinsouvenirs]

You can look up your county/city bar association and most have a referral line; you can usually get a 30 min free consultation, and you can tell the lawyer you just want a letter at this point. Should be pretty cheap, you can tell them how much you are willing to pay and if they won't agree, they won't. It might save you out of pocket money in the long run.

But I totally understand this is a scary prospect, and if you are able to resolve it through customer service with Disney I am definitely not saying you NEED a lawyer. I just definitely think you need to be heard, and if they don't listen without an attorney involved, I think you should speak their language

*HUG HUG HUG* I hope your husband recovers well and the kids forget all about it.

 

[caselaw3]

You can look up your county/city bar association and most have a referral line; you can usually get a 30 min free consultation, and you can tell the lawyer you just want a letter at this point. Should be pretty cheap, you can tell them how much you are willing to pay and if they won't agree, they won't. It might save you out of pocket money in the long run.

But I totally understand this is a scary prospect, and if you are able to resolve it through customer service with Disney I am definitely not saying you NEED a lawyer. I just definitely think you need to be heard, and if they don't listen without an attorney involved, I think you should speak their language

*HUG HUG HUG* I hope your husband recovers well and the kids forget all about it.

Thanks! I am going to send another email to the address OP gave and see if I hear anything back from that - I don't want someone else to get hurt or worse and the thought that I would have to get a lawyer to get Disney to do the right thing really bothers me!

 

[maxiesmom]

I've read a few comments that Disney employees are taught not to apologize and I can't understand that logic.

I work in a major casino in Las Vegas and one of our core principles is to apologize and solve the problem. We are specifically taught to apologize when we receive a complaint, try to find a solution, and if we can't solve the problem to escalate it to a manager or security or someone that can address the problem. Not apologizing would be a terrible company policy.

We never admit guilt but that is different from never apologizing.

I work for a major retail corporation and we too are taught to never apologize if a guest has an accident. Too many juries see it as an admission of guilt.

OP-- What happened to your family is truly horrible! But keep in mind Disney gets thousands of e-mails a day, it may take them a little time to get back to you. Did you send them your phone number? I've actually had them call me when I have voiced a complaint.

 

[Mama Mouse]

OMG!!!! Is your son OK? That is TERRIBLE! TERRIBLE! I would have been so scared!

You are exactly right! I just want it addressed and fixed...Disney is a place with tons of kids and families - I want to make sure that they are all safe and can have happy magical vacations! I know that things happen - BUT things like this and the incident with your DS can be prevented and that is all I want.

He's fine, thank goodness. He hurt that day but there was no bruising or anything like that. He did end up losing a tooth the next day-we think it was a bit loose and the banging jarred it the rest of the way loose, maybe? Either way it wasn't damaged or anything and the boy got the tooth fairy prize of the century because we were at the condo and all we had were 20's.

The biggest bummer was how incredibly scared it made him. He was so amped up, finally feeling brave enough to try his first coasters. He'd done Space Mountain the day before and loved it. But the incident was on day 2 and after that, anything even resembling a coaster was a no go. He cried through BTMRR which was really sad because he's 10 and while he can be timid, I would never have anticipated him crying through something like that. It totally changed his demeanor for those rides and I doubt I'll get him on another for a long while. (We'll see in Feb.)

 

[rt2dz]

What do you expect in return? Things happen. You cannot let this incident take over your lives. I hope you aren't trying to get a free trip or something out of this...

Are you kidding me? "Things happen"!?!?!?

This is truly one of the few times I would think contacting a lawyer isn't out of the question. Due to the CARELESSNESS of a Disney employee, they were injured (and thankfully *just* injured since that could have had fatal consequences) and have incurred medical bills. By all means, Disney should be paying the medical bills! The OP stated she contacted Disney to see if they were paying the medical bills--and just the co-pay; how generous!

OP--My son was injured a few years ago by YMCA employee rough housing with other kids. He fell and landed on my son, whose hand was injured. We contacted the YMCA, who took our information, and then had their lawyer contact us. Once everything was investigated, the YMCA paid for all medical expenses. Their lawyer was shocked we didn't want to sue, but an apology, a reprimand for the employee, better training for all employees, and payment for the medical bills was all we wanted. And we were given all of it. Yup, an apology. Not an "we're sorry we hurt your son", but a "we're sorry your son was hurt." I was ok with that because we all knew.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[susykt4]

Where I work we are absolutely FORBIDDEN to apologize. It is an admission of guilt and supposedly will make us lose a court case. I think we can actually get fired for apologizing. I think it stinks but with how sue-happy people are these days, I guess we have to play it safe over nice.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

That is a motor vehicle vs pedestrian that security should have documented and sent your husband for medical treatment. I thought there would be an assistant on the rear to give the all clear before they moved? They certainly should cover all medical bills. I hope his knee heals okay and nothing was torn.

At the resort, I had a child caught on a closing door and they call the medics, wrapped the arm and gave us ice. They followed up the next day and everything was fine at that point. No refund, but apologized several times....another trip we were locked out of the room three nights in a row for an hour, they worked on it a long, long time, no refund...finally replaced it after the third night.

I had a family member needing stitches from a pool ladder injury on a cruise and the trip insurance did not cover the stitches removal or follow up for the repair for the ear lobe to be properly or cosmetically appearance repair. Still fighting that battle.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Thanks! I am going to send another email to the address OP gave and see if I hear anything back from that - I don't want someone else to get hurt or worse and the thought that I would have to get a lawyer to get Disney to do the right thing really bothers me!

Besides this problem, how did your trip go overall, the flights, resort, kids at the parks, etc. I know you had a lot of planning and decisions.

 

[lucyem]

Does your insurance company know where the injury came from? They may make their own claim as the fault lies with the tram driver.

I would call a lawyer now. This was a preventable accident caused by a tram driver. You should not be responsible for any of the medical fees.