Wet Ceiling Tile Fell on My Mom's Head at CR/SOG!

[robinb]

My mother was able to score the family 3 rooms at the Contemporary Resort under SOG. We stayed at CR in late June/early July.

My mother is permanently disabled with a neck injuries and was assigned a handicapped room on the first floor of the North Wing. On July 2nd (I think) a wet chunk of ceiling tile from in front of the bathroom fell on top of my mother's head. The other ceiling tiles around it were also saturated. It appears that something was leaking from above. My step-father called the front desk and they sent a repair person.

The front desk offered to call the paramedics and I insisted that my mother take them up on the offer. Only after the paramedics arrived did the hotel manager contact my mother. The paramedics looked her over and offered to take her to the emergency room. She declined because her injury was not life threatening, but eventually went to an Urgent Care Center the next day after experiencing headaches the rest of the day. The doctor at the UCC said that she suffered a minor concussion. She had headaches for the remainder of our trip which ruined things for everyone. She spent a lot of time at the resort and not in the parks because she was no longer up to it.

What did CR do? Nothing. She even had to pay for her trip to the UCC. A heavy chunk of wet ceiling tile fell on her head and she received a very lame "Gee ... we're sorry." Does anyone know who she should write to about this? The Contemporary? Shades of Green? Disney? I'd like to get them to pay for the clinic visit at the very least.

 

[Steve Hurley]

Nothing says it better than a letter from a lawyer. That they did not offer you any type of compensation is ridiculous.

 

[aring75]

WDW carries liability insurance that has to cover accidents like what happened to your mother. The fact that they didn't offer to compensate you in some way is not only ridiculous, it's insulting.

Definitely have a lawyer look into this. They may have more luck doing what you can't spur Disney to do.

I wish you luck, and be sure to post if you do work something out. I'd be very disappointed if I didn't know that they did SOMETHING for you.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

That is awful! Someone should be notified at the Contemporary or higher up. This is a true case where WDW should offer compensation. When I read that people trip up a curb or fall over their own 2 feet and want compensation I cringe, but this one is a REAL cause for compensation! Good luck!

 

[Kim&Chris]

Hi,
I work for a large company, handling customer liability. What happened to your mom is very unfortunate, but I'm sure that the Contemporary/Disney will surely take care of all of her medical bills.

Generally, large companies like Disney (and my company) advise the customer to obtain the treatment they need and subsequently submit the bills to the company's Customer Service department. If you were not told this, then it may be that the CM you dealt with was unfamiliar with these types of scenarios.

Once Disney receives the bills, they will then contact your mom regarding the payment. She shouldn't need to incur the cost of an attorney - I'm sure Disney will gladly pay her bills.

They'll probably send her a sizeable gift certificate for her time and trouble.

 

[Patio]

How sad for your Mom to have this happen to her. I hope she's feeling better now.

But shame on the manager at the resort for not being more helpful to her. I would definitely try to look into being compensated for the way your Mom's trip was ruined by something that was not her fault.

 

[Eeyore2U]

In your post you said this.

Originally posted by robinb
The front desk offered to call the paramedics and I insisted that my mother take them up on the offer. Only after the paramedics arrived did the hotel manager contact my mother. The paramedics looked her over and offered to take her to the emergency room. She declined because her injury was not life threatening, but eventually went to an Urgent Care Center the next day after experiencing headaches the rest of the day. The doctor at the UCC said that she suffered a minor concussion. She had headaches for the remainder of our trip which ruined things for everyone. She spent a lot of time at the resort and not in the parks because she was no longer up to it.

Did you notify the manager you went to the UCC? Did you notify the manager that her injuries impacted the trip? I don't see here that you did that. Not to flame but it may be the missing piece to the puzzle.

 

[robinb]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts on this!

Kim&Chris: I will double-check with her to see if the CM mentioned that she could have her visit to the UC taken care of and get back to you. I know that she had to pay for it out of her pocket. Thank goodness they took credit cards!

Eeyore2U: Yes, my mother did notify the manager that she had headaches, that she went to the UC and that she had a mild concussion. She also talked to the folks at SOG. AFAIK, nothing came out of it except for the original lame "Sorry". I'm not sure if she said anything about sitting around the resort for most of 4-5 days. I also don't recall a follow-up from management. I'll check on that too .

 

[gepetto]

Since that wing is being leased by SOG, CR might not be responsible. Just a thought.....

 

[candylover]

this is what I do know......
By law yes Disney is the one that has to pay!
This happened at the resort and that is the bottom line.

It does get a little crazy trying to recover your costs but dont give up!

Call the Claims department at Disney. The main line can connect you. They should be able to help you.(see..there is even a special department for this)

You should have the date and time ready and resort name and any other information you can find......names.....
Also before you call add up any costs for medical...that includes
meds..cold packs...
Also, the cost of the nights you(mom) stayed in the resort and could not enjoy it. By law this is only for your mothers room and not for
the other rooms.
If there was any park days that she was not able to enjoy
she is also due a refund.
I think the thing that is so upsetting is that after this happened
not one person helped...Did you know that there is a special
program at Disney that is in place just for when things like this happen??? It is called "Guest Recovery" There are so many people that love Disney but they need to get on the ball.
The person in charge that night should have started this for you.
I just can not understand why Disney lets these things get so out of hand and someone has to get so upset BEFORE the do anything.
Oh well...I hope this helps.
Good luck.

 

[wdwnutze]

Hope your mom is feeling better.

