Accidents Involving Injury at Universal Studios Florida

Official U.S. federal and state data on theme park accidents is almost nonexistent. That's why Theme Park Insider users are creating this visitor-maintained database of theme park accidents--to give public at least some information about attraction safety records.

Do you know of, or have been part of, an accident involving injury at Universal Studios Florida? Report it to Theme Park Insider.

Verified Incidents

10/14/2009 - Revenge of the Mummy - Submitted by robert on 10/15/2009

An employee fell from a ladder after the ride had closed for the evening, falling from the ride building's third story to its second. The worker was not believed to have suffered serious injury.

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The actress who portrays Sarah Connor was injured when her foot became caught in a lift mechanism. The show was stopped and the actress was transported to a local hospital, where she was treated and released.

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A 4-year-old girl suffered cuts on her foot when getting off the coaster. Her foot became wedged between the coaster and the load platform. She was taken to the hospital for treatment and released. The was inspected and reopened the next day.

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Jose Valadez, 39, of Apopka, died Sept. 22, 2004, a day after falling from the loading platform at Universal Studios Florida's Revenge of the Mummy ride. Valadez was awaiting a liver transplant and doctors told his family that his liver disease complicated the surgery they performed after the accident. Valadez fell as he was trying to board the ride. After falling, Valadez hit his head on the tracks. He complained to paramedics of stomach pain and that he couldn't feel his leg.

For more information about this incident, visit http://www.themeparkinsider.com/news/response.cfm?ID=1843

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Follow-up:
The man was walking around the park all day after he fell, and his subsequent need for surgery was indirectly related to the fall, due to pre-existing medical conditions. A healthy person would have been fine. -- Submitted by Name Withheld on 9/23/2004

When the ride came to an end, the boy reportedly stuck his leg out and jammed his foot between the vehicle and the platform. One of the boy's toes may have to be removed because of the accident.

For more information about this incident, visit http://www.local6.com/news/2751813/detail.html

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At the 4pm show on Thursday a woman named Belinda was pulled from the audience to participate but at the end, when the photo was taken with Edgar the monster, she ran from the creature and dove head first off the stage and down onto the steps of the theater. They called to her but there was no response. The actors then called for Health Services twice and finally the show was ended and the theater was cleared out. Clearly the situation was bad, the husband of the woman was in shock and there was no movement from the woman. What happened after I would like to know.

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Follow-up:
This incident is true. The last we (at Horror Make-Up) heard: She was taken to the hospital by Ambulance, however, she is doing okay. That is the last I heard. -- Submitted by Name Withheld on 8/12/2002

I was also watching this show, and this was a terrible thing. I'm sure my family were not the only ones who left that theatre feeling very sick. I thought the show would be cancelled, but it continued that day - skipping one or two shows after the incident. I went in to watch the next show to see if they'd cut the final part. The two actors were different, but the final part was still the same. The only difference was that the presenter held the hand of the audience member throughout, leading her to a safe part of the stage when the monster 'came to life'. The new 'stunt professional' even made a joke about the accident, saying "Be careful - the last person to wear that [monster-controlling] suit went to hospital!" Later we asked the employee standing at the front of the theatre how Belinda was. First she said she didn't know what we were talking about, but after we persisted with asking, she just said "Oh, she's fine. Thanks for asking". Hmm. I'd also seen the children of the injured woman in the Terminator shop with a Universal employee, being offered drinks from the chiller cabinet. If anyone has any more information about what happened to Belinda, me and my family would love to hear it. -- Submitted by Mr.Nutz on 8/13/2002

Immediately after this incident, the performer's blocking was changed so that the Host remains next to the guest. This measure was taken to prevent another guest from diving into the audience in fear. -- Submitted by Name Withheld on 8/13/2002

Unverified Reports

hi while riding this ride i experienced a scary and painful injury...my hair was caught in the metal headrest...i had to hold on to my hair so it would not rip out[approx. size of a quarter]when the ride was over i could not get off the ride because of it and my husband had to unwind my hair...i have medium length straight hair and i am 56 yrs. old and would not take the time to report something unless it really happened...i notified universal and did they care...not at all!...never even offered a free ticket or a thank you...i was made to feel like i had done something wrong...this happened on 05/18/09...i am discouraged from reporting anything of a safety nature to them ever again

