Another Golf Cart Accident

[des1954]

A fifteen year old boy was driving a rented Disney cart and had an accident. He had his younger sister with him. Although I don't know what kind of accident occured, the sister ended up with pretty severe head injuries and possible brain damage. The parents are both lawyers are did not make any kind of statement to the Disney Po-Po. Sad that some people think they are above the rules.

Regarding privately owned carts being banned from Ft.W....that rumor has been circulating for at least a decade. IMHO I doubt you will ever see it happen. However, Disney really needs to crack down on the irresponsible cart drivers - rental or otherwise.

The parents that pizzed me off on Halloween were those of the kid going around the 400 loop on the motorized skateboard. He had no lights of any kind & was wearing dark clothing. Because he was seated on the skateboard, you couldn't see him. I came close to running him over one time and really yelled at him to go back to his site and ditch the skateboard if he wanted to live to see another day. It was pretty cool to watch during the daylight, but not so cool after dark. There were too many people going around on carts trick or treating and the kid was just too hard to see. Stupid, stupid parents.

 

[RvUsa]

I agree Deb, that kid was a hoot during the daylight, he was having a blast, but it was just dangerous after it got dark! Matt must have made 1000 laps of the 400 loop on his stand up scooter, but even he knew that it wasn't safe after dark, and he is only 7.

 

[tim5055]

The parents are both lawyers are did not make any kind of statement to the Disney Po-Po. Sad that some people think they are above the rules.

Yup, and I see a lawsuit in the works.


Had Disney enforced the driving age their daughter would not have been injured......

 

[mamaloya]

Yup, and I see a lawsuit in the works.


Had Disney enforced the driving age their daughter would not have been injured......

And then the cost of the rentals will go up.

It is so sad to see so many people blaming everyone else for their bad decisions. No one wants to take responsibility anymore and everyone else pays the price for it.

Have any of ya'll heard the Eagles song "Get Over It"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3ORwO5xDUE

I play it for my kids all the time.

Here are the lyrics.
I turn on the tube and what do I see
A whole lotta people cryin' "don't blame me"
They point their crooked little fingers ar everybody else
Spend all their time feelin' sorry for themselves
Victim of this, victim of that
Your momma's too thin; your daddy's too fat

Get over it
Get over it
All this whinin' and cryin' and pitchin' a fit
Get over it, get over it

You say you haven't been the same since you had your little crash
But you might feel better if I gave you some cash
The more I think about it, old billy was right
Let's kill all the lawyers, kill 'em tonight
You don't want to work, you want to live like a king
But the big, bad world doesn't owe you a thing

Get over it
Get over it
If you don't want to play, then you might as well split
Get over it, get over it

It's like going to confession every time I hear you speak
You're makin' the most of your losin' streak
Some call it sick, but I call it weak

You drag it around like a ball and chain
You wallow in the guilt; you wallow in the pain
You wave it like a flag, you wear it like a crown
Got your mind in the gutter, bringin' everybody down
Complain about the present and blame it on the past
I'd like to find your inner child and kick it's little a$$

Get over it
Get over it
All this ?itchin' and moanin' and pitchin' a fit
Get over it, get over it

Get over it
Get over it
It's gotta stop sometime, so why don't you quit
Get over it, get over it

I just love this song!!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

It's not just Disney's lack of enforcement of rules, however. Certainly these parents received a copy of the the rules when they rented the cart and signed a rental agreement. Being attornies, they should have known enough to read the information they were given. However, because they are attornies, I am sure they realize no document you sign will prevent a successful lawsuit from taking place. Nothing will cover all your bases.

 

[Goingtoseethemouse]

I AM SICK OF PARENTS ALLOWING THEIR CHILDREN TO BREAK THE LAW!
I just hate hearing about all of these accidents! I feel terrible about he poor parents and the children involved. It is so sad!

It is a horrible horrible tragedy! You know....my 12 year old son complained to me ALL WEEK (when we were at the fort.) He wanted to ride his bike without a helmet. He wanted to look cool! But, it is a FLORIDA STATE LAW that people under 14 wear helmets when riding bicycles. IT IS THE LAW!! PERIOD!! We would not even budge...and made my son look "dorky" and made him wear his helmet anyway! It just kills me to see 90% of the kids at the Fort not following the law by not wearing helmets. It is the parents who are all being "lax" by allowing their children to break rules, and the law. One minute we allow them not to wear a helmet (we let it slide) ..the next its a golf cart (ok..a spin around the loop wont hurt...right?). WRONG! But what we are really teaching our kids is that rules do not matter.

