DD got an electrical shock/burn at CR!

[B3LM]

Does anyone know the phone number or address for Guest Claims? While we were at the Contemporary on Easter Sunday waiting to go in for Easter Mass, my DD5 touched a live wire that was sticking out of an electrical outlet. The wire was about 6 inches long! She got an electrical shock and burn. The paramedics came and treated her, and they (the police and a CR CM) took our name, phone, and address. I haven't received any phone call. My mail from last week gets delivered today and I'm hoping there is a letter from them in the mail. If not, I feel that I should contact them because this was complete neglegance on their part.

What would you do?
Thanks!
Beth

 

[corndog]

This is not complete negligence on their part. There is certainly some contributory negligence on your part. Who allows their children to touch strange wires protruding from walls when you don't know what they are? Mean but true. I do hope your child is alright, though. This will probably be the last time she does that.

 

[melindaandrob]

I disagree corndog, things happen in the blink of an eye. I could see one of my children touching a wire sticking out of the wall. Kids are curious.

Beth, I'm glad that your daughter didn't suffer more serious injuries. If you don't hear from WDW I would definitely follow up, just to know how they handled the incident so noone else is at risk.

Melinda

 

[dedala]

Corndog....... you probably do not have any kids, they are a million miles an hour , all day everyday,

I am glad she is ok as well, Disney should have known better, shame on them...
I would contact them asap

 

[maryliz]

Wow ... it could have been so much worse for your daughter. Glad to hear that she will be fine, but you are right to want to know that the situation was rectified. You do not have to feel that you were negligent ... parents need about 4 extra hands to hold each and every body part of each and every child (lol). Melinda is right ... things happen in the blink of an eye. If the wire was there because they were working on it, they should have had a little orange/black sign that sits on the floor to alert passersby of a danger in the immediate vicinity.

 

[B3LM]

corndog, I can't even respond to your comment except that I allow my children to touch electrical outlets everyday! NOT!!!
I don't think she even realized that there was an electrical outlet there. After all, who'd expect to have a 6 inch wire sticking out of the outlet.

I really thought I'd hear something from them by now and everyone keeps telling me that I should definitely follow up.

 

[MinnieGi]

I'm so sorry to hear this happend, but I am glad your DD is alright.
Disney definetly should have taken better "childproofing" measures to insure safety. A 6-inch wire protruding from a wall is a call to any curious kid to come check it out. They way kids can move around, parents cannot always react fast enough.
I hope you hear from Disney soon.

 

[cforza]

B3LM, Sorry about that. It is indeed negligence on the resorts part, but I doubt very much you are going to hear anything from them. Most likely they are hoping you forget the incident, and do nothing. It is up to you to contact them and tell them what you want. They aren't about to pursue this, nor will they admit fault and certainly not if you do nothing.

If you are interested in pursuing this, call an attorney and ask if it's worthwhile. Did you take a photo of the wire coming out of the wall? That would have been a good thing to do, but you do have a copy of the accident report. At least I hope you have a copy of the accident report! Most likely you will not hear from Disney. Why would they contact you?

If your daughter was burned, and scarred, through their negligence (this was their fault, not yours), then she should be compensated. If you call an attorney with a brief explanation they will probably tell you whether to pursue it and it won't cost anything to find out. That's what I would do.

 

[kdmak]

We were staying at the All Star in Sept. A 3 yr. old was taken by rescue to the hospital for exactly the same thing. I wonder how many times things like this happen and no one ever hears about it. Something should be done since these hotels are for children.

 

[denman007]

I would write a legal document stating your intention of sueing the resort. That usually gives the party a wake-up call.

But, of course, wait to check your mail - don't jump to conclusions.

At the least, you should be given a free stay as comp.

 

[AF Brenda]

Were there any associated medical bills, and if so, did Disney offer to cover them?

 

[kaitlynangel]

I wanted to say I was very upset reading your post. I know that if that happen to my daughter, I would probably lose it. She's my life. And theres no doubt WDW is responsible to provide a reasonable aspect of safety in the room your occupying. The live electrical wire it not an expected hazard of staying in a hotel room and it is reasonable to expect that such an item as a live wire not be present in your room. If your child stuck her hand into an electrical outlet then you would neglient but this no the case. You should contact WDW but aslo you may need to contact an attorney (a reputable one, hopeful by recommendation by a friend or family member). This is an incident that I hope no one on this board or anywhere ever has happen to them. Let's hope that some future good will come of this and prevent this from happening again. I believe your hospital bills of course should be covered, this was at no-fault of your own and really could have caused great damage or death. Keep us up to date.