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

On the final encounter with the shark on the Jaws attraction, my son's sweater was caught on one of the mechanical sharks teeth. He was dragged under the water briefly, but managed to break free and climb back into the boat. He suffered minor cuts and bruises.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
How would that happen? THe shark is far enough away to now catch anything, unless your "Son" was already in the water, something which would result in expulsion from the park and a 1 year trespass being issued against you. This is a completley made up story if I've ever heard one! -- Submitted by ukfloridafun on 2/5/2009

This incident would NEVER be possible. Even if the "injured" party was in the water already the captain of the boat would have called for an emergency stop on the attraction before anything unsafe occurred. This is just silly. If you are going to flat out lie about someone getting hurt, first off, shame on you, why would you even bother. Second of all, if you ARE going to bother trying to get attention in such a pathetic manner then at least have the imagination to come up with something that actually could happen in the real world. -- Submitted by candrewsemon on 5/15/2009

On the final encounter with the shark my twelve year old son's sweater was caught on one of the mechanical sharks teeth and was pulled under. He held under water briefly but managed to swim free and climb back into the boat. He escaped with minor cuts and bruises

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

On or about June 16, 2007 on Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL in the afternoon, I bypassed this ride and waited patiently for my son to finish the ride in the waiting area. I saw a lady, white, about 30-40 years old, with an open wound and bleeding at her left elbow getting off the ride at the closest ride exit nearest to the waiting area. I believe she stuck out her elbow and it hit the short door gaurd just before the ride stopped. She walked with paramedics off the ride with pronounced bleeding and stating that she stuck her elbow out and it hit something and something about it being her fault. The medical assistance was performed even though she did not want it, but the bleeding was alot and needed bandages. The ride stopped and was shut down for 5-10 minutes and then resumed. My son was on the ride when it shut down. All in all he rode the ride safely 4-5 times and I rode it once. We both enjoyed it.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

When riding "Revenge of the Mummy" (May 10th 2007), in one of its curves, my head slid from the head support and I had a "whiplash effect" which took me to the Emergency Room. I am still feeling a lot of pain and under rigorous medical attention. Unfortunatelly my vacations ended much sooner than I expected, and I am still wearing my cervical collar.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

A young girl, about 11 years old broke her leg (femur bone) simply going down a slide at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The accident occured in 2005, on a dry slide (not a water slide) in the section of the park called "Fievel's Playland." I am inquiring to see if there have been other accidents which have occurred in Fievel's Playland, or how I may go about finding out what accidents have occurred there. Any help is greatly appreciated.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Ruptured three discs in lower back of 31 year old woman. Ride seemed to end, then lunge suddenly down and forward.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

My step-son who was 13 at the time wasin the front right hand seat of the ride vehicle. As the ride approached the docking platform from which we disembarked his foot was pulled downwards by a brush/roller mechanism and forced between the platform and the ride carriage where it was trapped. On inspection there are no protective rails or guards to stop limbs becoming pulled in by the mechanism. He was trapped for approx 20 mins and was freed by the application of metal levers and brute strength. He suffered sever crushing of the foot and is still under medical treatment a year later. Long term disability is till a potential impact.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
That is why it says "Please keep your arms and LEGS inside the vehical at all times". However I'm sorry to hear about your step son's condition. -- Submitted by schoolsterz123 on 9/2/2006

This happened a while back, at the opening of the attraction. A child was sitting in one of the outside seats (a BIG no-no) and fell out during a spin. The father of the child tried to reach for the child... and fell out as well. Due to this incident, they added seatbelts to all the seats - along with the lapbars.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
I find it hard to believe this because when those lap bars come down even for a small child you are locked into position and i find it have to move legs down no way to move being a 16 year old i dotn see how a adult or even a child could have fallen out of the ride. Also from November/December 2006 i did not notice any seatbelts on-ride. -- Submitted by Tankis on 1/18/2007

In late March or early April of this year there was a fire that closed the ride and sent one person to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Don't know the exact date but it was the day after we had been to the park and rode the ride. Saw it on Orlando area news.

This incident has not been confirmed. Click here if you can verify it, or have additional information.

Follow-up:
The person that was taken to the hospital was an employee and she was not injured. The fire was small and in a non-guest area. -- Submitted by Quaker on 10/26/2003

If you have additional information that can confirm, clarify or refute any of these reports, please e-mail the editor! (Please don't forget to include the attraction's name in your message.)

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