Injured Tourist Receives $7.25M from Potter Ride Incident

A 74-year-old woman from Arizona has been granted a $7.25 million compensation by a federal jury following a spinal injury she incurred at Universal Studios Hollywood. The injury occurred as she exited the “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” ride. Pamela Morrison, the injured party, was enjoying the attraction with her grandson in September 2022 when an issue arose with her safety harness, prompting staff to request her departure from the ride. Morrison’s lawsuit stated that she slipped and fell as she transitioned from a moving walkway to stable ground.

Taylor Kruse, representing Morrison, contended that the incident, which resulted in a spinal compression fracture, was due to the employees’ negligence in not stopping the moving walkway, thereby compromising her safety during her exit. Kruse criticized the ride’s operation, noting, “It would have cost them four seconds to stop it, but instead they wanted to keep the ride moving no matter what, to make its quota of 1,800 riders per hour.”

In defense, Universal Studios Hollywood’s legal team suggested that Morrison was distracted by her grandson and not focused on where she was stepping, attributing the fall to her inattentiveness. Despite this argument, a California jury, following a three-day trial, took four hours to deliberate on February 14 and concluded that the theme park was liable for creating hazardous conditions that caused Morrison’s accident.

As a result, the jury awarded Morrison $250,000 for anticipated medical costs, alongside $2 million for past suffering, and $5 million allocated for future pain and suffering, as confirmed by her attorney, Kruse. Attempts to get a response regarding the verdict from Universal Studios Hollywood were made. Kruse expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, “The fall changed her whole life, and that’s what the jury saw. Obviously, we feel that this was a very just result.”