Had a bad fall at BWV today...

[mickeywho?]

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

I tripped over a broken sidewalk (it had lifted about an inch on one side apparently due to a tree root). And went flying! I landed on my knee - it's looking very beaten up and the palms of my hands are scrapped pretty bad. We were on our way to the bus and turned right back to the lobby for some first aide.
No one seemed to blink an eye. Both of my hands were bleeding pretty heavily and my husband went up to the desk to ask for some help.
Do you want us to call 911 -
no, some first aid would be fine. A bandaid - an ice pack - whatever you have. Oh - I'll see if we have anything.
Meanwhile I go the washroom to wash the dirt off my scrapes and come back to a sofa to sit and wait. 10 minutes later my dh goes back to the desk
Can we have some help?
Well we don't really have a first aide kit? I can call the lifeguard station if you want?
Ah - better than nothing...can you ask them to hurry - my wife is bleeding onto your sofa.
Well the manager from recreation showed up soon with some gauze, lotion, and bandages and helped me clean up. She sat with me to help me settle down - I guess I was looking pretty shaken up. Only then did a manager come from behind the desk with an ice pack and ask what happened etc.
Considering this was the fault of the resort you would of thought they would have been a little quicker on their feet to help. Is this typical? They gave us a number to call if anything got worse and told us that our trip to the hospital would be paid for. I guess it left me feeling a little underwhelmed - this happened at 10 this morning - we were on our way to DTD and they didn't offer to pay for our cab there. Considering I'm now walking with a limp that would have been nice. And no call from anyone to check that I'm fine...hmm. I guess I'm not really sure how to take this - didn't feel like they really cared too much at all..

 

[Chuck S]

I am sorry you're bruised and hope you feel better soon. I have taken a couple of tumbles in the parks that gashed my knees pretty well. The parks have trained people in the first aid offices that cleaned me up, but I have never gotten any phone calls or follow up.

I don't think the resorts are really equiped to handle most type of things that require bandages. I'm glad the lifeguard had some supplies.

Really, the resorts, in order to provide that type of service, would almost have to hire someone full time that is certified. I think 911 from Reedy Creek may have been your best option for trained medical personnel to clean and dress the wounds, and that should also generate a paper trail, in case it turned out to be more serious.

 

[La2kw]

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

I tripped over a broken sidewalk (it had lifted about an inch on one side apparently due to a tree root). And went flying! I landed on my knee - it's looking very beaten up and the palms of my hands are scrapped pretty bad. We were on our way to the bus and turned right back to the lobby for some first aide.
No one seemed to blink an eye. Both of my hands were bleeding pretty heavily and my husband went up to the desk to ask for some help.
Do you want us to call 911 -
no, some first aid would be fine. A bandaid - an ice pack - whatever you have. Oh - I'll see if we have anything.
Meanwhile I go the washroom to wash the dirt off my scrapes and come back to a sofa to sit and wait. 10 minutes later my dh goes back to the desk
Can we have some help?
Well we don't really have a first aide kit? I can call the lifeguard station if you want?
Ah - better than nothing...can you ask them to hurry - my wife is bleeding onto your sofa.
Well the manager from recreation showed up soon with some gauze, lotion, and bandages and helped me clean up. She sat with me to help me settle down - I guess I was looking pretty shaken up. Only then did a manager come from behind the desk with an ice pack and ask what happened etc.
Considering this was the fault of the resort you would of thought they would have been a little quicker on their feet to help. Is this typical? They gave us a number to call if anything got worse and told us that our trip to the hospital would be paid for. I guess it left me feeling a little underwhelmed - this happened at 10 this morning - we were on our way to DTD and they didn't offer to pay for our cab there. Considering I'm now walking with a limp that would have been nice. And no call from anyone to check that I'm fine...hmm. I guess I'm not really sure how to take this - didn't feel like they really cared too much at all..

