14 DAY TRIAL // A paralyzed man stuck on a broken Disneyland ride for half an hour in 2009 has claimed an $8,000 (€6,265) compensation.
Jose Martinez filed a suit against the company in 2011, citing his emotional distress and health issues resulting from his experience in the amusement park.
The San Francisco Chronicle details that Martinez was on the “It’s a Small World” ride when it broke down, leaving passengers stranded during his visit.
While he was stuck, the “Small World” song was playing on repeat, which had a negative impact on the disabled man with a history of panic attacks and high blood pressure.
"It's a world of laughter / A world of tears / It's a world of hopes / And a world of fears," the lyrics to the tune go, as relayed by the Daily Mail.
"He was half in the cave of the ride and half out. [...] The music was blaring. They couldn’t get it to go off," his attorney David Geffen describes.
Once the ride malfunctioned, other visitors were evacuated, but staff were not equipped to help Martinez. Fire rescue crews were not called in and he was forced to wait until the ride resumed.
The lawsuit also cites Disneyland's failure to alert disabled guests of the dangers they face in case the ride breaks down.
“This is a really important ruling not just for (Martinez), but for anyone that rides the rides at Disneyland — because they do break down often and they do not tell people. [...] The court’s saying that this kind of injury is foreseeable and that (Disneyland) has a duty to warn people,” Geffen says.
"[Disneyland] believes it provided all appropriate assistance to Mr. and Mrs. Martinez when the ride temporarily stopped and is disappointed that the court did not fully agree," spokeswoman Suzi Brown responds.