LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal ry umpire awarded $7.25 million to a 74-year-old Arizona woman with a spinal injury she suffered in the fall while leaving Harry Potter and a banned journey ride at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Pamela Morrison was sitting in a popular charm with her grandson in September 2022 when she was asked for an exit after the harness failed to properly protect it. According to her lawsuit, Morrison slipped and fell as he stepped out of a moving passageway onto solid ground.
Her attorney, Taylor Cruze, argued that Morrison's fall — which caused a spinal compression fracture — was because employees stopped the mobile aisle and the woman was unable to leave safely.
“It would take four seconds to stop it, but instead they wanted to keep the ride moving, whatever it was, to create a quota for 1,800 riders per hour,” Kruze said Tuesday.
Universal Studios lawyer Hollywood claimed that Morrison was focusing on his grandson and that autumn was her fault, not where she was stepping in.
After a three-day trial, California ju judges deliberated for four hours on February 14th, then found a theme park responsible for creating dangerous conditions that would lead to Morrison's accident. She was awarded $250,000 for future medical expenses, $2 million for past pain and suffering, and $5 million for future pain and suffering, Kruze said.
A message has been sent to Universal Studios Hollywood for comment on the verdict.
“Autumn changed her life, and that's what the ju-describers saw,” Kruze said. “Obviously, I feel that this was a very legitimate result.”
