A Pennsylvania woman is suing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, claiming she suffered “permanent injuries” during a crowd “stampede” on Main Street at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
According to court documents filed in Orlando, FL on August 12, Debra O'Steen is seeking “damages in excess of $50,000” from Disney. The lawsuit alleges that O'Steen was walking down the main street of the Magic Kingdom on June 25, 2024. At the time, the park was “full and extremely busy” with crowds coming for an unspecified “event.”
“Defendant was at an event that was about to start when a group of people rushed Plaintiff and knocked him to the ground in a stampede on Main Street,” the lawsuit states. It also alleges that O'Steen suffered “permanent injuries” as a result of the stampede, including “permanent injuries to his body” and “loss of his ability to live and enjoy a normal life.”
“The losses are permanent or ongoing and Plaintiff will suffer in the future,” the lawsuit states. O'Steen also claims he suffered mental anguish, lost wages and medical expenses as a result of the accident. He claims Disney was negligent in failing to provide proper crowd control, failed to provide a safe area and failed to adequately warn guests of the impending danger due to the number of guests.
Specifically, O'Steen described himself in his complaint as a “business guest” of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts at the time of the incident. That term is used to describe anyone who is invited to a location to conduct business with a landowner. Under Florida law, as in most states, business guests are given a much broader degree of legal protection. Landowners are expected to maintain their facilities in reasonable condition and to inform business guests of potential hazards on the premises that they would not reasonably expect.
O'Steen demanded a jury trial.
This is the second major lawsuit against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts to make headlines recently. The company recently backed down from its effort to have a wrongful death lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that the victim’s fine print in the Disney+ contract overrode the family’s right to a public hearing. In this case, the plaintiff is also seeking $50,000 in damages.