Typical Cast Member Reaction After Safety Incident?

[rajak73]

The point is just going over your head.

Every fall isn't nothing. But every fall isn't something either.

Pick yourself up and move on with your day. The OP fell two feet and bumped her butt on the ground. She didn't trip, bleed profusely, and need stitches. Her knees weren't scraped up. She didn't bang her head.

Good lord. My 7 year old seems tougher than some of the posts in here.

I get what you are saying. I had a ladder slip out from under me in January, fell about 8 ft. I didn't even think that "maybe in 3 months my back is going to start hurting" my cracked ribs were hurting anyway, lol, oh and I'm 50+10. I didn't know if it made me feel better or worse when the doctor told me I must keep myself in pretty good shape because someone "my age" should have been hurt worse.

 

[TXMama09]

This is sort of off topic but I thought it would be worth sharing here...

Last July we were in Epcot. There was a woman (50-60s) sitting on one of the brick walls around a tree outside of the American pavilion. She passed out (assuming due to heat), and hit her face on the concrete. Knocked her smooth out, and was bleeding profusely from her nose and face. My (now ex) husband is a paramedic, and he went to be with her until the paramedics on duty showed up...she was bleeding, and with no protection or medical supplies, there was really nothing he could do other than make sure she didn't fall again...which she was continuously doing. We, and everyone around, were absolutely astonished and appalled at how long it took the medics to get there. I understand it is a large park, and they can't just be at every corner, but a CM called for help immediately when the incident happened and it was a good 10 or more minutes before medical professionals arrived.

I have since prayed that I never have a medical emergency while at WDW. It was terrifying.

 

[larryz]

...everyone around, (was) absolutely astonished and appalled at how long it took the medics to get there. I understand it is a large park, and they can't just be at every corner, but a CM called for help immediately when the incident happened and it was a good 10 or more minutes before medical professionals arrived.

I have since prayed that I never have a medical emergency while at WDW. It was terrifying.

Wow - maybe a small trauma kit isn't such a bad thing to throw into the backpack...

 

[Bluegrrl]

Getting in on this late, but my experiences have been varied. As a PP said, CMs are to ask at least 3x if they need assistence. And not in a "do you need help, do you need help, do you need help?" way, but in a more cautious and helpful way, and to explain the options.

Other experience: I have a seizure disorder, and had a seizure at MK many years ago. Disney has a little tiny stretcher and mini ambulance there, and they quickly whisked me backstage for help. They do have emts on staff. The mini-ambulance is kinda cute, although I would prefer to never be on it again!

Second and last experience: Last year we stayed at Caribbean Beach, and I was wearing my pretty high heeled cork sandals. Me being my typical cliche clumsy self managed to find the only major pothole/crack on the sidewalk. My cork sandals are pretty but not stable and I fell down and nearly twisted my ankle. Fortunately my mom is a nurse/midwife and managed to wrap my ankle up. I could still walk pretty well (twisted ankle ain't going to stop me at Disney!), and told the manager that they should really pave that thing up. She took down all my info, asked if I need to see any of their urgent care people, how was I doing, where was I when it happened, etc. She was very helpful, and gave me her card, as well as another card (some legal dept or something) in case things got bad. I refused care b/c really, with a nurse mom, and the fact that I limp/walked down to Port Royal, I thought I was OK. Annoyed, but OK. And I was eventually. No issues.

So, Disney did care of me, and I'm sorry that they didn't do that for you. But the gate should have been closed, really. That was a misstep on their part.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

The point is just going over your head.

Every fall isn't nothing. But every fall isn't something either.

Pick yourself up and move on with your day. The OP fell two feet and bumped her butt on the ground. She didn't trip, bleed profusely, and need stitches. Her knees weren't scraped up. She didn't bang her head.

Good lord. My 7 year old seems tougher than some of the posts in here.

I'd like to express my love for your posts <3

 

[asta]

How about a little understanding and empathy here? It may well be an age thing and those of you who are still young don't have to deal with the 'not fun' side of aging yet. Older bodies lose flexibility, cartilage and bone density to just name a few. It is a natural progression and you don't have to be that old to start dealing with these issues. A fall in a 50 year old is much different than a fall in a 35 year old.

