Girl sues Disney after park ride 'left her brain-damaged'
A British teenager is suing Disney after suffering a heart attack following a ride on one of its rollercoasters which left her crippled and unable to walk or talk.
Leanne Deacon, 19, collapsed after repeatedly riding the Tower of Terror at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida, in 2005.
Her heart stopped and she suffered a life-threatening stroke before falling into a coma. She was left brain-
damaged, confined to a wheelchair and needing round-the-clock treatment.
Leanne and her mother June are now taking legal action against parent company Walt Disney World.
They filed a lawsuit in the State Circuit Court in Orlando on Wednesday, claiming at least $15,000 (£10,000) from the company in compensation.
Under US law claimants must sue for at least $15,000 to ensure a case is heard in the top courts and it is thought the full value of the claim could run into millions.
The Deacons, of Kibworth, Leicestershire, claim Disney was negligent and failed to provide proper safety restraints.
It is believed they have been negotiating with Disney since the accident but decided to take legal action because they were not making sufficient progress.
The Tower of Terror ride opened in 1994 and simulates a free-falling hotel lift.
Visitors are taken up about 20ft, then the ride drops the equivalent of 13 storeys before coming to a controlled stop.
It then goes up and plunges down again and again in a three-minute adventure. Signs warning customers that the ride is one of the scariest at the park are placed along the route where they queue up.
Leanne had been on holiday with her mother, father Alan and brother Matthew when the tragedy happened.
When the Deacons came to the theme park Leanne was 16 and rode in the Tower of Terror seven times.
She suffered two heart attacks after the final ride and spent weeks in the brain injury ward at Leicester General Hospital after being flown back to the UK.
Sheriff’s reports at the time of the incident claimed that she had complained of headaches and leg cramps shortly before her collapse.
Speaking after returning from the US three years ago, her mother said: “When we first got back from America she couldn’t move a muscle, but now she can move her arms.
“She does fall down sometimes, but her sense of humour is absolutely marvellous. She’s got a wicked sense of humour at the moment.”
The Deacons accuse Disney of negligence in the ride’s design and operation and in failure to adequately warn of risks or provide adequate safety restraints.
They also say Disney was operating the ride as a “common carrier” – invoking a legal doctrine that would impose tougher liability standards in court than Florida theme-park companies are usually asked to meet.
“The defendant, acting as a common carrier, was required to use reasonable skill to provide everything necessary for safe transportation,” the lawsuit asserts.
Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said the company had not yet received the legal documents and could not comment.
After the 2005 incident, Walt Disney World conducted a detailed inspection of the ride, monitored by the Florida safety authorities.
It determined nothing had malfunctioned and then reopened the attraction.
