A trip to Florida would not be complete without our favorite local pastime: random assault at a major theme park! I’ve seen more than my fair share of fights at Disney, Universal, and various water parks, but what is the aftermath? It turns out they end in lawsuits.
In May 2021, a Florida family was visiting SeaWorld Orlando when they were allegedly involved in a scuffle with teenagers. Three members of the Johnson Family and an unnamed minor had earlier confronted the teens. It is alleged that the teens had been aggressive while in the queue for a ride, according to the Orlando Sentinel, via Security InfoWatch.
The fallout resulted in the teenagers allegedly assaulting the Johnsons within the park. This event led to injuries that left the family exiting the park to seek treatment. The Johnsons’ lawsuit states that the SeaWorld staff and security did nothing. As the family left the park, they were again involved with another confrontation with the teens.
Although SeaWorld did assign the Johnsons a single employee to escort, this did not dissuade the teens from attempting to intimidate further or harm the family. According to the lawsuit, the defendants “drive circles around them” in the parking lot.
It appears the teens were either not named or could not be identified. The Johnsons and a representative for a minor involved filed a lawsuit accusing SeaWorld of doing little to nothing even though the teens presented a threat. The plaintiffs alleged that they suffered physical and mental injuries from the event and the lack of help.
From my experience, SeaWorld usually feels understaffed. For example, on one of my trips there, a person I was with fell and scraped her knee pretty bad. It took us several minutes to find someone who would help us.
The employees we did find either pointed us in the general direction of the first aid station or just walked off as we tried to flag them down. We got more help from the signage than we did from the employees.
Have you witnessed any violence at the parks? Tell us about your experiences in the comments section below.
[Source: Security InfoWatch]
[Source: Orlando Sentinel]
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