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A Florida woman has filed a lawsuit against Disney, claiming she lost consciousness and suffered brain damage after riding a waterslide at Typhoon Lagoon Waterpark.
According to the complaint filed Monday in Orange County, Laura Reyes Merino allegedly visited the theme park on May 11 and rode the Humunga Cowabunga ride. translationa local Orlando news media outlet.
The woman’s lawyer, Richard Russo, did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
According to the Walt Disney World website, the waterslide has a “near vertical” drop of 214 feet at a 60-degree angle.
According to the lawsuit, Reyes-Merino lost consciousness “after being slammed into the water on the ride,” and her family found her limp at the end of the waterslide.
“The officers told (Reyes-Merino’s) fiance and mother that they were not lifeguards and that they would have to find a lifeguard to help them,” the lawsuit states. “While everyone was waiting for help, blood continued to flow from (Reyes-Merino’s) mouth while underwater.”
According to the lawsuit, Reyes-Merino’s fiance pulled her from the water, but lifeguards who arrived on the scene told the family not to touch her, and the family called an ambulance.
“If Disney had stationed lifeguards at the end of the ride to monitor and assist guests as they exited, Plaintiff would not have been in the water coughing up blood and drowning, and therefore his brain injury would not have occurred,” the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, Reyes-Merino suffered mental, emotional and physical illnesses, including brain damage, after the incident. She is seeking $50,000 in damages.
Representatives for Walt Disney World and Reyes Merino did not respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment.
Disney has faced lawsuits in the past related to the Humunga-Cowabunga waterslide, with a woman alleging in October 2023 that she experienced vaginal bleeding after a hard landing.
The lawsuit claims the woman suffered permanent physical injuries after the incident and is seeking $50,000 in damages.