 

[B3LM]

Thanks for all the responses! I just got back from the doctor. I spoke with my pediatrician this morning and she wanted me to have an EKG done to be sure there was no damage. Fortunately, she said everything is ok and her burns are almost healed.

I did check the mail today and I didn't receive anything. I think you're probably right that I won't hear from them. They just hope that I forget about the incident. Now that I have an additional medical bill, I will definitely be contacting them.

A close friend of ours is an attorney, so my DH is going to talk to him about it today and ask for his advice on how to handle it.

I hope this never happens to anyone else! It absolutely scared the life out of me - I'm very thankful that it wasn't my 2YO because it could have been much more serious. I do have to say that the people at CR were very nice in helping me and they did get someone there from maintenance to fix the problem quickly. I was so upset at the time that I didn't even think to take pictures! I do have the name and phone number of the cast member who documented the report.

I'll keep you posted.
Beth

 

[moosebug]

Don't threaten with a lawyer just yet. Most companies will cease all communication if you threaten to sue leaving all communication to be taken up between their lawyer and your lawyer. Don't get me wrong I think they should pay for any medical and give you a small compensation: ie a refund of part of your resort stay or a free hopper pass for your next visit. I think you can get more if you go about this on your own than with a lawyer unless you're going to court. I'm glad she's OK.

 

[DisOrBust]

That problem should not have exsisted in the first place. I would follow up not so much for money but so they can find out how such a problem even occured. I am glad she was ok.

Corndog you will understand when you have kids. As a parent we travel to WDW because it is clean and kid friendly. This is not kid friendly!

 

[kaitlynangel]

I don't agree that you should exclude considering a lawyer to write a letter to Disney, actually they may take you more seriously with a lawyer representing you. They would immediately refer it to their legal department and it would no longer be in the hands of customer service, which may not be in a position to offer you an appropriate settlement. I can't even imagine what kind of settlement would get the idea of almost having my child seriously injured out of my mind, but that is something between you and disney to settle on. I do wish for all our sakes that this incident will be the last and your following through will solidify that this incident will never happen to one of children. Like I said before I can not imagine what I woulg do if that happen to my 3 year old, it's too upsetting to even imagine. Good luck to you and thank you for taking the time to follow up, it helps us all in the end.

 

[SandraC]

Good Luck and I hope your dd is okay in the long run!

Kids are FAST. The other day I was at a community centre with 2 yo ds and he was holding with my keys. All of a sudden he darts for the wall outlet with the car key about to go in. I guess he was trying to start the wall. I jumped about 10 feet sideways to catch him. He's okay, but it happened soooo fast. How many times have we made a hot cup of coffee only to have kids bouncing into the room almost getting burned? One minute they weren't there the next second they are all over the place.

GOOD LUCK! Sandra

 

[AF Brenda]

I can't even imagine what kind of settlement would get the idea of almost having my child seriously injured out of my mind, but that is something between you and disney to settle on.

I guess this is the type of thinking I don't understand. I absolutely agree that the wire should never have been there, and I think that Disney should reimburse you for any and all medical expenses, wages lost taking DD to the doctor, etc. But I don't understand the thinking behind comped room, or free tickets.

I'm so glad that your DD was not seriously injured, and I think that you should get your expenses reimbursed. I just don't get the rest of it though.

 

[TinkerbellRules]

Corndog is absolutely WRONG! No one should leave a live wire, period! They are completely negligent especially when it involves children. A child cannot rationalize the effects of touching such a wire. Look at how many ADULTS touch live downed wires during storm, etc. The majority of the time, the jury would side with the child. It's kind of like the "attractive nuisance law" in my book (ie, concerning dogs and pools, etc, - owners responsibility when it comes to young children). Course, I'm no lawyer

I'm so very glad your DD is okay. THat would be so very scary. THe least they can do is pay for all the bills. I would think they'd jump at the chance. Heck, when my DD banged her head on a end-cap at Walmart, they gave us ice and a bandage along with a free stuffed animal of her choice! It wasn't their fault. She was about 3-4 and decided to help them straighten up the shelf and ran into it instead.

I also agree about following up to see why/how this happened. It might just save the life of another child...

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by corndog
This is not complete negligence on their part. There is certainly some contributory negligence on your part. Who allows their children to touch strange wires protruding from walls when you don't know what they are? Mean but true. I do hope your child is alright, though. This will probably be the last time she does that.

I agree with Corndog. Parents need to be responsible for their children. Accidents happen....even at Disney.