Disneyland staff laughed at disabled woman before she fell off ride and later died: lawsuit

Disneyland workers laughed at the 66-year-old disabled woman before she fell off the Jungle Cruise ride and died five months later from septic shock, the lawsuit alleges.

In the fall, Joanna Aguilar’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Ventura County, California, and it went to trial earlier this month. The lawsuit lists the Walt Disney Company, its theme park division and Disneyland as defendants.

According to a complaint received by The Post, Aguilar visited the Anaheim Amusement Park on August 21, 2021 with her two adult daughters, Zenobia Hernandez and Andrea Maullul.

The family purchased a wheelchair from the park for Aguilar, who was recovering from a knee injury at the time.

When the women went to ride the Jungle Cruise attraction, the staff told Aguilar that the wheelchair boat was not available.

The attraction has an ADA-accessible boat that allows disabled park visitors to board without leaving their wheelchairs, but Aguilar opted to ride the standard boat with the help of her daughters.

At the end of the trip, park workers allegedly placed “small loose blocks” on top of the boat’s steps to reduce the height of each step, but Aguilar had difficulty climbing them.

Instead of helping the family, according to the complaint, the Disneyland cast began to “giggle and giggle” at the woman’s difficulties, causing her to feel ashamed and embarrassed.

The lawsuit alleges that Aguilar “felt inhuman” in the situation.

Moments later, Aguilar lost her balance on the steps, fell backwards, and broke her right hip. She will spend the next 10 days in the hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation center.

The woman remained at the facility in Oxnard, California for five months before she contracted an infection there, suffered septic shock and died on January 29, 2022.

According to the lawsuit, the woman died as a result of injuries sustained in a fall at Disneyland. The federal complaint alleges wrongful death and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Aguilar family is seeking unspecified damages for physical pain, mental anguish and humiliation, as well as all medical, funeral and attorney fees.

“My clients went to Disneyland hoping to create happy memories for a lifetime, and instead they were left with memories of a lack of dignity and respect for their mother, which ultimately led to her eventual demise,” said family lawyer Michael Jindron. Orange County Register.

In court documents, Disney denied all allegations, saying the company was not at fault for Aguilar’s injuries and that the woman and her daughters were aware of the risk of visiting the theme park.

The company requested that the claim be dismissed.