I tripped over a curb at Universal (my own clumsy fault), injured my knee and tried to deal with it after stopping the bleeding. I found out two months later that the fall had ripped the cartilage into three shreds and the hanging cartilage had rolled up under my knee cap. Talk about extreme pain! And by the way the people at Universal did not offer any assistance at all except for a small finger type bandaid.

Falls are important to avoid. I had a total knee replacement at a relatively young age and the orthopedic surgeon told me that the number one thing that I have to avoid is falling because of the complications from a fall.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have since prayed that I never have a medical emergency while at WDW. It was terrifying.

Fortunately I have experienced the opposite. One trip my sister started to feel unwell the day we flew in. She went to the front desk of the resort to ask for some advice on a med center or ER, and they called an ambulance.Say I'm having chest pains, and they don't mess around! The staff at Cornonado Springs couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. Even down to the manager calling a couple of days later to check and see how she was doing and if she needed anything. It ended up being nothing, btw.

Another trip, I was at the Magic Kingdom with my dad, sitting on the curb waiting for the parade to start. A woman took a header and landed hard on the pavement. It was almost as if people teleported in--she was surrounded by CMs and people in suits. They wouldn't let her move, and then then medics were there in a flash. They loaded her up, and some suits escorted what I am assuming were her family members, off.

Disney seems on the ball to me.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

The OP declined medical attention. That is all they are going to offer her. If she feels that she may wish to take legal action later on, photographs of the gate would be helpful as well as any records of resultant medical treatment.

 

[Catvondita]

I'd like to express my love for your posts <3

Right? I kind of want to buy this lady a drink she sounds awesome lol

 

[pktbMouse]

Am I the only one who would have stood up, brushed myself off, and pray that nobody witnessed it? Accident report.......pfft.

If handrails were for arses they'd call them arserails. Lesson learned.

lmao...you know Im going to call them arserails now..lol

 

[PetePanMan]

Come on folks, let's get this tread to over 100 posts and 10,000 views

 

[luvthemouse71]

This is sort of off topic but I thought it would be worth sharing here...

Last July we were in Epcot. There was a woman (50-60s) sitting on one of the brick walls around a tree outside of the American pavilion. She passed out (assuming due to heat), and hit her face on the concrete. Knocked her smooth out, and was bleeding profusely from her nose and face. My (now ex) husband is a paramedic, and he went to be with her until the paramedics on duty showed up...she was bleeding, and with no protection or medical supplies, there was really nothing he could do other than make sure she didn't fall again...which she was continuously doing. We, and everyone around, were absolutely astonished and appalled at how long it took the medics to get there. I understand it is a large park, and they can't just be at every corner, but a CM called for help immediately when the incident happened and it was a good 10 or more minutes before medical professionals arrived.

I have since prayed that I never have a medical emergency while at WDW. It was terrifying.

One of my biggest worries is that I'll have to do CPR while at WDW for that reason. Not because I doubt my skills but because it seems like it takes awhile for support to get there.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Okay?

I didn't ask if people get hurt falling on their ***. I just wondered if someone falling on their *** typically leads to an immediate worry of future back issues. That's what I think is weird.

It is feasible that a jarring fall on the tush could cause some spinal issues. But I would presume, like whiplash, any signs of injury would present within the first day.

Since OP mentions no injury, I think it is safe to assume they are in the clear.

I do worry about my back and neck when I fall and now my ankle due to histories of prior injury. But it is more a concern of if I injured them at the moment of a fall and not that something will show up later.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