I would take pictures of the injuries, sidewalk, and surrounding area where you fell, go to the emergency room to have everything documented, and then get a lawyer. Disney will act like it never happened. When my sister slipped and fell on the POC ride because there was water on the seat where she stepped, they insisted there was no water and that they didn't see her fall.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Sorry this happened to you. Hope you are feeling a bit better. If you think you have permanantly damaged something then yes get pictures, documentation,etc. Otherwise, don't let this consume you and drive you to become bitter. Bad stuff happens everywhere and it's not always someone else's negligence as many lawyers would be happy to prove in court.

Your experience caused me to flash back to when I was 6 years old and was running on the school blacktop. There was a dip in the surface and I tripped like you and fell face and palms down on it. I had gravel bits lodged under my skin, in my face, and lips and palms. They had to pick them out with tweezers. That was 44 years ago, but I truly do feel your pain. Makes me shudder to think about it.

Get better and enjoy the rest of your stay as best you can.

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

I'm not trying to be insensitve to your injury, but why blame Disney?? If the crack was big enough to trip on, wasn't it big enough to see and step over??

 

[DBorges]

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

I tripped over a broken sidewalk (it had lifted about an inch on one side apparently due to a tree root). And went flying! I landed on my knee - it's looking very beaten up and the palms of my hands are scrapped pretty bad. We were on our way to the bus and turned right back to the lobby for some first aide.
No one seemed to blink an eye. Both of my hands were bleeding pretty heavily and my husband went up to the desk to ask for some help.
Do you want us to call 911 -
no, some first aid would be fine. A bandaid - an ice pack - whatever you have. Oh - I'll see if we have anything.
Meanwhile I go the washroom to wash the dirt off my scrapes and come back to a sofa to sit and wait. 10 minutes later my dh goes back to the desk



Can we have some help?
Well we don't really have a first aide kit? I can call the lifeguard station if you want?
Ah - better than nothing...can you ask them to hurry - my wife is bleeding onto your sofa.
Well the manager from recreation showed up soon with some gauze, lotion, and bandages and helped me clean up. She sat with me to help me settle down - I guess I was looking pretty shaken up. Only then did a manager come from behind the desk with an ice pack and ask what happened etc.
Considering this was the fault of the resort you would of thought they would have been a little quicker on their feet to help. Is this typical? They gave us a number to call if anything got worse and told us that our trip to the hospital would be paid for. I guess it left me feeling a little underwhelmed - this happened at 10 this morning - we were on our way to DTD and they didn't offer to pay for our cab there. Considering I'm now walking with a limp that would have been nice. And no call from anyone to check that I'm fine...hmm. I guess I'm not really sure how to take this - didn't feel like they really cared too much at all..

Do not feed into the negitve opions of the person saying take picture get a lawer ..ect

I do however Hope that your ok and did not get really hurt bad ..

 

[BroganMc]

I guess I'm not really sure how to take this - didn't feel like they really cared too much at all..

Awe! Well we care about you.

I am sorry for your mishap. As someone who grew up in a non-flexible body (joint contractures), I could trip over the most invisible thing. Seriously the grout between tiles created just enough dip for me to snag my shoe and fall. And when I fell, I usually sprained something crucial that impaired my ability to walk (precarious already) for weeks. I became very good at looking for hazards on the ground.

As for the staff, I imagine what you experienced was a certain lack of experience among the workers. Especially if they were in the College Program. For many working at Disney is the first experience they have leaving home and venturing into the real world. In general, they aren't equipped to handle emergencies.

Now of your DH was handling things, or appeared to be doing so, then you can easily end up in a diffusion of responsibility scenario.

By all means, make sure the manager knows about that warped sidewalk. Ask to file an incident report so it goes on record. Someone's gotta tend to it before the next person takes a header and breaks something.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I think both Disdaydreamer and BroganMc gave you good advice. I'll offer you a hug and a "I do hope you are feeling better."

Bobbi

 

[disney dumbo]

Sorry about your fall. Hope you get to feeling better real soon.

I agree with you that there should be a first aid kit available in the lobby area. Prepackaged, individual stuff... you administer to yourself. Sort of like the stuff they sell at hotel gift shops. Because falls do happen... and I know Disney wants you out and spending your money and having fun! So it would make sense for them to help too... especially when uneven sidewalks contributed! (but really should have it for any accident!)

