Car Accident in Lake Buena Vista

Lake Buena Vista is the mailing address for Mickey Mouse – or more specifically, Disney World.

Although most people associated Disney with “Orlando,” it’s technically located in both Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake. While all four of the theme parks plus most of the resort facilities are physically located in Bay Lake nearby, Lake Buena Vista is home to several golf courses, Downtown Disney and a handful of Disney resorts and private hotels.

Lake Buena Vista car accident attorneys recognize that the majority of crashes that occur in this area in some way involve the theme park. Most often, collisions involve guests, tourists and employees moving to and from the parks, resorts and other attractions.

Our injury lawyers understand that there are a host of different factors that can influence a crash in Lake Buena Vista. Some of the more common types of incidents we see in this area include:

• Drunk driving accidents
• Bus accidents
• Wrong-way driver accidents
• Fatigued driver accidents
• Distracted driver accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Parking lot/ backover accidents

Because Lake Buena Vista is one of two cities actually owned by The Walt Disney Company, reporting on these incidents is not exact. However, we do know that there are approximately 52 million people who visit Disney parks and venues every year. That increases the risk of traffic accidents.

The majority of individuals who come to Disney on a daily basis are traveling to the area from out-of-town. That means there is an increased risk of driver fatigue. Whether a motorist is driving from the other end of the state or the other side of the country, many are taking road trips – especially with the ever-rising costs of air fare.

Not only are these drivers more prone to fatigue, they may also get easily confused, turned around and distracted trying to find their way. There also tend to be more people in each vehicle during road trips, which can heighten the distraction risk.

Traffic congestion is always an issue near the parks and resorts, particularly at peak hours and seasons. The busiest time on the road is typically between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., as people race to get to their destination park before or as it opens. Off-season for park travel is Thanksgiving through mid-January. Spring and summer are known to be especially hectic travel times at the parks.

Additionally, because people are on vacation, they have a greater tendency to imbibe in alcohol. Although the Magic Kingdom is a dry park, the others are not. And of course, visitors can drink at resorts and nearby restaurants. It does help that the parks provide shuttle service to and from the parks and the resorts, which helps to cut down on the problem. However, it doesn’t eliminate it entirely. Drunk drivers are especially prone to involvement in wrong-way crashes, such as the one at Disney in 2016, when a sport utility vehicle collided with a charter bus, injuring a dozen people.

Disney employees too are sometimes involved in serious and sometimes fatal accidents. For example, a fatal crash in Lake Buena Vista in 2013 involved a 63-year-old Disney hotel worker who was struck and killed by a Disney Bus on Epcot Center Drive. The bus rear-ended the employee, who was reportedly stopped in the left lane with mechanical trouble. Of the 36 people onboard the bus, two – an infant and teenager – were injured. In these cases, there are careful legal considerations to make, such as whether such an incident would be covered under workers’ compensation benefits (as would be the case if the worker was on-the-clock) or whether a personal injury lawsuit is an available remedy necessary to fully recover damages.

An experienced injury attorney in Lake Buena Vista can help you in a number of ways. To start, we work on launching an independent investigation – something that is often a challenge when accidents occur on Disney property and involve Disney employees or vehicles.

We can also help to collect evidence that will prove causation of your injuries (i.e., it was the crash and not some other factor), as well as damages (medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, etc.).

It’s not uncommon for the park to offer settlements right away, but the key is ensuring that offer is fair before you accept. Additionally, there may be third parties responsible that you haven’t yet considered. You don’t want to sign away your rights to pursue those legal avenues until your lawyer has had a chance to carefully examine the evidence.