Wife injured while on a WDW motor-coach

[Bearadise]

Several years ago I had an incident with a lift bus when staying at AK Lodge. The driver had lowered the lift and I didn't notice that it wasn't firmly on the sidewalk- about 1/2 inch wasn't. When he raised the lift with me on it it ended up sending me UNDER the bus and I cracked a knee-cap. I was stuck with my knees jammed for quite some time with guests on the bus complaining that they were going to miss their ADR's. The driver left the bus running, so I also had to breathe those fumes. Yeah...not a "magical moment".---Kathy

Kathy,

Greetings and allow me to first say I'm married to a Cathy, with a "C". We have fun with that as we go, the sisterhood of the C/Kathys as she calls it.

Sorry to hear that you were injured and had to spend time under an idling bus, but, if it's any consolation what happened to you, your episode was not without a gain to transportation safety at WDW.

I took note several times while we were waiting to load my wife's scooter, that if a driver, once the ramp was fully extended, did not like the look of the way the ramp was sitting. They would ask us to please wait, then they would walk out onto it all the way to the end. They would do a little "knee-bending hop" to make sure the ramp was in solid contact with the ground. If it was, we were given the high sign to board. One time the driver did not like the feel of it, so he advised us to stay back as he was going to re-position the bus. After doing so, and checking the ramp again, he felt it was safe to use and we boarded the bus without a hitch.

As for those people who were complaining that they were going to miss their ADR's. While part of me feels for them, there is a part of me that says "tuff tuckus!" ADRs are held for 20 minuets past the reserved time, that and I'm sure if a WDW representative contacted the respective dining locations advising them of what happened, I'm more that sure these guests would be accommodated.

Breathe enough of those exhaust fumes and you'll have a "magical moment" alright... "That's not Tink!!! Don't go towards the light!!"

On another note. If I may ask, is your service dog a Seeing Eye Dog? My wife and I were puppy raisers and raised several dogs for Guiding Eyes for the Blind out of Yorktown Heights, NY https://www.guidingeyes.org

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[brat]

bear

I am fine I just get very protective around lifts

My SIL can not understand DH and I spending the money to ship our shuttle van to FL.

Hope both you and your wife are doing better. her for us.Keep us updated on how both of you are doing, please.

Since I have been in a powerchair since jr year in college(manual before that)
I have noticed a faster drop on lifts begining to malfuction. So malfuction might played more of role in your wifes getting hurt.When those lifts go down fast the stop does not always work.

Yes you are right it depends on where in the US you are as to police and public transpotation after injury not related to moving traffic.

 

[buffettgirl]

SueM,

Nice to hear from you. Hmmmm, not calling the police for an incident involving injury on a public transportation vehicle? Must be a jurisdictional thing. (Rich stops to put on protective clothing, then begins to type again.) Up here in Massachusetts (Southern crowd yells "We don't care how you do it up north!!"), when a person is injured on a public transportation vehicle, law enforcement, be they state, local, sheriff or registry are called to the scene to investigate, and at the very least to file a report on what happened.



(snipped)

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I think the difference here is that you weren't on public transportation. You were on private transportation that is available only to resort guests. Similar to if you suffer an accident in a department store or grocery store or even inside MK. Those places may be open to the public but are still private entities. On the other hand, true public transportation is a completely different situation.

 

[Bearadise]

I think the difference here is that you weren't on public transportation. You were on private transportation that is available only to resort guests.

While I agree with you that Disney Transport is the privately run transportation system of WDW, and "available only to resort guests", they are still subject to Florida's motor vehicle laws. Thus Law enforcement has legal standing to follow-up on incidents occurring on and involving these motor-coaches.

Similar to if you suffer an accident in a department store or grocery store or even inside MK. Those places may be open to the public but are still private entities. On the other hand, true public transportation is a completely different situation.

If emergency services (911) is called for an accident in a department store, or grocery store, I'll bet dollars against dimes that the local law enforcement will show up, along with the EMT/Fire rescue squad. At WDW the local law enforcement is the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

I know a call was made to the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Reedy Creek Emergency Services (RCES) as they showed up. I'm left to wonder if a call was ever placed to the [/FONT]Orange County Sheriff's Department by anyone at WDW's Transportation Department, or if one was made, did the Orange County Sheriff's Department refuse to send a unit.

