Lawsuit: Man Claims Tower of Terror Caused Stroke

[Seahunt]

This was on the local (Orlando) news tonight. Hmmm...his stroke occured 23 days after he rode the TOT in 1998?

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It's called the Tower of Terror, but one man says the real terror happened after he rode it. He says the ride caused him to have a stroke and now he's suing Disney.

It is extremely rare for a personal injury case over a theme park ride to go to trial and most are settled or dismissed. Marvin Cohen’s incident happened in 1998. It has taken until this week to go to trial.

Cohen said the ride itself is flawed. The man's attorneys argue the ride is dangerous and Disney failed to warn riders of the safety risks.

“Do you have any comment about the case?” WFTV reporter Mary Nguyen asked Cohen.

“No, I cannot comment,” Cohen replied.

Marvin Cohen, 80, would not talk to WFTV about his case against Disney, because his attorney and Disney agreed not to talk to the media about the case until after the trial.

“I'll talk with you after the case is over,” Cohen's attorney said.

Cohen's attorney said his client was physically active when he first rode the Tower of Terror in 1998, but 23 days after he rode it he had a stroke.

Rest of article:

http://www.wftv.com/news/23164979/detail.html

 

[beatlesblonde]

This was on the local (Orlando) news tonight. Hmmm...his stroke occured 23 days after he rode the TOT in 1998?

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It's called the Tower of Terror, but one man says the real terror happened after he rode it. He says the ride caused him to have a stroke and now he's suing Disney.

It is extremely rare for a personal injury case over a theme park ride to go to trial and most are settled or dismissed. Marvin Cohen’s incident happened in 1998. It has taken until this week to go to trial.

Cohen said the ride itself is flawed. The man's attorneys argue the ride is dangerous and Disney failed to warn riders of the safety risks.

“Do you have any comment about the case?” WFTV reporter Mary Nguyen asked Cohen.

“No, I cannot comment,” Cohen replied.

Marvin Cohen, 80, would not talk to WFTV about his case against Disney, because his attorney and Disney agreed not to talk to the media about the case until after the trial.

“I'll talk with you after the case is over,” Cohen's attorney said.

Cohen's attorney said his client was physically active when he first rode the Tower of Terror in 1998, but 23 days after he rode it he had a stroke.

Rest of article:

http://www.wftv.com/news/23164979/detail.html

Ummmm....I'm pretty sure ToT has a warning sign:

 

[Buckalew11]

Oh. My. Goodness.

2 things--one, i believe my shampoo chair causes more strokes than the ToT.

and two--this info will not stop my 73yo mother from riding ToT--she rode 11x in a row and wanted an even dozen.

What a crazy accusation (and my chair is not).

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

If it was 23 days after he rode TOT, how can they conclusively say this caused the stroke??

 

[cheermom1]

If it was 23 days after he rode TOT, how can they conclusively say this caused the stroke??

I agree with this ..these suites just get more stupid every day.

 

[Tink888]

Interesting. The man must really believe TOT caused the injury. Even with the statute of limitations this would've had to have been in litigation for the last eight years at least. I guess he really wants his day in court.

 

[PixieDust32]

Here we go again, blame it on the Disney.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ummmm....I'm pretty sure ToT has a warning sign:

But did it have that sign in '98?

2 things--one, i believe my shampoo chair causes more strokes than the ToT.

I love that you know that bit of info.



23 days after a 68 year old man goes on a ride, he has a stroke...and blames it on the ride????? As Tink888 said, this dude really wants his court date! Wow.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I am glad Disney is fighting this instead of settling and encouraging more such ludicrous behavior. I first ToT on my honeymoon over 14 years ago and I remember warning signs up them (I remember the signs because THEY are what freaked me out the most).

I am trying to imagine what would the fallout would be if anyone who suffered a stroke within 23 days of riding a Disney ride blamed it on the ride and sued

I think it is remotely possible the ride had something to do with it--that is why there are all those warnings. Anyone with a modicum of good sense knows that any time you go for that kind of adrenaline thrill you are taking a a (small) risk. He took that risk willingly and it is remotely possible that he is paying for it (but even that I feel is very VERY doubtful).

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

I am glad Disney is fighting this instead of settling and encouraging more such ludicrous behavior.

Same here.

 

[Sparx]

I hope disney rips his lawyers apart. Its sad that he had a stroke, but he's just looking for a paycheck on this one.

 

[Jolly Ole Bert]

Come to think of it, I came down with a really bad stomach ache less than 30 days after riding The Seas With Nemo and Friends at Epcot.

 

[NHdisneylover]

But did it have that sign in '98?

I was typing while you posted--but yes something at least very similar was there in 1996 when I went on my honeymoon. The sign is what freaked me out which is why I recall it.

 

[disneyaddicted]

In Dec 2007 I went to Disney. exactly 13 days after I returned from my trip I had to have emergency surgery to remove a tumor from my ovary, (the ovary could not be saved) They said the 4 pound tumor acted as a pendulum and swung around over and over to the point of my poor ovary dying and causing me an awful pain. My point is......... I never once thought of sueing Disney because I rode RnR and it could very well have been what caused my ovary to twist.( it could also have been the cartwheels I was doing) My Dh tells me all the time when I get excited about Disney, (which is daily) now dear, don't go getting your ovaries in a twist

 

[disneyaddicted]

 

[EllaM]

I do believe ToT can cause strokes (reason I won't let my dad with heart disease ride it), but you would see that within hours of riding the ride. 23 days later is not significant, unless the stroke followed some other injury.

Mission: Space is another ride my father is restricted from. Both cause stress upon the cardiovascular system and can precipitate strokes. For M:S it's the centrifigual force and for ToT it's the sudden rise to the top (the drop is the thrill but the rise is increased pressure).

 

[kilee]

I can beat the 23 days later. The day we left disney in 2002 my husband developed kidney stones and a subsequent MRSA infection that landed him in ICU for 2 weeks and on homecare for 6 weeks afterwards. Gee....I didn't realize it was Disney's fault.