Mother Attacked With Toddler in Her Arms at Disney World, Hospitalized With Injuries

that the crowds at Walt Disney World can bring out the worst in people.

This summer, all eyes have been on Magic Kingdom’s newest nighttime spectacular, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away. The dazzling parade, inspired by the Main Street Electrical Parade, is everything fans could hope for—an electrified dreamscape featuring Moana, Encanto, Peter Pan, and the Blue Fairy guiding the glowing floats along Main Street, U.S.A. It’s breathtaking. It’s heartwarming.

And, as it turns out, it’s become a major battleground for parade spot territory.

And that’s where things take a turn.

A Violent Parade Encounter

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, a 51-year-old international tourist named Martha Lucia Zapata-Echeverri was arrested after allegedly injuring a 17-year-old girl during the wait for a nighttime parade in front of Cinderella Castle. The victim said she was standing along the curb with other guests when Zapata-Echeverri tried to force her way forward.

The teen told deputies that after asking not to be touched, she moved slightly to allow another guest through—only for Zapata-Echeverri to grab her arm and yank her to the side, leaving her bruised and shaken. The incident left a visible abrasion on the teen’s right arm. Zapata-Echeverri, who said she was trying to follow her daughter to the front, claims the teen had pushed into her, and she simply “pushed back.”

There was no available surveillance footage, and no other witnesses confirmed what happened. Still, the tourist was arrested on a child abuse charge and barred from all Disney properties. Her bond was set at $2,500, and a judge ruled she could not return to the parks.

But that’s unfortunately not where the disturbing stories end.

A Toddler, a Curb, and a Concussion

While that incident involved a teenager, another social media post recounts a gut-wrenching moment that happened during a different parade at Magic Kingdom—and this time, it involved a mother and her child.

“She ended up in the hospital with a concussion when someone pushed her off a curb to get a better view of a MK parade,” one commenter wrote. “She was seriously injured, and was holding on to her toddler at the time. Our friends had been waiting for the parade, and these people who hadn’t been waiting decided they deserved the better spot.”

No official report was filed on that specific event, but the post has made its rounds online as yet another reminder that parade etiquette at Disney can spiral into chaos.

Magical Moments… and Mayhem?

Parades at Disney are meant to be shared memories, not sources of trauma. But with bigger crowds flocking to Starlight, tensions are clearly rising. People wait for hours to secure front-row spots. Cast Members do their best to manage expectations, but entitlement and impatience can override common sense—and basic decency.

In both cases, what started as innocent attempts to get a better view ended in aggression. The second case especially shows how quickly things can get dangerous. A mother getting shoved off a curb while holding a toddler? That’s not just rude—it’s reckless.

Because when guests are ending up in the hospital—especially while carrying young children—that’s no longer just a crowd issue. That’s a people problem. Disney can only do so much. At some point, guests need to stop being jerks. If you didn’t wait hours for a spot, don’t shove someone who did. If you see a parent holding a child, don’t treat them like an obstacle.

Common courtesy shouldn’t disappear just because you’re trying to see Elsa float by. The magic only works if we all act like decent human beings.