DD got an electrical shock/burn at CR!

[Sleepy]

Being married to an electrician I find it hard to believe that a 6 inch wire would be hanging out of an electrical outlet. Sounds intentional to me. Was this wire hanging from around the cover plate?I just don't see how something like this could have been an accident by maintenance. Sounds intentional. Did you take pictures? This is very scary. When we were at Shades of Green last year one of the ground landscaping light cover had been knocked off (I guess broken) and the wires onthe inside were exposed. It was raining, so you can imagine what a nightmare that could be. It was very close to the pool. My husband freaks when he sees stuff like this. Oh, and I know how it is with children and electrical sockets......when I was very small I decided a pair of tweezers were perfect fit for the electrical socket. Quite a shock. My suggestion for future visits anywhere other than home would be check all outlets and maybe bring some safety covers. I know you should not have to do such a thing, but we have to keep our kiddos safe. I hope your daughter will not have prolonged injuries from this shock. Take care.

 

[B3LM]

Hi Sleepy,
You know that that thought did cross my mind - about it possibly being intentional because of how long the wire was. I honestly didn't study it very closely because I was so concerned about getting all of the kids away from that area and finding someone to take care of it. They were very prompt in getting it taking care of.

I had my camera, but I didn't even think to take pictures - you always think of those things afterward.

As far as corndog and gepetto's comments, we are very responsible parents and accidents do happen. That's why we have all of the outlets in our house covered with those plastic plugs and have had them that way since our oldest (8YO) was born.

I really want to follow-up with them to see that the incident did actually get reported to Guest Claims which is what I was told would happen. I do think Disney should cover any medical bills that we incur because of the accident.

Beth

 

[SamSam]

I'm so glad your daughter is going to be fine and sorry that such a thing happened in the first place, but I'm baffled by a six inch wire hanging out of an outlet. Dh and I are electrical contractors and that is the strangest thing I've ever heard of. Was the wall plate on and the wire actually sticking out of the outlet? It almost sounds like it had to be placed there.

I hope you get all your medical and any accompanying incidental expenses covered. Beyond that, I agree with a previous poster and don't understand any other comps.

 

[danacara]

I trust SamSam's professional appraisal of this one. Was there a wall plate? If there wasn't, could it be that your kid found a wire somewhere and stuck it in, and after the shock, he or she was embarrassed and didn't want to tell you? That would probably be Disney's defense, assuming this case actually made it to that point (it probably wouldn't, Disney would settle first). Kids do things like that. I stuck my radio antenna in the bottom tong of a wall outlet once when I was little, more to test fate than anything. I got a little shock. I was really embarrassed. Hey, these days I take electrical engineering classes, instead. LOL

I agree with AF Brenda about the comps. I have to say though, if you get a free stay out of this, I am giving my boyfriend a six inch wire and telling him to take one for the team next time we are at the Contemporary.

 

[froglady]

If WDW was negligent, the family CERTAINLY deserves at LEAST some sort of comp ticket!, above the medical costs! Unless those of you who think they don't really enjoy spending your time at WDW in an ER, worried to death about your child! At the very least, they missed time at the park! And their DD will have that scar forever, as a souvenier. I would hope Disney would do the right thing and give them the opportunity to have positive, rather than negative, memories of Disney.


It also sounds like it was definitely an electrical wire....I don't usually have any packed in my luggage.....I'm not saying it's impossible that her daughter stuck the wire in, just that it sounds unlikely that she brought it....which meant someone left it lying around.

 

[Kay1]

I know that when you go to the parks, you agree to conduct any litigation in Florida - something to that effect is on your passes and AP's. I wonder if something similar is on the paper we sign at resorts. There is a law in Florida that states our attorneys can't represent you if they've done work for the person you are suing and Disney has hired a lot of Orlando attorneys to do small jobs for them, therefore there aren't a lot of attorneys to help you. I have no idea what will happen but I would simply send copies of the bills to the appropriate parties and go from there. I would never go up against Disney as they take loss prevention very seriously.

