1st Time and What a Painful Trip!

[Hannathy]

I was responding to the person who said you should have filed a claim immediately. My response to you was there is nothing you should do now and at the time you should have asked for help if you needed it and not just complained. And my I add that being clumsy doesn't qualify you for an upgrade 'cause if it did my family would be staying at the GF all the time!

 

[LoraJ]

I think all you can do is write a letter to Disney customer service. While you won't get any compensation, maybe you could give them a suggestion to have the bus drivers remind passengers to please watch their step. So that an accident like this could be prevented in the future.

While I don't expect CM's to be mind readers, it does seem odd to me that they didn't at least ask you if you were okay or needed anything.

 

[DVC Grammy]

Gee, lewisc, "Duh!" I was excited to be there! It was my first trip! I've never been on a bus where the seats were on raised platforms before! Also, I don't expect that a hotel clerk will know how injured I am. However, I do expect that when you tell them you're injured, you'll be offered some ice or askd if you need an ambulance or a trip to a clinic or SOMETHING! I don't expect them to say nothing but "Oh." It really wasn't about the room! I had to sit down in the lobby cause I couldn't stand up. I almost passed out when I got off the bus. I was still dizzy. My husband had to help me up out of the chair. I guess I didn't think I'd have to ask them for help. I think they should have offered.

Being in so much pain, why didn't you go to some medical facility? Even if I wanted to "soldier one", seeing me in so much pain, my DH would have insisted! And if I still resisted, he would've made sure I was seen, even if he had to drag me to a clinic!
Yes, it would've been nice if the CM's expressed concern, but why did you choose to suffer through your vacation?

 

[mickeyfan2]

So what rides did you go on in this condition? Where you able to walk the parks all day? Did you cut your vacation short?

 

[CleveRocks]

I didn't IMMEDIATELY say, "geez, I better file a lawsuit!". In fact, I've been thinking about it (and feeling it) for the last 4 months!

What happened to you stinks, that you hurt yourself and that affected your ability to have the best-possible time.

I agree with most of the chorus above, that the front desk clerk can't be expected to be a mind-reader or a medical professional.

Honest but pushy people with an over-inflated sense of entitlement, and also out-right liars, have ruined a lot of things for us in our society (and by the way, this is nothing new, been that way for years). It's very likely that because of legal liability concerns, CMs are trained to not apologize, not over-react themselves, and also not offer any sort of medical advice or treatment. There could possibly be some odd-ball medical condition in which ice could kill you or cause permanent damage, and thus entrusting an untrained person to offer it to you opens Disney up to all kinds of liability claims from you.

So because of all of this, you found yourself in a position to have to advocate for yourself rather than being Blanche DuBois and solely relying on the kindness of strangers. If you were waiting for a CM to be sympathetic and didn't receive that, you should first and foremost be actively self-protective rather than passively disappointed.

Again, sorry you had an accident and that it prevented you from having the best possible time. Nothing you can really do now except, as I think WillCAD suggested, make a new reservation and look forward to a better, healthier WDW trip the next time!

 

[Lewisc]

I just re-read the OP. I'm sorry if my posts, and others, come across as un-sympathetic.

I'm sorry you got hurt. I just think you had the obligation to speak up if you needed medical attention.

 

[HeyItsDeb]

