In 2022, an Arizona woman was getting ready to go on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride at Universal Studios Hollywood with her grandson. After being asked to step out of the vehicle due to an issue with her seat’s harness, she wound up slipping and falling upon exiting the vehicle. She lost her footing on the moving walkway as she tried to make her way onto solid ground and was injured.
Two years later, a federal jury awarded her $7.25 million. The 74-year-old woman suffered a spinal compression fracture because of the fall, according to The Associated Press.
Grandma Awarded $7.25M After Suffering Crushed Spine on Harry Potter Ride at Universal Studios
As is the case with anything having to do with a he-said, she-said, there were two sides to the case that were presented to the jury. The theme park claimed the woman’s fall was due to her not paying attention to where she was exiting, instead worrying about her grandson.
As a result, lawyers for Universal Studios Hollywood claimed it was her lack of awareness that resulted in the accident. To counter that argument, the woman drove home the point that the problem was the ride attendants not stopping the moving walkway so she could exit safely.
Her attorney, Taylor Kruse, said instead of taking “four seconds to stop it” the ride was solely focused on meeting “its quote of 1,800 riders per hour.” There were more details presented to the jury because the trial went on for three days and saw the members deliberated for four hours before coming to a verdict.
That $7.25 million saw $5 million of it come from the future pain and suffering that the woman will now have to live with. Kruse told the outlet that “the fall changed her whole life.” An additional $2 million was awarded for past pain and suffering, presumably the two years between then and now, and the remaining amount is tied to future medical expenses.
Moving walkways are something that many of us have dealt with when it comes to these theme park rides. It’s the easiest and quickest way of meeting that quota Kruse spoke of. That being said, it’s certainly very easy to get tripped up on those things when transitioning from the walkway to stationary ground.
The Forbidden Journey ride is a fixture in four parks across the world, including Florida, Japan, and Beijing. The first iteration of it was in the Orlando park in 2010. The California ride that is in question in this lawsuit was constructed in 2016. A popular attraction in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the ride features 46 separate vehicles that see a runtime of 4:06.
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