 

[tmli]

Danacara--you actually made me laugh out loud. I would definitely insist my husband take one for the team!
My ds decided to do a trick with two keys and an electrical outlet. Scared the **@@ out of me. He was out of my sight for 2 secs. Just long enough, kept the keys as a reminder. Glad to hear she's okay! My ds won't even plug in his gameboy now(after 31/2 years).

 

[LKS]

You would think that Disney, of all places, would cap their outlets. Some company needs to submit a proposal to sell Disney millions of those caps! My father was self-employed and after some child stuck the car keys in one of his waiting room outlets, you can bet they were all covered pronto. I would think that in the case of a child sticking keys in, there would be more parental responsibility, but still the businesses are the ones stuck paying the bills. That would have to happen a lot at Disney if none of their outlets are capped. Yikes!

 

[AF Brenda]

Unless those of you who think they don't really enjoy spending your time at WDW in an ER, worried to death about your child! At the very least, they missed time at the park!

I never saw anything about the ER, and I believe they were on their way to church, not the parks.

I agree that WDW needs to be reminded of this, because it is very dangerous, especially in a place where there are so many children. And, as I said, I agree that any and all medical costs should be covered by WDW. If WDW offers something else great. I just don't think that anyone should expect comps above and beyond expenses.

 

[froglady]

In rereading the original post, it appears that it was an outlet in a public area, not their room. (please clarify?)
What if someone visually impaired brushed against the wire, and was shocked & burned? Would it be their own fault? I wouldn't expect to find live wires out where anyone could touch them, except at a construction/renovation site...and I would keep my children away! IF this was a public area, Disney should have closed it off until the work was completed. If they THOUGHT the work was completed, and someone forget to cover the wire, Disney is responsible to take care of it, as a matter of customer relations, then go after the subcontractor.(if one was involved) They hired them in the first place, or the work was done by their own employees.


Don't worry about lawyers; Florida is FULL of personal injury attorneys.....many of whom would LOVE to take on Disney!

 

[froglady]

Thank you, AF Brenda....I stand corrected! They didn't go to the ER (although I would have) and they were on their way to Mass being held IN the CR. I don't know if they planned on continuing on to the parks later. (just one of the reasons I asked for clarification) Also, it's not clear as to whether the wire was 1. typical electrical-type wire 2. sticking OUT of, rather than INTO the outlet...that would make a difference. (at least a little...it would indicate that someone, not neccessarily the child involved, had stuck it in there)

And, if WDW was negligent, I still feel (just my opinion) that the family deserves something for the distress this caused, and the child deserves something for the pain of the shock & burn....I'm not talking millions of dollars, just a comp ticket!

 

[B3LM]

OK, let me clarify a few things here. The electrical outlet did have a wall plate on it and it was right outside of the Fantasia ballroom at the Contemporary. Someone in a wheelchair could have easily backed into it and received serious injury. We think that it was a copper wire that was exposed because DD's skin turned green where the burns were. (I wondered why it was green, but my BIL said a copper wire would cause that.)

As I've said before, I'm really looking for them to cover the medical expenses and to be sure that they take measures to see that this kind of thing doesn't happen again. If they do something above and beyond that, that's nice but not expected.

Beth

 

[Edina]

About 10 years ago my SIL was having work done on her home. A board fell off the roof, struck her on the forehead causing her to get 5 stitches and a tiny scar near her hairline. The construction company paid all medical costs plus $ 10,000 compensation. The attorney said if she were younger and single she could have gotten twice that amount.

Disney IS responsible, they should compensate this child for pain and suffering, and it should be more than just medical costs. Froglady is correct, there would be lawyers jumping over each other to take this one on. Disney be thrilled to settle it for $10,000. It would be getting away cheap. They have to ensure that this NEVER happens again. Get a good PI attorney and have them write Disney.