WOW! I'm not a clumsy person, I just haven't rode on a bus since I was in grade school and none of them had raised platforms! Why does everyone keep harping on the room upgrade? I never asked for an upgrade. I was in the wing and I asked to have one closer to the main tower. They told me they were full and they also said the ones I'd like to have were a cheaper room than the one I had paid for anyway!!! So you can all take your room upgrade comments and stick them where the sun doesn't shine. Most (not all) of you have made incredibly rude comments to me. Your attitudes are very similar to Disney's (too bad, don't care). Maybe others who read this can beware that if you get injured at Disney, go the hospital right away and then file a lawsuit cause if you say something and they don't respond, you'll get no sympathy from them or anyone else. That's just pathetic! Being injured the way I was is not at all like tripping on some stairs or just being clumsy. Also, everyone seems to think I wanted a room upgrade, when I guess what I wanted was a room downgrade! And no, that stupid room is not even the issue! It's the lack of common decency that bothers me. Sometimes if you're hurt (or dizzy) you may not think straight. Never did I think I had to ask to get help, nor did I think to ask! What I'm surprised at here is the coldness of everyone and a "yeah, right, you just wanted a room upgrade" attitude. Maybe that's the way you think, but I don't. I feel sorry for all your attitudes. What a sorry world we live in! It makes me very sad, that's why I wrote in the first place. At least others will know what to do if something happens to them now. So listen up! If you get injured there - seriously - have some smelling salts handy so you can whip it out and use it so you can have a clear head and you'll know you need to say "call me an ambulance!" or "I need a doctor!". Then you can say you're going to sue them so you can try to get a fabulous room upgrade (sounds like that's what everyone else does, so why not you too?). Sadly, it wasn't me.

 

[SomePixiedust]

I'm sorry you were hurt and your vacation was unpleasant. None of us were there, so we can't interpret what happened as we don't know the tone of what was said in your exchanges, and tone can mean a lot.

I do agree that some type of incident report should have been filed. Not so as to start a lawsuit, but for insurance purposes. Sometimes, depending on the situation, one's own medical insurance will not cover a claim when an injury happens in these types of situations . I had a friend whose DS fell and cut his head open at a hotel (not Disney). The hotel was aware that this happened, but no report was filed. My friends took him on their own to a local hospital where he was stitched up, and told them what happened. The insurance rejected the claim stating that it had to go through the hotel. Well, after a few years of it getting bounced back and forth through the hotel (of course that manager had been transferred,and had to be located for his statement) it was finally resolved.

Was it the hotels fault he fell? No. But this is how the insurance handled it. So being that your injury happened on a bus, an incident report should have been filed, as you never know what information will be needed in the future.

Hope you have a better trip next time

 

[noodleknitter]

No one said you only wanted a free room. I said that this appears to be what you were pissed off about, and what your husband was snapping about. If you needed help, ice, a wheelchair or medical care, those things were your husband's resposibility, frankly. He wsn't hurt. He should have been thinking for you.

Snapping at the front desk people was rude.

 

[ducklite]

I find it absurd that people want a room "close to the lobby" but can manage to walk miles around the theme parks all day.

OP fell on a bus owned and operated by Mears. If she were that injured she should have immediately filed an incident report with Mears (who aren't responsible for people's carelessness) and gone to the ER.

Not sure what she's looking for here, but bottom line, she did nothing to mitigate her injuries, and is looking to place blame on everything but her own carelessness.

Disney owes her nothing.

Whatever.

Anne

 

[CleveRocks]

Sometimes if you're hurt (or dizzy) you may not think straight. Never did I think I had to ask to get help, nor did I think to ask!


So listen up! If you get injured there - seriously - have some smelling salts handy so you can whip it out and use it so you can have a clear head and you'll know you need to say "call me an ambulance!" or "I need a doctor!"

Again, sorry you had such a tough time.

And by the way, I ask this supportively, not in an accusatory manner.
Where was you husband? Could HE not have stepped in and helped you and asked for things? You were the injured person who was in pain, feeling dizzy, and not working with a totally clear head at that time. Why couldn't he help???

Eleven years ago, my wife was injured (no one else's fault) at a restaurant in Mexico (the nation, not the World Showcase pavilion). I was worried about her health and safety, but yet I was still able to take control of the situation and get her the help she needed -- I can assure you that the employees of Carlos & Charlie's weren't exactly coming to her rescue.

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I am sorry you feel like its wdw fault. I do hope you get to feeling better. We went last year and I fell getting off a boat from mk to the poly. I landed on my knee and two cm's offered me help. I told them I was fine. I took a whole bottle of motrin to bear the pain for the rest of the week(5 more days). I was determined not to ruin it for the rest of the family. I went to the doctor when I got home and the dr was mad. I couldnt hardly get my shoe on because my whole leg was so swollen. It is fine now. My whole point is ALL of my actions were choices I made. The fall was my fault for not being more cautious. Noone else fell but me. It wasnt wdw fault and its not in your case either.

