Bay Lake Injury Lawyers

Judging solely by U.S. Census count, the City of Bay Lake is one of the smallest in the country, with fewer than 50 full-time residents. However, the number of visitors to this Central Florida oasis? More than 50 million every year.

Bay Lake is one of two cities in Florida (the other Lake Buena Vista) that is home to Walt Disney World and resorts. All four of the Walt Disney World theme parks and of its two water parks are located in Bay Lake, which is named after the lake located to the east of Magic Kingdom. Both Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista are effectively controlled by the Walt Disney Company (through the Reedy Creek Improvement District), which hand-picks the residents and elected officials. In this way, the corporation sits at the helm of all planning, services, building codes and regulations.

The Freeman Law Firm offers experienced Bay Lake injury attorneys who can help with many different types of claims for damages. Because the city is largely controlled by Walt Disney World, most litigation involves – at least to some degree – the corporation, its subsidiaries or contractors.

Premises liability. This is an area of law that focuses on the responsibility of a property owner to ensure that lawful guests (sometimes even trespassers – particularly children) are reasonably safe when they are on site. Because most people in Bay Lake are paying customers of the theme parks/ resorts, they are owed the highest duty of care under Florida premises liability law. That means the site owner/ controller has a duty not just to avoid creating potential dangers and warning of those that do exist, but also to regularly inspect areas intended for public use. That includes swimming pools, parking lots, restaurants, hotel rooms, rides, walkways, stores and more. Types of premises liability claims would be:

• Slip-and-fall injuries
• Negligent security (leading to criminal assault/battery)
• Parking lot injuries
• Falling merchandise injuries
• Elevator/ escalator injuries
• Dog bite/ animal attack injuries
• Fire-related injuries
• Drownings
• Toxic fume/ chemical injuries
• Inadequate maintenance injuries.

Defective product liability. Disney sells merchandise. Lots and lots of merchandise. For the most part, Disney does not manufacture its own goods, which range from toys to foods to home furnishings. As The New York Times reported several years ago, the company generates more than $2.3 billion a year (10 percent of its total revenue) in fees for granting manufacturing rights to thousands of licensees. So when a defective product cause injury, any subsequent lawsuit will include not just Disney (a major player in the chain of distribution), but also whichever licensee may have been responsible for actually making the product. That often takes a fair amount of research – which means your law firm needs to have local knowledge, contacts and financial resources.

Motor vehicle accident claims. Although many of these cases may involve negligent third parties, Disney is often involved in some Bay Lake car accident lawsuits for a few reasons. The first is that Disney and its subsidiaries are the only land owners in the city. That means the company could be liable for certain road hazards/ poor traffic designs/ parking lot dangers. The company may also share some liability for certain bus accidents (when those vehicles are owned/ operated by Disney or a subsidiary). There could also potentially be grounds for dram shop liability for violation of F.S. 768.125, which makes it unlawful for an establishment to sell alcohol to someone who is either underage or is known to be habitually addicted to alcohol. If the person drinking causes a drunk driving accident, the seller could be liable for third-party injuries.

Workers’ compensation claims. Disney World employs an estimated 62,000 people, according to The Today Show. It is the largest single-site employer in the country. It takes a lot of work to keep the park up-and-running smoothly, but workers aren’t entirely insulated from injury either. Those who are employees are entitled to compensation for on-the-job injuries, though they are barred from suing their employer. Independent contractors, however, are not entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. They may, however, be able to successfully ue the park if they can prove negligence.

It’s important to keep in mind that investigating an injury in Bay Lake can be challenging because the response to each incident – from the firefighters/ paramedics, doctors, vehicles involved, cameras, etc. – are either employed by, belong to or partner with Disney.

Not every injury that occurs on site can be blamed on the park, but it’s worth exploring if you are hurt in Bay Lake.

Our dedicated team of injury attorneys are committed to fighting for your rights.

Freeman Injury Law – (800) 561-7777 -- Someone on YOUR Side