Disney World fan weighing 334lbs is left ‘permanently disfigured' after ‘going airborne' on popular water slide
A 334lb Disney World fan who was left "permanently disfigured" after "flying" off a water slide is suing the company for negligence.
Florida man Eugene Strickland was allowed on the ride at Blizzard Beach - despite being over the weight limit and allegedly using poorly maintained equipment.
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He filed the lawsuit on May 29 in Orange County, seeking over $50,000 in damages for his "permanent catastrophic injuries".
The complainant said he was riding the Downhill Double Dipper, a dual-track slide.
Disney World boasts that the slide will plunge guests "50 feet downhill at exhilarating speeds".
Strickland, who weighed 334 pounds at the time, was 34 pounds over the maximum weight limit allowed under American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) safety guidelines for single-rider slides.
But Disney World employees allegedly turned a blind eye, allowing the man to go on the ride using one of the park's provided inner tubes.
During the descent, Strickland says he "became momentarily airborne".
He added that the tube "became forcibly, suddenly, and unexpectedly dislodged" from underneath him, which then made him "land with force onto the hard plastic surface of the slide".
The lawsuit blasted Disney's safety protocols, and claimed the slide was in a "dangerous condition"
It also branded the ride as a "safety hazard and concealed trap".
They accused the company of knowingly keeping the ride open without proper warnings or sufficient repairs.
Strickland's lawyers said: "These injuries are permanent and continuing within a degree of medical probability, and Plaintiff will suffer these losses in the future."
The complaint also accused Disney of using "deficient, inadequate, ineffective, or underinflated inner tubes", while knowing that they were not fit for use.
They also said the park failed to properly inspect the slide, maintain the equipment, or enforce posted weight limits.
The scathing complaint outlines 13 specific examples of negligenc.
It included allowing the "unrestricted use of an unsafe high-speed water slide", failing to correctly train staff, and ignoring its own safety regulation.
Strickland said he is still suffering physically and emotionally as a result of the horror ordeal.
He explained that he suffers from pain, disability, scarring, disfigurement, mental anguish, and a diminished quality of life.
These came alongside his ongoing medical expenses and the exacerbation of pre-existing conditions.
A jury trial is scheduled for May 2027, and Disney are yet to comment publicly on the case.
The Sun reached out to Disney for comment.
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