 

[bavaria]

WOW! I'm not a clumsy person, I just haven't rode on a bus since I was in grade school and none of them had raised platforms! Why does everyone keep harping on the room upgrade? I never asked for an upgrade. I was in the wing and I asked to have one closer to the main tower. They told me they were full and they also said the ones I'd like to have were a cheaper room than the one I had paid for anyway!!! So you can all take your room upgrade comments and stick them where the sun doesn't shine. Most (not all) of you have made incredibly rude comments to me. Your attitudes are very similar to Disney's (too bad, don't care). Maybe others who read this can beware that if you get injured at Disney, go the hospital right away and then file a lawsuit cause if you say something and they don't respond, you'll get no sympathy from them or anyone else. That's just pathetic! Being injured the way I was is not at all like tripping on some stairs or just being clumsy. Also, everyone seems to think I wanted a room upgrade, when I guess what I wanted was a room downgrade! And no, that stupid room is not even the issue! It's the lack of common decency that bothers me. Sometimes if you're hurt (or dizzy) you may not think straight. Never did I think I had to ask to get help, nor did I think to ask! What I'm surprised at here is the coldness of everyone and a "yeah, right, you just wanted a room upgrade" attitude. Maybe that's the way you think, but I don't. I feel sorry for all your attitudes. What a sorry world we live in! It makes me very sad, that's why I wrote in the first place. At least others will know what to do if something happens to them now. So listen up! If you get injured there - seriously - have some smelling salts handy so you can whip it out and use it so you can have a clear head and you'll know you need to say "call me an ambulance!" or "I need a doctor!". Then you can say you're going to sue them so you can try to get a fabulous room upgrade (sounds like that's what everyone else does, so why not you too?). Sadly, it wasn't me.

I think that what people are questioning is that you came here four months after the incident asking for advice, and frankly we don't know what advice to give, other than in future you need to speak up for yourself.

I do agree that Mears should have filled out an incident report, if they were aware of the situation. I don't know if you or your husband spoke to the driver, or if he saw, or if he was opening the luggage bay, etc.

Yes, the CMs should also have provided support and/or filed an incident report, but as several people have pointed out here, they have no way of knowing the seriousness of the situation unless someone (you or your husband) advises them. If you were sitting in a chair in the lobby with your head in your hands, etc you may just have been one of many tired or overwhelmed people I see at WDW, and reality is that many people may have passed by either not noticing you or not noticing your distress.

I have had many accidents over the years and I don't recall one time where I said more than 'ow ow ow' - often so that people didn't realize how bad the situation truly was.

Anne (ducklite) put it succintly, albeit not coated with pixie dust. I'm sorry if that hurts, but you have come here I suspect to vent, but you asked for advice and may not have had the response you were hoping for. Frankly, there were very few comments here that I would consider 'rude', or even slightly rude.

Hope that your next trip is better.

 

[bavaria]

I did actually go back and reread all the posts, and without the OPs responses I see a total of 4 posts talking about a different room location, not necessarily an upgrade.

Deb, I don't think that there was an intent to attack you or assume that you were only looking for a free upgrade; Lewis did talk about a different room originally but then also came back and apologized if he sounded harsh.

I guess that you can just file me under 'confused' because I still don't understand what advice you were seeking, nor do I understand your responses. Having had broken ribs myself and spent a long time strapped up I know how painful it can be. If you do find yourself in that situation in future, please do speak up for yourself, or have your husband or someone else do so.

 

[goofy4tink]

I think we can safely say this....
1.The OP fell on a Mears bus, due to not realizing there was a step-down

2. The OP probably should have notified the driver that she had fallen

3. Upon arrival at the desk at the CR, OP probably should have asked for a cab in order to get medical attention

4. Disney CMs could have shown a bit more sympathy, but since they hear 'distortions/exagerations' all the time, they may not have fully understood the pain you were in

5.Coming here, after 4 months, looking for advice on what to do is probably not going to help you (the OP)

6. OP's dh could have been more vocal, but perhaps he just isn't that kind of person...doesn't like to create a scene and hopes for the best. My dh?? There would have been a scene, and I would have been hiding underneath the couch!!