Even though the Disney Transport buses spend most of their time on the private roads of WDW, they do spend a good about of travel time on public roads that are maintained by the Reedy Creek Improvement District. To facilitate their ability to operate off-property, these motor-coaches are registered via the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The operator of these buses must posses a valid drivers license with a CDL Class-C endorsement. Due to their size and class these vehicles are subject to DOT regulations. Thus even while operated as private transportation, they are in fact, subject to public transportation laws and regulations.

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[disney david]

In wdw when anyone calls 911 they ask police fire or medical you tell them what you need you asked Disney for medical and that is what you got. In that kinda call thy most likely wouldn send police to the scene unless you ask because Disney has securty that has the ability to fill out accident reports the driver didn't break the law he just was an idiot who made an error. They fall under the federal dot and state dot. You had an accident and they Provide to with medical help which you asked for. If they didnt Babette police felons you could of called 911 and had ten come out an tell you their really nothing they can do. If you call Disney and have them transfer you to their claims department they can help.

 

[ccgirl]

So sorry you had to go through this. I hope you were able to enjoy your trip despite this. One question, why did you want the police there since the medical team came? Was it for the incident report itself? I do not believe it is standard practice for the police to arrive. Good luck and I hope your wife is feeling better. I don't blame her for being scared after that.

I guess it depends where in MA you live. Here, if there is an injury EMS are always called. It depends on the situation. EMS can file reports as well. Police sometimes come but not always. If the bus itself was involved in a motor vehicle accident they would come. If one person was injured ina lift that would, sadly and unfortunately, be different. They would try to get there but most times the person would already have been treated and/or taken to the hospital. Perhaps it the lack of police officers or the fact they are at domestic disturbances, etc but they do not always come.

 

[Bearadise]

So sorry you had to go through this. I hope you were able to enjoy your trip despite this.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, afterwords due to the injury to my wife's back, the tone and spirit of the vacation was severely dampened. But we made the most out of what we could. Silver lining, she was not more seriously hurt, we were still at WDW and I loved being with her as we made our way around. We'll ride those rides on our next visit, for this trip, we watched as the grandkids did their thing.

One question, why did you want the police there since the medical team came? Was it for the incident report itself? I do not believe it is standard practice for the police to arrive.

It's not so much that I wanted law enforcement called, as I was more surprised none showed up.

Good luck and I hope your wife is feeling better. I don't blame her for being scared after that.

Thanks for your kind words. Cathy is doing better, blessedly it appears to not have been severe enough for long term issues so we're thankful for that! As for the lifts, she just couldn't get past the fear of being hurt again. Even the low-boy, drive-on ramps were too much for her to attempt, as the pain in her back was still too fresh at that point in time.

I guess it depends where in MA you live. Here, if there is an injury EMS are always called. It depends on the situation. EMS can file reports as well. Police sometimes come but not always.

You and I are both from "up north" and both from Massachusetts. I myself, live in Western Massachusetts, and there is the core of my wondering why Law Enforcement was not at least called. You said it yourself, "Police sometimes come but not always". That is due to the fact that from where we hail, in a situation involving personal injury when a 911 call is made, Law Enforcement is at least contacted. From there the call is prioritized by the police dispatcher as to the level of police response required.

While EMS tends to the victim, the LEO is checking out the vehicle and drivers information to make sure all is up to date. Along with getting the names of persons who may have witnessed what happened.

If the bus itself was involved in a motor vehicle accident they would come. If one person was injured ina lift that would, sadly and unfortunately, be different. They would try to get there but most times the person would already have been treated and/or taken to the hospital. Perhaps it the lack of police officers or the fact they are at domestic disturbances, etc but they do not always come.

In the case of my wife's situation, if Law Enforcement would have been called, we were there more than long enough for a unassigned unit to respond, and gather information. While I was busy answering questions, to the best of my knowledge, WDW Security did not look for, or ask if there were any witnesses. Other buses were brought up and people waiting in the bus queue were quickly loaded and taken away.