Shame on Disney for not staying on top of this one. I'm not sure who you should contact BUT, I would make sure everyone knew about it until you have received some compensation. There is really no need for someone that was injured through no fault of there own to have to beg for compensation. I would make sure you have all your expenses written in a log and the names of everyone you talk to until you reach the right person. I hope someone here can give you the name or address of someone to get in touch with.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

You'll want to address all your correspondence regarding this matter to Kent Mitchell. He is the "ultimate" authority at the Contemporary. I don't have the mailing address, but if you put his name on the envelope, you should have some type of resolution for this matter. Kent is truly a nice gentleman and would not be pleased to learn that something of this nature has happened without proper follow through.

Good luck to you and your Mom. I hope she is feeling much better now!

 

[Kim&Chris]

Yes, definitely gather all your mom's bills and forward them to the claims department. Disney definitely wants to pay claims and settle this sort of stuff without attorney involvement. I have no doubt that they will take care of all medical expenses and compensate accordingly.

It's a shame Disney wasn't a little more pro-active here, but in their defense.....nowadays, everyone runs out and hires an attorney and wants to sue. Large companies like Disney simply have no choice but to see what direction the guest takes and then act on it. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about!

If you're the type who simply wants the bills paid, and the appropriate compensation, I am sure Disney will take care of it for you!

Good luck!

 

[drusba]

In your situation, I would recommend seeing a lawyer before you and your mother do anything. That recommendation has nothing to do with whether Disney did or did not handle the situation to your satisfaction. Your mother was injured enough to have had at least a minor concussion. Though unlikely, something else could show up in the months to come indicating more serious injury -- again not likely but don't act on the assumption it cannot happen. If you go to Disney without a lawyer you could get some compensation for your costs but you may end up signing a release of any further claim. Thus, I would not try to deal with Disney on this matter on your own without a lawyer.

 

[DisOrBust]

I can't believe this happened again at the CR. There was a thread a few months back on a ceiling caving in on an open suitcase at the CR. If I remember correctly it wasn't a very positive thread on how they were treated by the CR either. If the orginal poster responds here maybe they could bump it back up for you. I can't t remember how it was resolved.

 

[londonpenguin]

A little advice from a legal secretary:

Take notes of any telephone conversations you have with Disney personnel regarding this matter. Record the date and time of the call and the name of the person to whom you spoke, as well as details of the conversation. If you mail anything (e.g., receipts, claim forms) to Disney, keep copies! It may also be a good idea to have your mother (and anyone else who was affected) make a written statement about the incident while it is still fresh in her memory.

 

[Carrieberry]

I agree. Get names, dates, and defintely keep copies. Be sure to figure out the exact date that it happened and get copies of any medical notes from the UCC or if you can, even some sort of documentation that the paramedics were there (bill, or any papaerwork they might have given you after looking at your mother just for proof that they were indeed called and that it was serious enough for them to come to the resort. The manager or emplyee that was present probably had to fill out an incident report where everything was documented and if you can get a hold of that to it would be great (you might need an attorney for all of this just so they know you;re not kidding around)

I went through what could have been a large legal battle with a very well know home improvement store after a 12x12 slate tile fell off a palett from 7' above and on to my head. At first I felt fine, but later that day I developed a headache and by that evening I had to go to the hospital. I had a concussion and was told to stay awake all night and then to not do anything for at least 48 hours. Concussions daze you and then the pain does not settle in for awhile which exactly what happened to your mother. Luckily I had the names of everyone that I spoke with including the nasty manager that asked me "Didn't you hear the forklift beeping from the aisle next to you that pushed it off?" Needless to say, after seeing all of my documentation, they paid for every single penny of my medical bills as well compensated me for my pain.

 

[HockeyDadof2]

Originally posted by Carrieberry
I agree. Get names, dates, and defintely keep copies. Be sure to figure out the exact date that it happened and get copies of any medical notes from the UCC or if you can, even some sort of documentation that the paramedics were there (bill, or any papaerwork they might have given you after looking at your mother just for proof that they were indeed called and that it was serious enough for them to come to the resort. The manager or emplyee that was present probably had to fill out an incident report where everything was documented and if you can get a hold of that to it would be great (you might need an attorney for all of this just so they know you;re not kidding around)

I went through what could have been a large legal battle with a very well know home improvement store after a 12x12 slate tile fell off a palett from 7' above and on to my head. At first I felt fine, but later that day I developed a headache and by that evening I had to go to the hospital. I had a concussion and was told to stay awake all night and then to not do anything for at least 48 hours. Concussions daze you and then the pain does not settle in for awhile which exactly what happened to your mother. Luckily I had the names of everyone that I spoke with including the nasty manager that asked me "Didn't you hear the forklift beeping from the aisle next to you that pushed it off?" Needless to say, after seeing all of my documentation, they paid for every single penny of my medical bills as well compensated me for my pain.

I hope you also passed on the information about the kind manager.

 

[jaguar9748]

Poor service from the Contemporary doesn't surprise me at all. We stayed there recently and had a truly awful experience! In fact, we cut our stay short. The really sad thing is that we had excellent service at POR for the first 4 days for a third of the Contemporary price. We should have spent our entire vacation at POR. I will not stay at the Contemporary again.

Good luck to you - keep us posted!

 

[Carrieberry]

Yep I deinftely passed that on. Last i heard (I have a friend that works for the company) he had been demoted, then promoted again and then recently demoted again after too many customer complaints! Guess he hasn't learned his lesson!


I honestly can't imagine a Disney resort being so awful that I would cut my trip short! We've never stayed at the Contemporary, but now I don't think I want to! YIKES!