A grandmother visiting a Southern California theme park with her grandson stepped off a moving walkway, lost her balance, and crushed her spine. Three years later, a federal jury awarded her $7.25 million. The verdict, handed down in February 2025 against Universal Studios Hollywood, sent a clear message that California juries take theme park safety seriously, even when the defense blames the guest.
Theme parks are part of life in Southern California. When something goes wrong on a ride, most visitors assume the park’s lawyers and insurance company will outmuscle them. The Pamela Morrison verdict shows that is not how every story ends.
What Happened on the Harry Potter Ride?
In September 2022, Pamela Morrison visited Universal Studios Hollywood with her grandson. She boarded the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, one of the park’s signature attractions. Before the ride started, her safety harness failed to lock properly. Ride attendants instructed her to exit. To do so, she had to step off a moving walkway onto a stationary platform while the belt continued running.[1]
Morrison’s foot caught between the moving belt and the solid floor. She fell, suffering a spinal compression fracture and a tear in the muscles around her hip. The injuries left her unable to move freely or even use the bathroom independently for a period of time.
Morrison, then 74, filed a federal lawsuit against Universal City Studios LLC in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The case was tried over three days in February 2025. After roughly four hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict for Morrison: $250,000 in economic damages for future medical expenses, $2 million for past pain and suffering, and $5 million for future pain and suffering. The total came to $7.25 million.[2]
The defense argued that Morrison caused her own fall by focusing on her grandson rather than watching her step. The jury rejected that argument. Expert testimony at trial explained that even healthy adults struggle to safely transition from a moving walkway to a stationary platform, and that the ride’s design required guests to make that transition perpendicularly, which created an inherent hazard. Morrison’s attorney summarized the case in closing: it would have taken four seconds and one button press to stop the belt, but the park kept it moving to maintain its quota of 1,800 riders per hour.
The California Law Theme Parks Hope You Don’t Read
Every business in California owes its customers a duty of reasonable care under California Civil Code Section 1714. For property owners, that duty becomes specific: maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition, identify foreseeable hazards, and either correct them or warn guests about them. A theme park that operates a moving walkway, knows guests must transition from the belt to a stationary floor, and trains its employees to keep the ride running through harness malfunctions falls squarely inside that duty. Surveillance footage, ride maintenance logs, employee training records, and prior incident reports are all critical evidence in proving that a park knew or should have known about a dangerous condition.[3]
Some theme park rides also trigger an even higher legal standard. Under California Civil Code Section 2100, a common carrier of persons for reward is required to exercise the utmost care and diligence for the safety of its passengers. In 2005, the California Supreme Court held in Gomez v. Superior Court that the operator of a roller coaster or similar amusement park ride can be a common carrier under that statute. The court left open whether the doctrine reaches every ride at every park, and later cases have continued to refine where the line falls. For rides that meet the standard, parks are held to the same elevated duty as airlines, taxis, and rideshare drivers.[4]
The practical takeaway is straightforward. Whether a particular ride qualifies as a common carrier or only as ordinary premises, California law gives injured guests real tools to hold parks accountable. A four-second pause to safely unload a guest with a malfunctioning harness is exactly the kind of step the law expects, and the failure to take it is exactly the kind of conduct that supports a substantial verdict.
The Deadline That Catches Theme Park Visitors Off Guard
California’s standard statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the injury under Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1. Most theme park cases fall under that two-year window, which sounds like plenty of time. It rarely is.[5]
Theme park investigations move quickly, and so does the disappearance of evidence. Surveillance footage at large parks is often overwritten within 30 to 90 days. Employees who witnessed the incident may transfer, quit, or forget critical details. Maintenance records that show prior malfunctions can be archived under retention schedules. Anyone seriously injured at a theme park should treat the situation as time-sensitive even though the formal deadline is two years away. A preservation letter sent to the park within days of the incident locks in the evidence that proves what happened.
What Injured Theme Park Guests Can Recover
California allows injured guests to recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover measurable financial losses: emergency room and hospital bills, surgery, physical therapy, lost wages, and reduced future earning capacity. The Morrison jury awarded $250,000 for future medical expenses alone.
Non-economic damages address the human side of the injury: pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and the lasting impact on relationships and daily activities. The Morrison jury awarded $7 million in non-economic damages, recognizing that a spinal compression fracture at age 74 changes everything about how a person lives. California does not cap non-economic damages in ordinary personal injury cases, which is why catastrophic theme park injuries can produce verdicts in the seven and eight figures.
When a park’s conduct goes beyond ordinary negligence and reflects a conscious disregard for guest safety, California Civil Code Section 3294 authorizes punitive damages. These are damages designed to punish the defendant and deter similar conduct in the future. A park that prioritizes ride throughput over the safety of a guest with a malfunctioning harness is exactly the kind of conduct that can support a punitive damages claim.[6]
Six Steps to Protect Your Rights After a Theme Park Injury
First, get medical attention right away. Do not let park first-aid staff talk you out of going to a hospital. Symptoms of spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and internal injuries often do not appear until hours after impact, and a same-day medical record is critical evidence.
