http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...y-on-disney-world-carousel-20141205-post.html
The plaintiff is a woman who fell off of the carousel and suffered a head injury resulting in permanent brain damage. It's an unfortunate incident, but Disney claims the lawsuit is without merit.
A few years back, the Prince Charming Carousel closed -- stemming from a rumored incident that involved a little boy who was playing giddy up on the horse and fell off. I found a thread here about it.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/prince-charming-regal-carrousel-closed-temporarily.776563/
According to the lawsuit, “Disney changed the design of the stirrup that had been in use on the Carousel for many years, in favor of another model, which provided less tread traction, without anti-slip resistant features and therefore was slippery and dangerous to patrons.”
In part, this may explain why Disney is eager to build entirely brand new parks in new emerging global markets and hesitant to invest here at home in the proper expansion of WDW -- where every new ride is a huge liability. With that said, I do believe companies should be held accountable for making safe attractions.
I'm not judging or blaming the plaintiff, it could be true. But, it's so easy to overlook the massive liability issues that WDW and others encounter on a daily basis. If the woman wins this lawsuit, the carousel's days could be numbered. Frankly, the ride is not worth keeping if people continue to fall off the horses.