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Credit: SeaWorldA family has condemned SeaWorld after an incident on one roller coaster sent a minor to the hospital.
Like all theme parks, SeaWorld has faced its fair share of criticism over the years. In fact, it seems safe to say that SeaWorld is up there with the most controversial theme parks in the world, with the marine-themed park condemned for keeping orcas in captivity, staging theatrical performances with dolphins, and previously profiting from breeding programs that animal rights groups have long argued cause suffering.
The 2013 documentary Blackfish brought these issues into the mainstream spotlight. Its orca subject, Tilikum, was a resident of SeaWorld Orlando until 2017 and was involved in two fatal incidents at the theme park, the most famous of which saw trainer Dawn Brancheau killed in the wake of a Dine with Shamu show.
While SeaWorld has since axed its orca breeding program and restricted interaction between trainers and killer whales, the park still sparks regular controversy over its use of captive animals. Some animal rights activists have called for SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego, and SeaWorld San Antonio to free their orcas into ocean pens, while fans have also complained that SeaWorld has attempted to hide its orcas from public view in recent years.
But animals aren’t the only issue attracting backlash at SeaWorld.
In recent years, theme park fans have noted that quality standards have slipped across the park’s food and operations. Photos of disappointing dishes have racked up criticism on social media, while certain operational choices – such as the decision to block reentry on the Fourth of July – also proved unpopular.
Guests have also complained about several attractions. Expedition Odyssey made headlines when the attraction’s sign fell, struck, and injured a guest not long after opening at the Central Florida theme park. Meanwhile, in 2023, a guest filed a lawsuit after claiming that he was “violently thrown forward and backwards in his seat” on Ice Breaker, 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.”
Now, another ride has faced a separate lawsuit.
Guest Files Lawsuit Against SeaWorld
A Hillsborough County father is suing SeaWorld after his child was injured on Orlando’s tallest and fastest roller coaster.
The complaint, filed this month in Orange Circuit Court by David Stafford, seeks more than $50,000 in damages. Stafford alleges that during a March 15 ride on Mako, his child was struck in the forehead by an object that came from another rider. The lawsuit states the injury required stitches and later led to diagnoses of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Anxiety Disorder.
Paramedics from Orange County responded to the incident and took the child to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. The filing does not reveal what the airborne object was, whether it was dropped intentionally or accidentally, or the child’s age. The attorney representing the family did not respond to a request for comment.
Mako, which has been in operation since 2016, reaches 200 feet in height and travels up to 73 miles per hour, making it Orlando’s fastest roller coaster. SeaWorld policy requires guests to place personal belongings in lockers or bins before boarding. According to the lawsuit, employees and ride attendants did not adequately enforce those safety procedures, allowing unsecured items onto the coaster.
The incident does not appear on Florida’s theme park injury report, which requires parks to disclose when visitors are hospitalized for at least 24 hours following a ride-related injury. Past complaints about Mako have largely focused on nausea, dizziness, and back pain, though the coaster has remained one of SeaWorld Orlando’s most popular attractions.
SeaWorld has faced complaints about other roller coasters in the past. In 2024, a mother described feeling humiliated after being escorted out of SeaWorld San Diego when their daughter’s harness on Electric Eel “malfunctioned.” The Southern California theme park later clarified that the harness had not malfunctioned.
This followed another incident on the ride in 2023. Electric Eel was temporarily closed after a male rider in his 20s was hospitalized with a leg injury sustained on the ride. A safety modification was then added to the thrill ride, with Cal/OSHA confirming to the San Diego Union-Tribune that “enhancements to the ride’s vehicles were made, as well as signs and audio prompts for patron safety. Changes were also made to SeaWorld’s operating procedures and instructional videos.”
Earlier this year, another injury occurred – this time on Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, where a duck flew into a male guest and their sister.
Have you ever experienced Mako at SeaWorld?