College Athlete Claiming He Lost his Season After Being Run Over by Scooter is Suing Walt Disney World

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College Athlete Claiming He Lost his Season After Being Run Over by Scooter is Suing Walt Disney World

According to a report by Orlando Sentinel, a college basketball player is suing Walt Disney World after being run into by a scooter while at the resort, claiming it cost him his season.

David Maynard from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, suffered the incident while at Disney’s Hollywood Studios back in May 2018. According to the recent lawsuit against the resort, the crash resulted in Maynard having severed 97% of his left Achilles tendon, requiring surgery and extensive physical rehabilitation.

Maynard’s suit wouldn’t be the first filed against Walt Disney World for scooter-related injuries, as last August a woman filed a claim after an injury sustained on a resort bus, and in January 2019 a claim was made after another woman was run over in EPCOT. Maynard is seeking more than $30,000 in his lawsuit, which was filed this month in Orange Circuit Court, on the grounds of “great pain and anguish of the body and mind”. Spokeswoman for Disney Andrea Finger has stated “This matter is between two guests, and we will respond to the allegations as appropriate in court”.

According to findings by Orlando Sentinel, Maynard was the second most accurate three-point shooter for the Colgate Raiders, who compete in the Patriot League. The school website states that he missed the entire 2018-2019 season with the injury.

There is no doubt that mobility vehicles are a necessity to many park goers, so it is unlikely that lawsuits such as Maynard’s – which accuses Disney of allowing them too close to pedestrians – will achieve a park-wide ban on the scooters.

Do you agree that scooters present a problem within the theme parks, or do you believe it is the duty of the pedestrian to ensure a safe distance is kept? Stay tuned to WDWNT for updates.

Author

  • Madeleine

    Madeleine writes from somewhere near Manchester, England. You can say hey by emailing madeleine@mail.hkdrnt.com or find me on Instagram @lily_mads30

27 thoughts on “College Athlete Claiming He Lost his Season After Being Run Over by Scooter is Suing Walt Disney World”

  1. Hard to maintain distance when they run you over from behind. I don’t have eyes in the back of my head.

  2. First of all, the scooters actually sold at the park, don’t go on resort busses. So the First Lady who got hit in August must’ve gotten hit by a third party company scooter sold outside of the parks. Possibly the red ones you see flying around. Which brings me to my next point, people get so mad at us (cast members) because our scooters are so “slow” so they go and rent outside scooters because they are faster. This is why our in-park scooters are slow, pedestrians. Either way though, the scooters sold in park are owned by a third party company as well and the contract guests sign before renting say that anything that happens while you’re in possession of the ECVs is your responsibility. Disney isn’t responsible to begin with.
    Side note: I’ve ran my own foot over multiple times with an ECV (because it’s nearly impossible to be fully ran over by one) and I’m perfectly fine. Continued working and everything that day. So, sorry bud you probably just had a bad season.

    – an ex cast member

  3. Ban them or create a separate lane in the parks for them. I’ve been against them since July 4th, 2013 when a very intoxicated scooter driver ran into the back of my 9 year old daughter. When I’ve recounted this story online, I’ve been attacked by pro-scooter advocates.

  4. Disney is also a little bit responsible for packing the parks to the point that is impossible to walk. However I agreed that scooters are necessary for some people’s and those who can walk have to keep distance, respect and watch were they walk

  5. I really dislike scooters, last time I was in EPCOT I got ran over, almost broke my ankle, people need I.D. card that showes they are handicap and need a scooter

  6. both pedestrians and the scooties need to be mindful of those around them. Now, it is not my place to determine who needs one and who doesn’t, but when we were there back in November, It felt like there were WAY more scooters than one would expect and I did feel (from my observations) that some folk were using them more like a golf cart. Why walk the links if you don’t have to.

  7. There are a lot of bad apples with scooters. I was over by the entrance to Adventureland and it was really crowded. A woman comes barreling through in her rent-a-scooter, laying on the horn with one hand, steering with cigarette in the other hand, and a 3-year-old child along for the ride.

    I don’t think the issue is scooters because there are people who need them. I think the problem is that Disney needs to either have some kind of mandatory scooter training or like tell people “here are the rules with scooters. If you do not obey them we will revoke your scooter privileges and supply you with a wheelchair for the remainder of the day”

    People need mobility options, but also the other guests need to be able to not worry about getting run over. It’s a fine line, which I’m sure Disney has been trying to figure out the best way to handle it.

  8. Picture this… every day before an ECV is rented the driver must complete a behind-the-wheel training session with WDWNT’s Maria. If they pass, they may rent.
    I’m assuming Maria will be into this. She’s always willing to lend a hand(which).

  9. Before my mom started using a scooter, I would’ve said it is up to the scooter to make sure they drive safely, but after she started using one, you realize how little people care about them. Meaning she would be driving with a nice open space and a whole group jumps right in front. Or cuts her off. If you don’t respect the space for a scooter and you get hit then that’s on you.