Sounds like they did not respond properly to you. Can only hope they would improve and learn from your unfortunate experience.

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[HolidayRoad]

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

I tripped over a broken sidewalk (it had lifted about an inch on one side apparently due to a tree root). And went flying! I landed on my knee - it's looking very beaten up and the palms of my hands are scrapped pretty bad. We were on our way to the bus and turned right back to the lobby for some first aide.
No one seemed to blink an eye. Both of my hands were bleeding pretty heavily and my husband went up to the desk to ask for some help.
Do you want us to call 911 -
no, some first aid would be fine. A bandaid - an ice pack - whatever you have. Oh - I'll see if we have anything.
Meanwhile I go the washroom to wash the dirt off my scrapes and come back to a sofa to sit and wait. 10 minutes later my dh goes back to the desk
Can we have some help?
Well we don't really have a first aide kit? I can call the lifeguard station if you want?
Ah - better than nothing...can you ask them to hurry - my wife is bleeding onto your sofa.
Well the manager from recreation showed up soon with some gauze, lotion, and bandages and helped me clean up. She sat with me to help me settle down - I guess I was looking pretty shaken up. Only then did a manager come from behind the desk with an ice pack and ask what happened etc.
Considering this was the fault of the resort you would of thought they would have been a little quicker on their feet to help. Is this typical? They gave us a number to call if anything got worse and told us that our trip to the hospital would be paid for. I guess it left me feeling a little underwhelmed - this happened at 10 this morning - we were on our way to DTD and they didn't offer to pay for our cab there. Considering I'm now walking with a limp that would have been nice. And no call from anyone to check that I'm fine...hmm. I guess I'm not really sure how to take this - didn't feel like they really cared too much at all..

I hope your feeling much better and no matter what you decide to do, please don't let this spoil the rest of your vacation.

 

[TisBit]

I would document everything just in case there is permanent injury, but truth is, Disney could fight it saying that they didn't have ill prepared sidewalks, but it was caused by mother nature (the tree) and they couldn't be expected to know/fix something like that immediately. But it is good to have photos, etc if needed.

The response from the desk was probably more on the lines of people fall all the time on their own accord and not realizing that maybe there was a bigger problem. Either way, it would have been nice for a manager to get involved sooner, but as PP have said EMS is pretty much the only thing you can expect nowadays, with concerns over treating guests (I work in Public Safety, so I am aware, even our response is "do you want an ambulance"....nothing more).

 

[gmboy95]

I'm not trying to be insensitve to your injury, but why blame Disney?? If the crack was big enough to trip on, wasn't it big enough to see and step over??

Please.....My son broke a glass in a restaurant last week and scraped his hand. within seconds there was five different restaurant personnel attending to my son, and asking if he needed medical assistance. they also wrote an incident report which i was able to review and agree with.....this woman was treated shabbily and even the great Disney can drop the ball every now and again....i agree with an earlier poster who says to take pictures and report the incident.

 

[gmboy95]

Do not feed into the negitve opions of the person saying take picture get a lawer ..ect

I do however Hope that your ok and did not get really hurt bad ..

Why is that a negative opinion????.......We pay a hell of alot of money not to have sidewalks maintained in such a shabby way.....i love Disney, but i never drink the Kool-Aid....they make misstakes and should be held accountable

 

[alldiz]

I hope your feeling better....never hurts to document anything.....but
I don't think you'll need it.

Hopefully it is feeling much better soon. Unless you have some "serious" damage....accidents happen, IMO so many people go to call the lawyer immediately and wonder why everything is so expensive....ie insurance.

Please write a letter concerning their lack of a response and the need for
an emergency kit that should be present in every lobby.
Kerri

 

[RCM]

I'm sorry about your problem but taking pictures and calling a lawyer as suggested is over the top.

 

[Arthur27]

Sorry that you got hurt and I hope you'll feel better soon. Some Motrin (sp) should do the trick.