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[disney david]

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, afterwords due to the injury to my wife's back, the tone and spirit of the vacation was severely dampened. But we made the most out of what we could. Silver lining, she was not more seriously hurt, we were still at WDW and I loved being with her as we made our way around. We'll ride those rides on our next visit, for this trip, we watched as the grandkids did their thing.



It's not so much that I wanted law enforcement called, as I was more surprised none showed up.



Thanks for your kind words. Cathy is doing better, blessedly it appears to not have been severe enough for long term issues so we're thankful for that! As for the lifts, she just couldn't get past the fear of being hurt again. Even the low-boy, drive-on ramps were too much for her to attempt, as the pain in her back was still too fresh at that point in time.



You and I are both from "up north" and both from Massachusetts. I myself, live in Western Massachusetts, and there is the core of my wondering why Law Enforcement was not at least called. You said it yourself, "Police sometimes come but not always". That is due to the fact that from where we hail, in a situation involving personal injury when a 911 call is made, Law Enforcement is at least contacted. From there the call is prioritized by the police dispatcher as to the level of police response required.

While EMS tends to the victim, the LEO is checking out the vehicle and drivers information to make sure all is up to date. Along with getting the names of persons who may have witnessed what happened.



In the case of my wife's situation, if Law Enforcement would have been called, we were there more than long enough for a unassigned unit to respond, and gather information. While I was busy answering questions, to the best of my knowledge, WDW Security did not look for, or ask if there were any witnesses. Other buses were brought up and people waiting in the bus queue were quickly loaded and taken away.

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911 in all states is basically the same when contacted they can dispatch police fire or medical. like i said beforewhen in wdw reedy creek handle their medical and fire and ocso handles police calls so they ask when you cal if you need medical fire or police. disney securty respond to all accidents on disney prpoperty even if they ar not the ones to call 911. So in this case the thy might have thought it be better for disney securty to handle the case. Since disney private property they have their own securty force that can handle the call unlike in public transportion wheir they use their local police to handle the calls. I hate to say it and am thank fully she wasnt but if she was hurt worse they would respond to provide medical help till ems arrive since they useally get their first. I am sure they contacted them and they might have had another call they need to handle and knew disney securty could handle filling out the report.

here a list of number and email adress i try the genral info line and ask them for the claims department or email them and explain what happen and ask who to contact and for help.


http://www.oitc.com/Disney/Contacts.html

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

As was stated in a previous post 911 calls placed in WDW go through the Reedy Creek Emergency dept. Reedy Creek is a queasy government organisation that is owned by the Walt Disney Co. Wikipedia article about the district and you can find more info on Reedy Creek Emergency Services.

 

[dntd]

Did your wife need to go to a hospital? Not to be rude but unless you can prove your wife was in fact hurt enough to get medical attention right away I don't think that you can get money or comped for pain that's not enough for her to seek a hospital/dr in a reasonable time frame.If you didn't seek x-rays or proper medical help(EMS is not a replacement for a dr!) that's scary, I mean if your wife already had issue it could have done major damage and you just continued with the vacation like normal, which I find odd.

 

[Leajess99]

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, afterwords due to the injury to my wife's back, the tone and spirit of the vacation was severely dampened. But we made the most out of what we could. Silver lining, she was not more seriously hurt, we were still at WDW and I loved being with her as we made our way around. We'll ride those rides on our next visit, for this trip, we watched as the grandkids did their thing.

I am so sorry your wife was hurt. I can also understand how you feel as my youngest daughter was made sick while at WDW in October by housekeeping improperly cleaning the carpeting in our room (part of the VIP cleaning due to her allergies and asthma).

The carpeting was steam cleaned but left extremely wet and nothing was done even after calling down. We finally were moved after a face to face with the desk manager but it was too little too late as the damage was done.

The problem is that now I am afraid to take her back to WDW as they already set her back with her asthma. Just before our trip she had seen her allergist and they did pulminary function tests to find she had the best PFTs ever. Now, 5 months later, we are still trying to get her back where she was.

Their dad wants to take them to WDW in June but I am just not sure if I will be willing to let them go. I'm not satisfied with the response from the customer service person in reference to ensuring that the room is properly cleaned this time.