  10. As a disabled person with my own scooter, I have seen and personally experienced the “invisibility” that happens when you’re in a scooter or wheelchair- people who are walking near you DO NOT watch where they’re going. It’s as if they don’t see you. A day in the parks is FILLED with instances of people stepping out and cutting in front of you, expecting you to stop on a dime. I have even been physically restrained by a man who grabbed my hand on the controls to prevent me from moving forward, so his family could jump in front of me. Im not the only one who has experienced this. I consider this illegal restraint. We are treated as “second rate citizens”. That being said, if someone rents a scooter, they should have to go through a mandatory training and safety test. Too many elderly folks are being put on a motorized tool that they are not used to, and expected to handle it safely in some of the busiest places on earth.

    • This is why a scooter/stroller lane will work. You will avoid pedestrians and pedestrians will avoid you.

  11. Disney has to give access to all. Otherwise they get sued for that. Then someone gets hit by one and they sue Disney for that. If they have an issue with a person on a scooter that hit them and the person on the scooter is found to be completely at fault (meaning the other person did not contribute to the incident by not watching, cutting in front of scooter, etc.) then the suit should go against the scooter operator. When someone gets in a wreck between 2 cars, you do not sue the state where the road is located. You go after the person at fault for hitting the car. Another money grab going after Disney’s deep pockets (used to be deep pockets anyway).

  12. Those scooters are getting out of control. Some people actually NEED them. Way too many are just lazy and use them for the wrong reasons. I’m not sure if there’s anything Disney can do. Instead of going after Disney, go with the operator or scooter rental company. Just my humble opinion.

  13. I use a scooter and have had people just walk right in front of me, push carriages into my path, just stop with no notice. It is like a bike, car we can not just stop. I leave room for these instances and people just get in the space. I had one woman scream at me because she backed up into me and ended up in my lap. Seriously!! Don’t yell at me because you are not watching where you are going.

  14. We’ve been nearly-hit by scooters far more than a few times. I think they’re a wonderful mobility option, but unfortunately a lot of guests get them so they can just speed around the park, and feel that because they’re “disabled” they should have priority access to spaces. We’ve been in the huge exit crowds after the fireworks and had people “honking” at us, as if we could move any faster than the mass of people surrounding us. They should be prospected as vehicular crimes, honestly. The people who truly need them and use them responsibly wouldn’t be affected by that. Sadly, a lot of people now seem to abuse protections intended for the truly disabled.

  15. I agree with this lawsuit. Disney is supposed to be for everyone, but realistically if you need a scooter to get around, you’re better off choosing another destination. The last thing crowded parks need are scooters. Not to mention, half of the people on them appear to have no real reason, apart from laziness, for using them.

  16. I’m so tired of Scooters, i was run over by one in EPCOT befor the parks closed, almost broke my ankle, they need to get rid of them, or the person needs a Valid Disability card that says they need on

  17. Just like anything in life, there are a lot of people with out medical needs who abuse the system and rent scooters simply because they don’t feel like walking and think they have total right of way.

  18. So, in what way is Disney responsible for dudes injury? If it was a defective scooter, sure, I get it. But if it was just some stupid operator, that’s on the operator.

  19. As a person that uses a scooter, I’m sorry for the victims that got hurt, but blaming the park is not necessarily the answer either. It is everybody’s responsibility to pay attention of their surroundings including the person driving the scooter. Accidents happen!!! It doesn’t make it right, but it happens. With large crowds it is hard to avoid being near people. I have always drive responsibly, but just like car accidents. The accidents are always different. The fault could be everyone involved.

  20. I hope Disney decides at some point to enforce a policy with proper documentation needed in order to use a scooter. I see so many people who use them just so they don’t have to walk all day, not because they need them. So many people with children on their laps or even letting the child dive the scooter for them. I’ve been hit by several, but I’ve also witnessed so many people who really need them not given the right of way. People blatantly block their path or refuse to move so they can get through. But THE WORST has to be people with strollers crashing into your ankles constantly completely unaware and unapologetic

  21. A simple solution would be to have well marked scooter lanes in the parks like bicycle lanes on city streets. If you choose to walk in the scooter lane, you take your chance. At least with designated scooter lanes, hopefully it would help keep the more idiot scooter drivers from running down walking guests. I have personally witnessed many scooter drivers in the parks who obviously think they have the right of way at all times. There are far too many guests who normally don’t use a scooter at home and have no idea how to drive one, especially in crowds; but get one to use in Disney.

  22. My 4 yr old daughter was hit and run over by an older lady on a park rented scooter as we were exiting Epcot last year. She got off the scooter, apologized, and said she had no idea how to use the scooter’s brakes and was having a hard time seeing…then took off as we waited for the emt’s. And that isn’t the first time we’ve been injured by people on rented scooters.

  23. The easy solution is to make a scooter/stroller lane. I have personally been knocked off due to scooters and strollers.

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