Disneyland has a wrongful death lawsuit against them, over their staff’s alleged treatment of a disabled woman.
The family of Joanne Aguilar, 66, accuse park members of laughing at the woman before she fell getting off the Jungle Cruise ride on August 21, 2021.
Reports say that she died 5 months later due to complications from her injuries. It is said that Aguilar contracted an infection — leading to septic shock — during her recovery.
Joanne visited the park with her two adult daughters, Zenobia Hernandez and Andrea Maullul while recovering from a knee injury. Employees provided her with a wheelchair through the park’s Disability Access Services. While there, Aguilar and her children decided to get on the Jungle Cruise ride. The attorneys claim that wheelchair-accessible boats were not available for the Jungle Cruise ride but Aguilar decided to use a standard boat with the help of her daughters. At the end of the ride, workers allegedly placed “small unsecured blocks” at the top of the steps to reduce the height of each step, but she still struggled going up. According to the complaint, instead of helping the woman, workers began “snickering and giggling” as she struggled to get off the ride.
Soon later, Aguilar fell backward and broke her femur. She ended up spending 10 days at the hospital before transferring to a rehabilitation center. Aguilar died on January 29th, 2022. The lawsuit states that she died as a result of her injuries sustained in the fall at Disneyland.
Aguilar’s Family Attorney Statement:
“My clients went to Disneyland with the hopes of creating life-long happy memories and instead are left with the memory of a lack of dignity and respect for their mother which ultimately led to her final demise,” family attorney Michael Jeandron told SCNG. “Two daughters are heartbroken, healing, and seeking accountability for Disney cast members who laughed at their struggling mother instead of helping her.”
The family is seeking compensation for medical, funeral, and attorney fees, as well as other incidental damages.
Disney is denying all allegations and stated that they are not responsible for Aguilar’s injuries. They feel as if she and her daughters knew the risks of coming to the theme park.
We will keep you all updated as more information is released regarding this case.
