Incidents at Universal parks

Updated on Dec 18, 2023

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This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various Universal-owned theme parks, amusement parks, or water parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.

The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at a Universal park. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred, they usually fall into one of the following categories:

Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to violate park rules.

The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.

Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.

Act of God or a generic accident (e.g. slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls

On January 1, 2011, a major fire broke out on the attraction's show building. The ride and the park's Toon Lagoon area were evacuated. No injuries were reported.

Dragon Challenge

On July 1, 2009, an employee was walking underneath the coaster in a restricted area when he was hit by a train during a test run. The victim suffered multiple head injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.

On July 31, 2011, a tourist was injured when an unidentified object hit him in the eye while riding Dragon Challenge. Prior to the incident, the guest had only one good eye, therefore the incident resulted in the guest completely losing his sight. Dragon Challenge remained shut for less than 24 hours after the incident with Universal concluding that the ride was safe.

On August 10, 2011, a rider was struck by an object while riding the attraction, injuring his face and leg. As a result of this and the aforementioned incident in which a rider lost sight in one eye, Universal officials announced that the two roller coasters would no longer operate simultaneously, pending an investigation into both incidents. In October 2011, officials suspended the dueling aspect of the ride permanently.

The Incredible Hulk

On September 23, 2003, a 34-year-old woman from Jensen Beach, Florida suffered a heart attack from an unknown heart condition while riding the Incredible Hulk coaster.

On March 24, 2015, a technical glitch caused the ride to stop, stranding twelve riders for two and a half hours. No injuries were reported.

Parkwide incidents

On September 30, 2016, at around 10:00am local time, a "catastrophic" failure knocked out power to the entire Universal Studios Florida theme park. Park employees were able to evacuate riders from most attractions, but the Orlando Fire Department was called in to assist with some evacuations from the Men in Black and Transformers attractions. Initial reports did not indicate a cause of the failure, but the adjacent Islands of Adventure park was unaffected.

Hogwarts Express

On October 1, 2016, a 14-year-old girl was injured when an e-cigarette exploded on the ride.

Horror Make Up Show

In August 2002, a woman volunteered to participate in the Make Up show, and a photo of her was taken with a park employee dressed as a monster. She was frightened by the sudden appearance of the monster and dove off the stage, landing on the steps. She was knocked unconscious and received minor injuries.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

On August 1, 2013, an unidentified woman received minor injuries when the ride came to a sudden stop.

On October 9, 2013, a computer glitch caused the attraction to go into "safety mode", stranding twelve riders on the first hill for two hours before being rescued.

On July 9, 2014, technical difficulties caused ride vehicles to stop, stranding several riders sideways before being rescued. No injuries were reported.

Men in Black: Alien Attack

On November 8, 2016, emergency crews were summoned to the attraction at around 2:30am to attend to a maintenance worker that had no pulse. The worker was found in the rafters of the attraction building. The worker was declared dead, but no cause of death was revealed, although park officials did state that the ride itself was not involved.

Revenge of the Mummy

On September 22, 2004, a 39-year-old man from Apopka, Florida fell approximately 4 feet off the loading platform as he was attempting to step into the ride vehicle. He suffered injuries to his head and noted pain due to the fall. He was rushed to the hospital for surgery and died afterwards.

The Simpsons Ride

On June 13, 2008, an unidentified mechanism failed, resulting in a ride vehicle and its occupants being sprayed with vegetable oil. The guests were given a change of clothes and allowed to shower at the property. No injuries were reported.

Universal CityWalk Orlando

On April 22, 2011, a 33-year-old man from Winter Haven, Florida was found unconscious in front of the Universal Cineplex 20 theater after being tasered by an off-duty police officer due to disorderly conduct. The man was taken to a local hospital and later died. An autopsy determined he died as a result of the tasering and rough handling by police.

Backlot fires

Nine backlot fires have occurred at Universal's backlot throughout the park's history. For more information see Universal Studios Hollywood backlot fires.

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem

On April 3, 2015, 2:15 PM, a man committed suicide near the attraction building. An employee, the man's ex-girlfriend, notified security when she saw him there. Security and a Sheriff's Deputy tracked the man to an area near the ride. The man then pulled out a small gun from his back pocket and shot himself, despite the deputy trying to persuade him not to do it. Park searchers didn't detect the gun because they, at the time, were not using metal detectors. Universal Studios has since prohibited any carry-on items on some of the attractions, though not all of them.

Universal CityWalk Hollywood

At 1:15am on May 12, 2014, a man was shot and killed by police officers at Universal CityWalk. Officers were called to a fight in a crowd in a club. They were confronted by the man carrying a gun.

Transformers: The Ride 3D

On August 5, 2013, technical difficulties caused a ride vehicle to get stuck in an elevated position, stranding eleven riders for 15.5 minutes. No injuries were reported.

E.T. Adventure

In November 2004, a 35-year-old woman from Osaka Prefecture, Japan suffered nerve damage in her right wrist, resulting in the loss of use of two of her fingers and ultimately losing her job. This occurred when her hand got stuck in a safety bar as an employee pulled it down to secure it. The woman sued the park and received ¥414.3 million in an out-of-court settlement.

References

Incidents at Universal parks Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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