LOS ANGELES — A 74-year-old woman from Arizona has been awarded $7.25 million by a federal jury following a spine injury she sustained at Universal Studios Hollywood. Pamela Morrison encountered the mishap while attempting to leave the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride in September 2022. Her attorney claims the injury was due to the negligence of the park’s employees.
Morrison was visiting the theme park with her grandson when the incident occurred. After the ride’s harness failed to secure her properly, she was asked to leave the ride. As she tried to step from the moving walkway onto solid ground, she slipped and fell, resulting in a spinal compression fracture, as stated in her legal suit.
Her attorney, Taylor Kruse, accused the theme park of failing to stop the moving walkway to ensure Morrison’s safe exit. A mere four-second pause would have prevented the injury, Kruse argued, stating that the ride operators prioritized maintaining the ride’s capacity of handling 1,800 riders per hour over visitor safety.
Representatives for Universal Studios Hollywood contended that Morrison was distracted by her grandson and did not pay attention to where she was walking, suggesting her actions led to the fall.
After a three-day trial, the jury took four hours to deliberate and concluded on February 14 that Universal Studios was liable for the dangerous situation that resulted in Morrison’s injury. As a result, she was granted $250,000 for future medical expenses, $2 million for past suffering, and $5 million for anticipated future pain and suffering, according to Kruse.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Universal Studios Hollywood regarding the verdict were made, but no response was immediately available. “The jury recognized the profound impact the fall had on her life, leading to this fair outcome,” Kruse remarked.
