A woman who was celebrating her 30th birthday at Walt Disney World has since filed a $50,000 lawsuit, claiming she got a “painful wedgie” and “severe vaginal lacerations” after riding a waterslide at the Orlando, Florida theme park.
The woman, identified as Emma McGuinness says she was at the Typhoon Lagoon water park in October 2019, where she was celebrating her dirty 30.
According to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday (September 27), McGuinness decided to take on the “Humunga Kowabunga” waterslide — which according to the Disney World website, places riders in “enclosed body slides” and sends them on a 214-foot drop in the dark, and then “sprays [their] way to a surprise ending.” Tragically, for McGuinness, she experienced a super painful surprise ending.
According to the legal complaint against Disney World, McGuinness, who was wearing a full-coverage one-piece swimsuit, “assumed the appropriate position” at the top of the slide. Ride operators instructed her to cross her ankles, but she claims that did not eliminate any danger that soon ensued.
The complaint read, “Whether ankles are crossed or not, riding down The Slide carries with it specific risks about which Disney knew or, in the exercise of reasonable care, should have known. Specifically, when a rider of The Slide reaches the bottom of the ride and travels into the pool of water designed to stop further travel, the force of the water can push loose garments into a person’s anatomy – an event known as a ‘wedgie.’ Because of a woman’s anatomy, the risk of a painful ‘wedgie’ is more common and more serious than it is for a man.”
The complaint continued, “As Ms. McGuinness neared the end of The Slide, her body lifted, she became airborne, and she was slammed downward against The Slide — which increased the likelihood of her legs becoming uncrossed or otherwise exposing herself to injury in using The Slide. The impact of The Slide and her impact into the standing water at the bottom of The Slide caused Ms. McGuinness’ clothing to be painfully forced between her legs and for water to be violently forced inside her. She experienced immediate and severe pain internally and, as she stood up, blood began rushing from between her legs.”
It was also explained that “The standing water at the bottom of The Slide, however, creates a much greater risk of injury when a rider slams into it at the end of The Slide and is brought to a quick stop. In the absence of appropriate swimwear or protective clothing, when a rider impacts the water at the end of The Slide, the forward speed of the rider can cause water to be forced inside the body. Because of their particular anatomy, and as a consequence of the type of swimwear women frequently wear, the risk of water being forced inside their body is greater than it is for men.”
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After the incident at Disney World, McGuinness was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital and was eventually transferred to another facility, where she was able to undergo “the repair of her gynecologic injuries by a specialist.”
Additionally, the complaint says she ultimately suffered “severe and permanent bodily injury including severe vaginal lacerations, a full thickness laceration causing Plaintiff’s bowel to protrude through her abdominal wall, and damage to her internal organs.” McGuinness’ lawsuit also says that Disney World ignored such risks to women who partake in the ride and that if they had offered protective gear or clothing, she would have worn it.
Since the incident at Disney World, McGuinness and her husband, Edward McGuinness, are now suing Disney for over $50,000, claiming negligence and loss of consortium, due to the vaginal lacerations, and injuries to her female anatomy.
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