 

[Leajess99]

Did your wife need to go to a hospital? Not to be rude but unless you can prove your wife was in fact hurt enough to get medical attention right away I don't think that you can get money or comped for pain that's not enough for her to seek a hospital/dr in a reasonable time frame.If you didn't seek x-rays or proper medical help(EMS is not a replacement for a dr!) that's scary, I mean if your wife already had issue it could have done major damage and you just continued with the vacation like normal, which I find odd.

This is not true. Not all injuries show right away and some injuries that one thinks is mild and just needs time to heal does not always heal like they should.

My family and I were hit by a drunk driver (not a real serious accident as the vehicles were drivable for the most part until he blew up his engine trying to get away with a hit and run - did not happen as this momma was going to make sure he went to jail) and I did not get medical attention for 2 weeks and that was because my headache would not go away. I did not want my insurance company to have to pick up the cost as the idiot had no insurance, license, stolen plates, etc. I had no more choice after 2 weeks and the insurance gave me no issues at all.

My youngest was seen by the doctor the next day and then a few more times over the next few weeks due to her neck and then developing headaches.

 

[dntd]

This is not true. Not all injuries show right away and some injuries that one thinks is mild and just needs time to heal does not always heal like they should.

My family and I were hit by a drunk driver (not a real serious accident as the vehicles were drivable for the most part until he blew up his engine trying to get away with a hit and run - did not happen as this momma was going to make sure he went to jail) and I did not get medical attention for 2 weeks and that was because my headache would not go away. I did not want my insurance company to have to pick up the cost as the idiot had no insurance, license, stolen plates, etc. I had no more choice after 2 weeks and the insurance gave me no issues at all.

My youngest was seen by the doctor the next day and then a few more times over the next few weeks due to her neck and then developing headaches.

If your in enough pain to cry and ruin your trip you would seek help. Alot of times people try to get money for nothing. If a person has a medical problem to start with they should know to seek help. As the OP mentioned her fears, fears are not going to get money from anyone.

 

[Bearadise]

As was stated in a previous post 911 calls placed in WDW go through the Reedy Creek Emergency dept. Reedy Creek is a queasy government organisation that is owned by the Walt Disney Co. Wikipedia article about the district and you can find more info on Reedy Creek Emergency Services.

EastYorkDisneyFan,

Thanks for the links. Did you mean to write "quasi" or was "queasy" done by spell-check auto correction, or just as a tounge-in-cheek kinda thing?

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[Bearadise]

As was stated in a previous post 911 calls placed in WDW go through the Reedy Creek Emergency dept. Reedy Creek is a queasy government organisation that is owned by the Walt Disney Co. Wikipedia article about the district and you can find more info on Reedy Creek Emergency Services.

EastYorkDisneyFan,

Thanks for the links. Did you mean to write "quasi" or was "queasy" done by spell-check auto correction, or by you as a tounge-in-cheek kinda thing?

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[Bearadise]

Did your wife need to go to a hospital?

No.

Not to be rude but unless you can prove your wife was in fact hurt enough to get medical attention right away I don't think that you can get money or comped for pain that's not enough for her to seek a hospital/dr in a reasonable time frame.

Hello... My wife was hurt enough to require medical attention. That's why myself, the transportation supervisor and the WDW Middle manager all thought it best to call for the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Reedy Creek Emergency Services (RCES) to respond.[/FONT]

If you didn't seek x-rays or proper medical help(EMS is not a replacement for a dr!) that's scary,

If what you want to know is, did we seek further medical attention for my wife, the answer is no. However what you do seem to be saying is [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]that you feel the Reedy Creek Emergency Services (RCES) can't provide [/FONT]"proper medical help"? If my wife's condition had deteriorated while at WDW, believe you me, I would have called forfurther medical attention in a heartbeat.

I mean if your wife already had issue it could have done major damage and you just continued with the vacation like normal, which I find odd.

Please read the previous posts slowly and carefully. My wife was using the scooter due to issues with her hip. When being lowered via the lift, she was struck on her upper back and shoulder area. Different body locations, different types of medical concerns.

Our vacation did not continued "like normal". Again read previous posts and you'll see our itinerary was altered to compensate for her upper back pain.