Second, document everything before you leave the park. Photograph the ride, the platform, any visible hazards, and your injuries. Note the names of any employees who responded, and ask witnesses for their contact information.
Third, do not give a recorded statement to the park’s risk management team or its insurance carrier before speaking with an attorney. Anything you say in the hours after a fall, before you understand the full extent of your injuries, can be used to reduce or deny your claim later.
Fourth, preserve every piece of physical evidence. Keep the clothing and shoes you were wearing, your park ticket, your photos, your medical bills, and any communications from the park. Do not sign anything the park puts in front of you, especially a release or waiver.
Fifth, request the official incident report. The park is generally required to create one. Knowing what the park documented (and what it left out) is one of the most important early steps in evaluating a case.
Sixth, contact a California premises liability lawyer within days, not months. An attorney can send a preservation letter to the park, retain accident reconstruction and ride safety experts, and identify every potentially liable party before evidence disappears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are theme parks really held to a higher standard than other businesses in California?
Sometimes. The California Supreme Court has held that operators of roller coasters and similar amusement park rides can be common carriers under California Civil Code Section 2100, which requires the highest level of care reasonably possible. The doctrine does not automatically apply to every ride or every part of a park, and later decisions have continued to refine where the line falls. Walkways, restaurants, parking lots, and many attractions are governed instead by ordinary premises liability under Civil Code Section 1714, which still imposes a meaningful duty of care.
What if I signed a waiver when I bought my ticket or entered the park?
Many waivers do not hold up under California law. Waivers are sometimes printed in tiny font on the back of a ticket, hidden in online terms and conditions, or imposed without meaningful notice. Even valid waivers generally cannot release a defendant for gross negligence or willful misconduct. An experienced attorney can evaluate whether a specific waiver applies to your situation.
What if the park argues I was partly at fault for my own fall?
California follows pure comparative negligence, which means you can still recover compensation even if a jury finds you partly responsible. Your damages are simply reduced by your percentage of fault. In the Morrison case, the defense argued the guest caused her own fall, and the jury rejected that argument entirely. Even where some comparative fault exists, a substantial recovery is often still possible.
How long do I have to file a theme park injury lawsuit in California?
Two years from the date of injury under Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1. That deadline applies to claims against private parks like Universal Studios, Disneyland, and Knott’s. If a public entity is involved (for example, a city-operated amusement attraction or a public fairground), a much shorter six-month deadline may apply under Government Code Section 911.2.
Can I sue the ride manufacturer in addition to the park?
Sometimes yes. If a ride was defectively designed or manufactured, or if a component failed because of a manufacturing defect, the manufacturer can be held strictly liable under California’s product liability doctrine. These cases often involve multiple defendants, which can increase the available insurance coverage and the total recovery.
How Wunderli Injury Law Can Help
Theme park injury cases are not ordinary slip-and-fall claims. They involve heightened legal standards, sophisticated corporate defendants, fast-disappearing evidence, and ride safety issues that require specialized experts. Most general personal injury attorneys do not handle them well.
At Wunderli Injury Law, PC, we represent injured guests throughout Orange County and Southern California in serious premises liability cases, including theme park injuries, slip and falls, and catastrophic injury claims. We send preservation letters within days, retain ride safety and accident reconstruction experts, and build cases designed to hold parks accountable for the safety of every guest who walks through their gates. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
If you or someone you love was seriously injured at a theme park or other public attraction in California, call us at (949) 866-3833 or visit wininjurylaw.com/contact for a free, no-obligation consultation. The sooner you call, the more options you have.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this content does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws cited are California statutes as of publication date and are subject to change. If you have been injured, contact a qualified California personal injury attorney to discuss your specific rights and circumstances. Wunderli Injury Law, PC serves clients throughout Southern California.
Sources :
[1]Pamela Morrison v. Universal City Studios LLC, Case No. 2:24-cv-02119 (C.D. Cal.); FOX 11 Los Angeles, “Woman injured on Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios Hollywood awarded $7.25 million” (Feb. 25, 2025).
[2]Damages breakdown reported by KTLA, U.S. News & World Report (Associated Press), and FOX 11 Los Angeles (Feb. 25, 2025): $250,000 economic damages (future medical expenses), $2 million past non-economic damages, $5 million future non-economic damages.
[3]Cal. Civ. Code § 1714 (general duty of care); Rowland v. Christian, 69 Cal.2d 108 (1968) (premises liability framework requiring reasonable care under the circumstances).
[4]Cal. Civ. Code § 2100 (common carrier of persons must use utmost care and diligence); Gomez v. Superior Court, 35 Cal.4th 1125 (2005) (operators of roller coasters and similar amusement park rides can be common carriers under Section 2100); Nalwa v. Cedar Fair, L.P., 55 Cal.4th 1148 (2012) (bumper cars are not common carriers).
[5]Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1 (two-year statute of limitations for personal injury). For claims against public entities, see Gov. Code § 911.2 (six-month claim presentation deadline).
[6]Cal. Civ. Code § 3294 (punitive damages available where the defendant acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, defined to include conscious disregard for the safety of others).