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Credit: SeaWorldA parkgoer is suing SeaWorld after allegedly receiving “severe and permanent injuries” while riding a roller coaster.
SeaWorld Orlando originally opened as a marine park in 1973, making it the franchise’s second location after SeaWorld San Diego. However, thanks to a combo of bad press over its captivity of killer whales – fuelled by the release of the explosive documentary Blackfish (2013) – and dropping attendance, it’s increasingly shifted its focus to thrill rides in the past few years.
This new direction has seen the Park open Mako, currently Orlando’s tallest (and fastest) coaster, as well as Infinity Falls (a rapids ride boasting the world’s tallest river rapids drop), Ice Breaker (a family thrill coaster featuring the steepest drop in Florida), and the upcoming Pipeline: The Surf Coaster (said to be a “first-of-its-kind surf coaster.”)
For now, Ice Breaker is very much the Park’s premier attraction. However, according to a new court record acquired from the public Orange County Clerk’s office, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for SeaWorld’s coolest coaster.
A male parkgoer – named in the case as Casey Monette – is suing SeaWorld Orlando for an accident that occurred in February 2022, just one day after Ice Breaker’s opening.
Court records show that Monette is alleging that when he pulled down his safety restraint harness upon entering the ride, he was left with “approximately five to six inches of movement back and forth.”
During one of Ice Breaker’s many launches, the attraction experienced a malfunction, causing it to come to an “abrupt stop.” Insufficiently secured, Monette claims that he was “violently thrown forward and backwards in his seat causing his head to strike the seat in front of him and the headrest on the back of his seat, causing him to sustain severe and permanent injuries.”
The ride was then paused for 20 to 30 minutes, in which time SeaWorld Orlando staff attempted to repair the coaster, and the plaintiff – unable to move his neck – repeatedly called out for help. The ride later restarted, and as it reentered the boarding area, Monette informed staff that he was in “severe pain” and was treated by medical personnel.
The complaint argues that SeaWorld failed to ensure that all riders were secured in such a way to safely ride Ice Breaker – or, at the very least, to warn Guests of the dangers. It also cites SeaWorld’s decision to later amend Ice Breaker’s height restrictions (a decision that was recently reversed) as proof of known operational issues.
Monette alleges that SeaWorld’s negligence has not only caused him injury, pain, and suffering but that it has reduced his ability to enjoy a normal life, caused mental anguish, and diminished his earning capacity.
The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial, and as of April 24, 2023, the case is still ongoing.
This isn’t the first time a Guest has sued a well-known theme park, and it definitely won’t be the last. The past year alone has seen cases filed against Disney World after being “struck by a flying object” and slipping on a wet floor, while a family sued SeaWorld after being assaulted by a group of teenagers in 2021.