Disneyland Cast Laughed at Disabled Woman Who Broke Leg on Ride: Lawsuit

Two women suing Disneyland say it neglected safety standards for their disabled mother on a ride.
They allege that cast members laughed at their mother just before she broke her leg at the park.
Disney has denied all their allegations and has requested for the lawsuit to be dismissed.
Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Disneyland cast members snickered and giggled at a disabled woman exiting a Jungle Cruise boat just before she fell and broke her leg, her two daughters alleged in a federal lawsuit against the park.
Ventura County resident Joanne Aguilar, 66, spent 10 days at the hospital after the accident, and died five months later of an infection and resulting septic shock during her recovery, per the lawsuit, seen by Insider.
The lawsuit alleged it was Aguilar’s injury at the park that caused her death.
Her daughters, Zenobia Hernandez and Andrea Maullul, are now suing Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company for damages including Aguilar’s burial and funeral expenses, attorney fees, medical costs, and other incidental damages.
Their complaint was filed on November 18 and assigned on January 5 to US District Judge Cormac Carney.
Disney has denied all of their allegations and requested to dismiss the case, per court documents seen by Insider.
In their lawsuit, Maullul and Hernandez said they and their mother visited Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, on August 22, 2021. Aguilar had a knee injury, and so the trio obtained a wheelchair from the park’s disability access service, the lawsuit said.
However, when Aguilar wanted to get on the Jungle Cruise ride, she was told by a cast member that a wheelchair-accessible boat wasn’t available, per the lawsuit. The Jungle Cruise ride has a disabled-access boat that uses an electronic lift to load visitors in wheelchairs and scooters.
On the other hand, normal boats have wooden benches on their sides, the lawsuit said.
“A Disney Park guest wishing to transfer to a boat seat must step across the dock, step upwards and over the side of the boat, and then down into the boat,” the filing said.
Aguilar accepted the cast members’ offer to assist her getting into the normal boat, but still found the task “very difficult and challenging due to her disability,” the lawsuit said.
When the ride concluded and Aguilar had to exit the boat, cast members put “small unsecured blocks” on top of the steps inside the boat to reduce the height of each step, the lawsuit said.
The complaint alleged that Aguilar struggled to lift herself up on the steps, and Disney cast members began snickering and giggling as they watched her.
Aguilar “began to feel the shame and embarrassment of the situation and felt dehumanized,” the lawsuit said.
As Hernandez and Maullul helped Aguilar out of the boat, the blocks became unstable and Aguilar lost her balance and fell backwards, suffering an open fracture in her right leg, the lawsuit said. An ambulance brought Aguilar to Anaheim Global Medical center, where she underwent surgery and was hospitalized for 10 days before transferring to a rehabilitation center.
At the center, she contracted an infection, which led to septic shock, and died on January 29, 2022, per the lawsuit.
Hernandez and Maullul said in the complaint that their mother “was never able to return home” since the accident at Disneyland, and accused the park and its staff of negligence and violation of disabled access and safety standards.
In Disney’s court filings, seen by Insider, the company’s lawyers said Aguilar’s injuries were caused by other persons or entities, and that Aguilar and her daughters were aware of the risks they took in the Anaheim park.
A lawyer for Hernandez and Maullul and Disney’s press office did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.