I do not think the OP was looking for a room upgrade....for the most part, the rooms in the tower are not going to any 'closer' to anything. Perhaps she was looking for a room in the wing that was closer to the main bldg.
OP...I'm truly sorry you had this happen...not a great way to start your vacation. I hope you were able to have some fun in spite of your poor ribs!! Bet you didn't go on Primeval Whirl!!!!

Not sure if there is anything left to be said here. I'm not locking this one since I'm going to be known as the 'thread locking queen' pretty soon. What happened to the nice, easy going Transportation Board????

 

[HeyItsDeb]

OK, here's my final response. I was not "testing the waters" for compensation. What sticks in my mind so long after the incident was Disney's poor response to the situation. Both my husband and myself told the desk clerk and the desk clerk's supervisor, both - that I thought I had broken ribs. After no response but "Oh" from them my husband walked away afterward loudly complaining while walking away from the counter that that was really nice of them - that they weren't going to do anything (believe me he said it loud enough for anyone to hear, although there was no one in the lobby but us). Then he said to me that there is nothing you can do for broken ribs. Maybe they could bind them. Later I found out that they don't even do that. My doctor said that binding them doesn't allow the lung to fully inflate and that has caused too many people to get pneumonia.

Anyway, I just wanted advice as to what people thought I should do. Like send them a letter with what happened and how their poor response has made me feel badly about them? That maybe their unfeeling employees need a little more training so they don't treat someone else that way? That maybe the bus should have a sign to watch your step or the driver say something before hopping out to get your bags? I really wasn't expecting to be attacked for being clumsy, for not speaking up, for wanting a room upgrade, for my husband being so stupid as to not stick up for me, etc. Thanks to everyone for restoring my faith in humanity and compassion for people. Heck, I even got thrashed from someone who lives in New Orleans who probably relied on someone else for some help too when he needed it! I guess I just expect too much from people. I'm always disappointed.

And no, I didn't ride Primeval Whirl.

 

[blitzkrieg048]

I feel bad you broke your ribs. Having said that add me to the list of people who won't trash Disney for not kissing your butt. You seem like the kind of person who needs a pat on the back after doing a good deed. Your coming on this website to look for sympathy, well I think that's pretty pathetic. Your the one that we look at and say what is humanity coming to. You seem to get in your seat with no problems, hey so you slipped, stuff happens. I'm sorry it ruined your trip but don't holler at the cm's, they said the rooms were full, there was nothing closer now what. Kick someone out. Most people seem to think you should have asked for a cab to go to the er. That seems about right. Look in the mirror and say you know what I slipped I have to inquire on how to fix the situation. You seem to be alone in this, sorry.

 

[taximomfor4]

OP,
There is little harm in contacting WDW about this. Just be clear and succinct in your communication. Tell the facts, explain that your disappointment came from what you perceived the cms' attitudes to be, at the time. Mention your suggestion for future improvement in this area, not compensation since the accident itself was your fault. I think if you word it carefully, so that they take you seriously instead of taking you for "one of those people" ... the worst that can happen is that they don't let the CR Cm's know that their responses (or lack of) negatively impacted someone. The best that can happen is that they DO let the CR CM's know, and perhaps they will know how to sound more sympathetic in the future.

I do see where nobody leaped at helping you out though. And I don't really see the need for the bus driver to tell people there is a step there, since people obviously stepped UP to the seats. And those cm's hear ALL KINDS of things from people. I know, I have witnessed it. Really, they may not have gotten you ice because there is ice machines by the rooms. We obviously were not there, but it doesn't sound like any of us would have known to do something for you.

I completely get that they didn't have any closer rooms for you. That happens, and their hands are tied in that situation. So I am seeing your only problem being the lack of empathy, right? These are mostly kids, really, working the resorts and parks. Empathy and response to others' pain is hard to learn for many people. If they would have said "That's too bad, I hope you feel better soon. Would you like me to get you a bag of ice?" would you have felt fine about this experience? That is what your last post suggests. If so, then concentrate your communication on the need for empathetic responses from the cms

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

I think this thread has run it's course.