It is the parents who are setting the examples. We as parents must set appropriate examples for our chilldren and teach them to follow the law! It is our job to raise responsible citizens...........we must learn how to say "NO" to our children.

 

[mnsprk]

i am sick of parents allowing their children to break the law!

amen!!

 

[PrincessNana]

A fifteen year old boy was driving a rented Disney cart and had an accident. He had his younger sister with him. Although I don't know what kind of accident occured, the sister ended up with pretty severe head injuries and possible brain damage. The parents are both lawyers are did not make any kind of statement to the Disney Po-Po. Sad that some people think they are above the rules.

Regarding privately owned carts being banned from Ft.W....that rumor has been circulating for at least a decade. IMHO I doubt you will ever see it happen. However, Disney really needs to crack down on the irresponsible cart drivers - rental or otherwise.

The parents that pizzed me off on Halloween were those of the kid going around the 400 loop on the motorized skateboard. He had no lights of any kind & was wearing dark clothing. Because he was seated on the skateboard, you couldn't see him. I came close to running him over one time and really yelled at him to go back to his site and ditch the skateboard if he wanted to live to see another day. It was pretty cool to watch during the daylight, but not so cool after dark. There were too many people going around on carts trick or treating and the kid was just too hard to see. Stupid, stupid parents.

I'm sure, that despite being lawyers, that they are grieving over their children. When we're at the fort, we see lots of people letting their teenagers drive the carts. No one wants to see their children hurt or involved in an accident and no one ever thinks anything bad is going to happen to them or their family. My heart goes out to this family.

 

[GoSox50]

Double amen!!!!

 

[stacktester]

That's nice. Our son wrecked your golf cart and injured our other child but you're not getting any info from us. The fort has a big income on their carts so don't look for them to be removed. I've seen 9 year olds at the Meadows driving a cart like they own the place. Private carts at the least should have a decal in the window like you get for your vehicle that is signed and says the owner has read the rules and understands them. That may stop some of the private cart mess. Disney has to do their part on their carts.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I'm tired of golf carts. I don't even use one when I play golf. I think all wheeled vehicles of any kind should be banned at the Fort. No trucks, no cars, no carts, no bikes, no skateboards, not even any roller skates. Only busses with knowlegeable drivers who can fill us in on the secret plans of Disney. Attornies should be banned, too. I'm talking to Bobby tonight. After I finish my 3rd glass of Merlot. Kungaloosh.

 

[LONE-STAR]

Today I watched a 10 to 12 year old boy cut donuts in trailsend parking lot in a disney cart as his dad watched.

 

[LONE-STAR]

Today I watched a 10 to 12 year old boy cut donuts in trailsend parking lot in a disney cart as his dad watched.

 

[fla4fun]

Do I think Disney enforces the rules as well as they should? No. But think about it for a minute - there have been very few posts where someone has said there was a CM actually watching a blatant disregard for the rules (bikes or carts) and done nothing. In most cases, we are seeing the infraction but Disney isn't. You would have to have at least one CM posted at every loop as a "transportation monitor" - stopping every cart to ask for ID (because to only ask certain people who look certain ages could be seen as discriminatory).

If the OP's story is correct, and at this point I have no reason to assume it's not, then the parents received the rules when they checked in. They violated the rules, they should be subject to the consequences of breaking the rules, even if that means immediate expulsion from FW. I can feel bad for the injured children, but I don't feel bad for parents who's children are injured because the parents let them break the rules. The rules aren't there to make people unhappy - they are there to keep them safe. Kids aren't old enough or responsible enough to decide these things - it's up to the parents to stand their ground. These parents didn't, and they paid a high price for their lack of supervision.

More parents need to stand up like goingtoseethemouse and teach their kids that right is right and wrong is wrong, and that there is a reason behind rules and laws. My parents were very strict when it came to obeying the rules. As we grew older, we learned that it was never ok to break a rule, but it was OK to work to change rules that we felt were unfair or wrong. To this day, I've never even had a traffic ticket - no speeding, no nothing. Unfortunately, society doesn't see that as a virtue any more.

 

[stacktester]

Today I watched a 10 to 12 year old boy cut donuts in trailsend parking lot in a disney cart as his dad watched.