 

[SamSam]

Beth, After reading these posts again it almost sounds like we're attacking you and I want to assure you that certainly wasn't my intention. At least for myself, I'm just so curious as to what a wire was doing sticking out of an outlet. I can't even begin to imagine why somone would leave a wire exposed like that! If you ever find out , please post and let everyone know.
I hope your daughter's going well and isn't too upset over the incident.

 

[BoyLovesBuzz]

Its a shame that everytime this kind of topic comes up it turns into a spitting match.

Get a lawyer.....dont't get a lawyer
Sue Disney...don't sue disney
Its thier fault....its your fault
You're a good parent......you're a bad parent.

Then we get the

well I'm lawyer...well I'm an EMS...well I'm a Hotel Manager for a major chain...well I'm an electrical contracter... well I'm pediatric health care specialist.....

It happens everytime!!!

I am not trying to speak for the poster, but I believe she came here looking for similar experiences, and how they may have been handled, and what action (not compensation) she may expect from Disney.

B3LM, I am sorry about your accident, I wish I had some advice, but I do not. I am very glad that your DD is alright. I'm sure that is was an extremely frightening experience. I hope that however it turns out, it is to your satisfaction.

 

[mrsltg]

OMG!!! You've hit the personal injury lottery! It could only have gotten better if somehow Michael Eisner was standing next to you when this happened because then you could name him personally in your suit! Imagine the paycheck???!!! Who needs $10,000??? Let's see how much they'll fork over!!!

Come on now, get real! Disney is most likely responsible for your medical bills... and that's it! Even that is a little ridiculous if your insurance covers everything. Yes, your DD got hurt. I feel very bad for her. What a bum way to spend a day of your vacation. However, this is LIFE. There aren't guarantees that it's always going to be sunshine and roses. Please, PLEASE, get over the idea of seeking monetary compensation. The last thing this world needs is another frivolous lawsuit.

And, before anyone jumps on me about "you'll understand when you're a parent"... I am a parent. And no, I can't be everywhere at once. I accept that fact and do my best to work around it. However, a 6 year-old is old enough to know not to touch an electrical socket.

IMHO...

Erin

 

[MinnieMe2]

Beth, I'm glad your little one is all right. As the mother of four, I feel lucky that our kids have made it to their teen years and adult hood. It's a scary, dangerous world, and no matter how careful we are, stuff happens. I hope you can let go of the negative comments regarding your parenting that some people have made. Either they've yet to have kids or they're "perfect". Must be nice....

And I think I'd feel much as you seem to feel. The important thing is that your daughter is okay. As far as Disney is concerned, they have to make the necessary repairs to prevent this from happening to anyone else. And it sounds like they were right on it. I'd follow up, just to make sure the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. Since our insurance would cover medical expenses, I'd let it go at that. If you had out-of-pocket charges, things not covered by insurance, I'd ask for compensation. And if, in the overall scheme here, Disney offered free life-time unlimited passes to the family, I'd say, "Why not?" . But I certainly wouldn't expect or feel entitled to anything....

 

[B3LM]

Erin, I am very offended by your post. I NEVER said that I was seeking $10,000 in compensation either!

However, a 6 year-old is old enough to know not to touch an electrical socket.

I agree, my DD does know better than to play with an electrical outlet, but as I said before, I don't think she even realized where the wire was coming from. My DS was sitting in front of the outlet.

 

[supamaki]

What a bunch of snots some of you people are. This lady came her looking for some advice after a scary incident on vacation and some of the posters here told her that she may receive compensation from Disney as a form of CUSTOMER SATISFACTION!! Not as a lawsuit. "We are terribly sorry that this happened, how about a free visit to the parks next time you visit, or, we would love to have you stay at one of our resorts, no charge" Just to make them feel better. Not once did she come in and say she was suing Dsiney. Then some of you have the nerve to question her abilites as a parent.
Guess what, she is entitled to compensation, if she wanted to sue she has a case. Now she may, or may not pursue litigation, but that is up to her and her husband, no one else.

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by supamaki

Guess what, she is entitled to compensation, if she wanted to sue she has a case.

How do you know that? Did you use your psychic powers?