My mom fell at animal kingdom a couple years ago, her glasses broke and cut her face up pretty good.
The park guests around her in the incident were aaaaamazing (it was kinda an "in the crowd" tumble, she tripped on a stroller when someone not paying attention stopped to peruse the park map in the middle of 300 people walking towards Everest. Don't. Stop. In. Walkways. It's my pet peeve. Take your awe/confusion/chatter/shock AWAY from the place where hoards of people are moving) helped her up, off to the side away from crowd, ice from someone's little cooler was supplied. CM's and paramedics were not far off, very professional, and very clearly trying to determine if this was litigation worthy (it wasn't. Crap happens) but after we explained it wasn't a park liability issue and declined an ambulance ride to the hospital for stitches (we opted for the stitches to be done at a nearby urgent care) they were pretty much done with us. We got a paper for a fast pass at AK (which was kind of sheepishly given to us because by the time we could get out of th park, back to the resort, in the car to the urgent care and back, it would be way too late for a quick spin on dinosaur or something. Not to mention kind of unfeeling.) and a paper for a free T-shirt (because it's bad PR for an older woman with a super bloody shirt to be seen in the park) oh, and we were allowed to take the wheelchair to the bus.
we weren't expecting anything, the response was professional enough, but clearly more about avoiding litigation than anything else (not that I blame them in the slightest, but after the fifth recounting of the story for the next most senior person, it got tiring. "Look, we're not going to sue you, can we go??") we laugh about it now, I call the shirt the "busted face souvenir"

 

[Dizlvr]

I don't get expecting an incident report being filled out because you chose to lean against a gate. An unlocked gate isn't unsafe because its purpose is not meant to hold up humans who need a rest. You fell because you made a bad decision not because Disney did anything wrong.

 

[Aerinha]

I don't get expecting an incident report being filled out because you chose to lean against a gate. An unlocked gate isn't unsafe because its purpose is not meant to hold up humans who need a rest. You fell because you made a bad decision not because Disney did anything wrong.

As a person, I agree with this completely. Disney should not be liable for a guest's choice. As someone who works in a very public place, I am surprised Disney didn't want her to sign a form saying she refused care so that, should she decide they were at fault for her sitting on their gate, they had proof she initially said she was ok and didn't want to have medical treatment. From a cya standpoint, they seemed a little lax considering how litigious everyone is. We have to do a form on every injury at my work including the day the heel broke on my shoe and I took a bad fall. Not work's fault, and the only injury was to my pride, but I still had to report it.

One day we had a guy in a scooter try to drive it over a curb that was visibly 6 inches high because he swore it was painted the color indicating it was handicap accessible. We have code inspections all the time, it was painted correctly for being the fire zone it is, but regardless of color why would you try to drive over something that high? Long story short, he flipped his scooter and got banged up for his poor judgement, then came in and alternated between expecting me to tend to his skinned knees & hands (he seemed to think handing him a wet paper towel and a few band aids was not enough, but I don't do blood, I had no gloves and no medical training), and screaming at me. I hadn't seen a thing, but still had to write up what my dealings with him were and what he claimed happened.

 

[maxiesmom]

the initial CMs reaction was not what she was wondering about.
it was the CM at guest services that did not document what she was concerned about that she thought may not have been a typical response.
when i've gone to guest services with an issue they document it. (for example when my sister's MB suddenly stopped working last summer we went to guest services and they decided it could not be fixed and linked a new one for her and they documented what happened)

They most likely documented your troubles with a MB as they have many glitches with the system they are still trying to fix.

The OP wasn't hurt, and didn't want medical care. What exactly was there to document? She leaned on something not meant to be leaned on and fell. And was unhurt. Any document filled out would likely look like: Guest erincon23 leaned against a gate and promptly fell. She was uninjured.

What would the point of it be? To make Disney aware that sometimes people try to have things hold their weight that shouldn't? Should they put up signs on all gates and railings that they are not intended to be leaned on, and do so at your own risk?

 

[larryz]

As someone who works in a very public place, I am surprised Disney didn't want her to sign a form saying she refused care so that, should she decide they were at fault for her sitting on their gate, they had proof she initially said she was ok and didn't want to have medical treatment. From a cya standpoint, they seemed a little lax considering how litigious everyone is.

My guess: since it involved a gate, there was probably video.

 

[skibum25]

More people than I would have expected feel that Disney owe them something if they fall in their parks.

CM's are not EMS so if I'm injured they are NOT the people I want helping me. I also have zero interest in filling out a report if I am not injured an not clear why somebody would want to.

It seems to me Disney handled the fall appropriately.

 

[JoeA]

Am I the only one who would have stood up, brushed myself off, and pray that nobody witnessed it? Accident report.......pfft.

If handrails were for arses they'd call them arserails. Lesson learned.

Your not alone. Except if I managed to fall and NOT spill my beer then I would have hoped everyone saw my amazing feat!