So does this mean you saw him doing this twice?

 

[mrsscooter]

A fifteen year old boy was driving a rented Disney cart and had an accident. He had his younger sister with him. Although I don't know what kind of accident occured, the sister ended up with pretty severe head injuries and possible brain damage. The parents are both lawyers are did not make any kind of statement to the Disney Po-Po. Sad that some people think they are above the rules.

Regarding privately owned carts being banned from Ft.W....that rumor has been circulating for at least a decade. IMHO I doubt you will ever see it happen. However, Disney really needs to crack down on the irresponsible cart drivers - rental or otherwise.

The parents that pizzed me off on Halloween were those of the kid going around the 400 loop on the motorized skateboard. He had no lights of any kind & was wearing dark clothing. Because he was seated on the skateboard, you couldn't see him. I came close to running him over one time and really yelled at him to go back to his site and ditch the skateboard if he wanted to live to see another day. It was pretty cool to watch during the daylight, but not so cool after dark. There were too many people going around on carts trick or treating and the kid was just too hard to see. Stupid, stupid parents.

we saw this kid too, and my daughter (who is 9) was appauled that he didnt have a helmet. SHE was concerned he would get hurt. LOL Did anyone happen to see the little girl in loop 200 on the electric scooter chair dragging, litterally, a 9mo old under her arm around the loops?? that made my stomach turn.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

amen!!

I agree as well, how can children grow up with any respect for law if we don't set an example.

I have to say, if the two parents were lawyers and after reading the required documents and signing the waivers STILL let their child drive underage, they should have their licenses revoked. I am sure Disney will settle with them for an obscene amount of money, and while I am so sorry for their child's accident, the fault is all on them for letting this occur.

(ok, off my soap box now )

 

[bord1niowa]

Maybe this would be a case for a threat of removing the children from their home, since the parents obviously did not keep them from breaking the law and put the children in an unsafe position. I certainly hope they don't sue Disney. If Disney pushes them maybe they can shut down an obscene lawsuit. Oh listen to me, thinking a lawyer wouldn't sue for money, even if they knew it was their fault. Sheesh.

 

[mamaloya]

Oh listen to me, thinking a lawyer wouldn't sue for money, even if they knew it was their fault. Sheesh.

Silly Curt. That would make too much sense and taking responsibility for ones own stupidity. That is sooooo yesterday!!

What happened to teaching our kids right from wrong? What happened to teaching them that their actions have consequences whether they are positive or negative? I tell my kids that they make choices all the time and every choice has a consequence. Before they make that choice they need to know they can handle the consequence.

Parents are teaching their kids the opposite. My dd13 got her cell phone taken away at school for texting in class. I was in the office and the VP started to go into the spiel. My dd says "I was texting my mom". The VP and I both cut her off and said "it doesn't matter, you were texting". The VP was shocked that I was backing her up. She was ready to argue with me as to why they had to keep her phone for 5 days. Apparently parents come in demanding the phone back.

I have told my kids that I will NOT bail them out if they get into trouble. If they are innocent I will defend them to the death. If they are guilty, I will be there for them, but they will face the consequences. It does your child a disservice to bail them out. They learn that they can get away with anything. That the rules don't apply to them. Then they grow up and you can't bail them out anymore.

Allowing your kids to break the rules WITH your consent sets a VERY bad example. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!

And to you Disney suits. If you took the golf carts away every time someone was caught breaking the rules, refused to refund the remainder of their money, and then rerented it for the same time period, well.. that would be a win win situation. Safer FW and more money for you. Even writing tickets with hefty fines that are tagged onto your resort bill. Hmmm!!! I see dollar signs guys and possibly less chance of lawsuits. Just thinking out loud here.

 

[des1954]

we saw this kid too, and my daughter (who is 9) was appauled that he didnt have a helmet. SHE was concerned he would get hurt. LOL Did anyone happen to see the little girl in loop 200 on the electric scooter chair dragging, litterally, a 9mo old under her arm around the loops?? that made my stomach turn.

Yep! I saw the little girl giving the infant a ride in the ECV yesterday morning & it also made my stomach do a flip. I guess some parents think that as long as their kids aren't bothering them, it doesn't matter what they do. I think the government's future health plan should include testing people for intelligence levels when they reach puberty. If they don't score high enough, sterilize them.