I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, but this is a reminder for everybody - watch where you're walking. It's like driving. Watch the road. I saw a car hit a parked truck this morning - no lie.

 

[rogerram]

I would take pictures and document everything you did, where the location is,time of day,etc. I would then wait on the lawyer to see if you have any lingering affects.

 

[snowbunny]

Considering this was the fault of the resort you would of thought they would have been a little quicker on their feet to help. Is this typical?

From previous posts I've read, I would say yes.

Both of my hands were bleeding pretty heavily .....They gave us a number to call if anything got worse and told us that our trip to the hospital would be paid for.

That seems reasonable.

I guess it left me feeling a little underwhelmed - this happened at 10 this morning - we were on our way to DTD and they didn't offer to pay for our cab there. Considering I'm now walking with a limp that would have been nice.

I'm confused....as you were bleeding profusely and walking with a limp, they suggested a trip to the hospital (for which the resort would pay) or EMT call. Why would they suggest a cab ride to DTD?

 

[mickeywho?]

Thanks for all your advice and kind thoughts everyone.
No - I'm not jumping on calling a lawyer - that's not my knee jerk reaction to something like this. I guess my immediate concern was why they didn't have a first aide kit (small kits for small accidents) behind the front desk at least for someone to take care of their own small cuts - don't kids trip in the halls with all the running around? And why were they not more concerned about the damaged sidewalk? When my dh saw me fall he first thought I banged my face/chin into the ground - that certainly would have caused even more damage such as dental and that would have meant cost down the road. Luckily my injuries should heal without permanent damage although I'll go to my GP when we get home to have my leg looked at.
We took pictures of the area so I will post them when we get home - for those of you who think its my own fault for not looking where I was going... I guess I'm just a clutz and not a perfect as you. My fault the sidewalk was broken too ...
It will not ruin my time here. I didn't get much sleep last night and I'm moving much slower but I will take it as a sign to slow down and take in the details instead of trying to get more done before we leave. We head home tonight and I will start counting down the days until we get back again.

 

[JimMIA]

Sorry about your fall, and I hope it doesn't ruin your trip. I have a couple of comments:

First of all, it's not clear when this happened, but I'm assuming you are still at WDW and the accident just occurred yesterday. If that's the case, you will probably be stiff and tender in a few spots for a couple of days -- that's normal in a "fall-down-go-boom."

If you have any numbness or tingling in extremities, headaches, or neck/back pain, I would go directly to the hospital. Those could be signs of more serious injury. It's unlikely that you'll have any of those issues, but if you do, don't play with them.

Secondly, as far as the response, it's a little surprising that they couldn't find a first aid kit...but if they did find it, they probably don't have anyone trained to use the contents. One of the sad facts of our medical response system is we train lay people how to respond only to the most extreme situations -- cardiac arrest -- and we don't train them at all in the most basic skills. So we end up with an employee who knows CPR and can operate an AED, but they don't know the basics of protecting themselves and the patient in a medical situation. Nor do they know the fundamental do's and don'ts.

It's good they called a lifeguard for you. From some of the equipment I've seen at the lifeguard stations, I'm sure at least some of the lifeguards are EMTs. If that lifeguard was asking a lot of questions, they were probably an EMT.

I would also urge everybody not to be shy about calling 9-1-1. If you had even minor bleeding that didn't stop right away, I would have called 9-1-1. At a minimum, it needed to be looked at and professionally bandaged.

EMS professionals would much rather you call than not call. A lot of people are reluctant to call 9-1-1 for a minor injury, because they don't want to take the medics away from "real" emergencies. The truth is, it only takes a few minutes to assess and treat a minor injury and every EMS system has multiple layers of overlaps built into it so that someone is covering the adjacent area while the unit from that area is handling a call. Most systems also have a prioritization system, and they'll send a lower level response for a "fall-down-go-boom" than they would for a cardiac call. You'll still get the care you need, without taking an Advanced Life Support unit out of service.

You're really not inconveniencing anyone by calling 9-1-1, and most of the time, they are the only people with enough training to really evaluate your medical issue properly.