In May 2023, a Florida woman filed a lawsuit against Disney World after she lost consciousness and suffered brain damage while riding the Humunga Kowabunga waterslide at Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. Laura Reyes-Merino visited the park on May 11 and rode the near-vertical 214-foot drop with a 60-degree angle.
According to the lawsuit, Reyes-Merino fell unconscious after hitting inside the ride and her family found her limp at the end of the waterslide. The attendants at the ride reportedly told her family that they were not lifeguards and would have to find lifeguards for help. As they waited for assistance, Reyes-Merino was coughing up blood in the water, prompting her fiancé to pull her out before calling an ambulance.
The lawsuit claims that if Disney had lifeguards at the end of the ride, Reyes-Merino’s brain injury could have been prevented. Following the incident, Reyes-Merino has experienced mental, emotional, and physical illnesses, including brain damage, and is seeking $50,000 in damages.
This is not the first lawsuit related to the Humunga Kowabunga waterslide at Disney World. In 2023, there was another case where a woman allegedly suffered permanent bodily injury and claimed $50,000 in damages. Representatives for Disney World and Reyes-Merino have yet to comment on the lawsuit.
