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During a special visit to the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” a young Guest, unfortunately, broke his leg after a Walt Disney World attraction, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, malfunctioned while passengers were riding it.
For most children, a visit to the Magic Kingdom would be a dream come true. What’s more, this magical vacation held a special significance for Hunter Wanca, whose Alabama friends and classmates surprised him with a trip sponsored by an organization that funds “wishes” for children in need after he suffered a personal tragedy the year before.
Credit: Disney Dining
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Just three years ago, Wanca’s 16-year-old brother murdered their father with a gun during a domestic dispute. Sadly, he also critically injured Hunter in the process, leaving the then 12-year-old boy physically paralyzed from the chest down.
Then, while Wanca was visiting Walt Disney World Resort on March 30, 2021, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction broke down with Hunter, and all the other Guests, still on board. The Walt Disney World website describes the New Fantasyland thrill ride as follows:
Race through the diamond mine from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on a swaying family coaster ride. Deep inside an age-old mountain, clamber into a rustic mine train and make your way up a steep incline.
At the summit, feel the wind across your face as you navigate hairpin turns and head deep into the mine shaft—your creaky cart teetering back and forth. Soon, the dark sparkles with glittering jewels and you encounter the Seven Dwarfs, whistling and singing while they work.
Chug through the cavern and climb skyward. At the peak, glimpse an incredible view of Fantasyland before racing back down to the foot of the mountain.
Credit: Disney Parks Blog
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However, according to a new report, when first responders from Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District arrived on the scene to aid Guests, four of them actually ended up breaking Hunter’s leg hile lifting him from the ride vehicle! Specifically, due to his paralysis, first responders overextended his right leg, fracturing the femur bone at the knee.
As a result, Hunter’s grandfather and legal guardian, Richard McNamara, filed a lawsuit in Orange Circuit Court for “serious injuries and other damages including, but not limited to a right distal femur supracondylar fracture” due to the roller coaster’s shut-down. Morgan &Morgan & Morgan coordinated the theme park case, with McNamara acting as a plaintiff on his grandson’s behalf.
Credit: Disney Dining
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Although both sides agreed upon a settlement just three weeks after McNamara filed the suit, Disney did not report any injuries on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train within their required paperwork for March 2021. Moreover, neither Morgan & Morgan nor the Walt Disney Company have provided an official statement on the confidential agreement.