As parents and grandparents who's child was last at WDW when she was six years old and now is seeing it as an adult for the first time; along with two of our three grandchildren who are seeing WDW for the first time; and as her injuries were not life threatening with the pain being made manageable by the use of medication, Cathy was not going to cut short their WDW experience. If you find that odd, come back and speak with me when you are a grandparent.

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[Bearadise]

I am so sorry your wife was hurt. I can also understand how you feel as my youngest daughter was made sick while at WDW in October by housekeeping improperly cleaning the carpeting in our room (part of the VIP cleaning due to her allergies and asthma).

The carpeting was steam cleaned but left extremely wet and nothing was done even after calling down. We finally were moved after a face to face with the desk manager but it was too little too late as the damage was done.

Thank you for your kind words regarding my wife. In regards to your situation, as the parent of an asthmatic child (now grown). I can fully empathize with and understand your situation. While she was made sick, it's my sincerest hope she didn't suffer an serious asthma attack, I know all too well how quickly those can turn bad.

The problem is that now I am afraid to take her back to WDW as they already set her back with her asthma. Just before our trip she had seen her allergist and they did pulminary function tests to find she had the best PFTs ever. Now, 5 months later, we are still trying to get her back where she was.

Your motherly concern is duly noted, and appreciated. I recall reading to my own son as he did his nebulizer treatments, listening to the wheezing as he would breathe in the medication. It sounds like you're doing all the right things to get her back on track. Blessings to you and healing energy is being sent your daughter's way.

Their dad wants to take them to WDW in June but I am just not sure if I will be willing to let them go. I'm not satisfied with the response from the customer service person in reference to ensuring that the room is properly cleaned this time.

Please don't give up on WDW, Cathy and I haven't. I'm so sorry for what has happened to your daughter, and unhappy for what happened to my wife. Hopefully these incidents will never happen again to our families, and I pray not to anyone else.

You say she is your youngest daughter, so I would venture to say you have other children? I'm sure your husband would never knowingly put the children at risk and it sounds like dad wants to take them back, perhaps to make this trip even better than the last one was planned to be.

If I were you, I would agree to go with the caveat that your husband make the necessary and timley calls to the resort several weeks, then several days, then the night before you leave, to make sure the room is properly prepared for your daughters arrival.

Best of luck and hopefully, best of times when next you and yours are again at WDW.

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[Bearadise]

If your in enough pain to cry and ruin your trip you would seek help.

Medical response was called and medical assistance was given. I never said our trip was ruined. It was however greatly diminished in it's capacity and enjoyment.

Alot of times people try to get money for nothing

Yes, yes some people do...

If a person has a medical problem to start with they should know to seek help.

And if the prior existing medical condition has nothing whatsoever to do with the injury that had just occurred, what does that have to do with price of tea in China?

As the OP mentioned her fears, fears are not going to get money from anyone.

On the point of "fears" or Emotional Distress as it's called, you are sadly mistaken. While in most cases it's brought forth in conjunction with another complaint, it has in several jurisdictions, been brought forth on it's own merits. While usually dismissed, or "worked out", It nevertheless can, and has resulted in monetary compensation being awarded. Google it and never say never.

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[brat]

Bear and Bearswife

I am sure you did everything the way your wife wanted you to do things, you know her better than anyone.

As a parent I would not want to cut short my kids fun at WDW.Sorry all of this made it harder to enjoy the fun.

Keep us updated on how wife is healing.

Hope your stress level is going down

Leajess
Would your DD put-up with wearing a mask till her Dad made sure the room is safe?

 

[ccgirl]

If your in enough pain to cry and ruin your trip you would seek help. Alot of times people try to get money for nothing. If a person has a medical problem to start with they should know to seek help. As the OP mentioned her fears, fears are not going to get money from anyone.

I am not a big fan of lawsuits. That being said, there are legitimate ones as well. This man's wife was injured when a driver improperly used the lift. That is negligence. It's not like she wasn't looking where she was going and drove into a tree with her scooter. I don't recall reading anywhere he was looking for money. I think he was venting he was surprised LO was not called as well as looking to see where he could get the reports. I think others have made some great points of how LO is handled differently at WDW. It would be like some tripping over something in a bus up here. The police would likely not come for something like that but EMS would arrive.

In any case OP, I am glad to hear your wife is doing better and you are considering another trip.