Scooter accident

[AndrewsJ]

I read on here a while back that a man ran over a ladies skirt and it got caught on the wheel and ripped it off.

 

[BrianV]

I can only base my answer on the state in which I live...NJ, I've been told that the reason why the DMV in NJ requires a doctor's note is because they want to make sure your disability won't prevent you from operating your vehicle safely, and to prevent fraud. In my state, you can only get a handicapped tag (or HC plates obviously), if you have a drivers licence...and the serial number of the HC tag corrisponds to your licence plate. You also get a permit (looks just like a DL, for ID), so the police, or a parking attendant can verify that you are entitled to the permit and you are the person it was given to. Also, our mirror tags are good for 4-5 years...when it expires, you must provide the DMV with a new doctor's note to get it replaced. If you are parked in a HC spot, the PD can run the serial number on the tag and see if it comes back to the plates on your vehicle...if it doesn't, you can get a very expensive ticket.

Don't know. My parents live in Florida and my mom can no longer walk much. They have a hang tag that is good for whatever car she is in. If I drive her, it can hang in my rental car. It goes with her, not the car. I should add that when they come up to MA it is valid on my car when she is with me in MA too.

Anyway, she'd love to go back to Disney but it's just too much walking for her. I feel badly for her, but agree with her decision.

 

[eddy21]

I had this happen at POP . Ran over my foot while I was seated in the first row. I came up out of my seat it hurt so much. 300lbs of scooter and 375lbs of rider .

 

[carolinadisneydad]

To you scooter drivers who are defending your accidents, nobody is trying to say you shouldn't drive a scooter, but, defensive driving. If someone stops dead unexpectedly on Main Street, yeah that's annoying even when I'm a pedestrian, but you should be able to avoid hitting them if you were keeping a safe following distance. If you see people are too close and may step in front of you, then slow down until they move away. I understand in moving crowds this might not be possible because the crowd is going to flow around you and merge in right in front of you again. In that case you might just have to go at a snail's pace to be safe. Maybe Disney should rope off a scooter lane at high traffic areas / times. Of course people would probably then complain about more entitlements for scooter users.

Following distance sounds great but it doesn't work in a crowd that is moving. My mom used a scooter at WDW. The problem is when people are walking they are packed together and when they pass a scooter and see the small space in front of it, they immediately step into that space. This makes the person on the scooter have to stop to create space again and then the next person steps in so the scooter can only go in short bursts, constantly stopping. The only way to get anywhere was to have 2 people walk on the front corners shielding entry into the space in front of the scooter. It made her a nervous wreck after a while and we tried any avenue possible to avoid driving in a crowd.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Let us never forget Angry Scooter Lady..

 

[Princess Kaylee]

Not that me or anyone I know has had to ride a scooter around Disney (thank goodness) but I just want to remind people just because you cannot see a disability does not mean it's not there. On another note there should be a lane for scooters to exit after parades and fireworks.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I may have witnessed an out of control scooter go flying down the hill next to SSE when i worked there in 2004.

 

[copcarguyp71]

Not that me or anyone I know has had to ride a scooter around Disney (thank goodness) but I just want to remind people just because you cannot see a disability does not mean it's not there. On another note there should be a lane for scooters to exit after parades and fireworks.

I would think that would promulgate "fakers" looking to get a fastlane....not that anyone would be so crass

 

[psherman42]

I'm sorry this happened but there's nothing Disney can do to prevent this.

I literally was standing still once on Main St in the crowd to watch Wishes. I then felt a pain on my heel and turned around to react to it and see what it was and it was a fat woman on a scooter and I just looked at her like "It's ok. Don't worry about it." and she then says "I was hitting your foot because I need you to move because you're in my way". Yeah....seriously! I was completely stunned but instead of going off I just sorta shook my head and moved over. Honestly I would have liked to have tipped her off that thing like and told her to walk around like the rest of the able bodied people. I realize there are people that need them like elderly or recently injured people. But what ticks me off the most about them are when they hold up a bus line and then you watch the moron get off of it and basically lift it in to the bus. I've seen that happen too and I think most of the crowd was wanting to straight up murder that dude.

You're obviously a much better person than me. I would not have moved.

Is it Disney's responsibility? Only if they provided the vehicle... and that means how to operate it and make you ride it before they let you take it. Along with instructions to be courteous and not run into/over people. And if CMs witnessed operators using a ECV in a reckless manner, stopping that person and telling them to be careful.

I don't think it's ever Disney's fault. They can rent someone a scooter, show them how to use it, but the driver can abuse it as soon as they're away from the rental place.

It's my biggest pet peeve! Move over to the side and then stop. Not while in a fast moving line of people.
My 6 year old has been knocked down before when he has stopped. When it happens I explain to him that he needs to understand that other people are around, and you can't just abruptly stop. So we move out of said line of traffic and then he can tell me that he wants to go back to "whatever area" and we'll switch directions.lol.

One time when my parents and I were at MK for park open walking towards Mine Train in the crush of people and the two in front of us stopped dead to tie their shoe. And when I was at Universal the day after Diagon Alley opened, my flip flop broke because somebody stepped on it from behind. I spent the rest of the day (Approx. 10 hours) walking around in shoe that was taped together because I was afraid if I left DA to buy a new pair I wouldn't get back in.

 

[morningstar]

Not that me or anyone I know has had to ride a scooter around Disney (thank goodness) but I just want to remind people just because you cannot see a disability does not mean it's not there.

Yep, and just because they get up and walk doesn't mean they're faking either. Some disabilities don't prevent walking, they just prevent walking or standing for very long. And I'm not talking about fat.

 

[morningstar]

I would think that would promulgate "fakers" looking to get a fastlane....not that anyone would be so crass

Would having to navigate a scooter around all day be worth it just so you can get home a little faster after the parade? And you can't if you're riding the bus, since they have only a couple scooter spaces on the bus and often you have to wait several buses at park close.

 

[copcarguyp71]

Would having to navigate a scooter around all day be worth it just so you can get home a little faster after the parade? And you can't if you're riding the bus, since they have only a couple scooter spaces on the bus and often you have to wait several buses at park close.

I was thinking it would be yet another perk for those looking to defraud the GAC system....and I never ever discount the depths to which some people will sink for something as simple as getting out of the parks easier. Nobody says they have to use the scooter all day either.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Let us never forget Angry Scooter Lady..

Must be related to a NYC taxi cab driver...LOL

 

[21stamps]

I'm sorry this happened but there's nothing Disney can do to prevent this.


You're obviously a much better person than me. I would not have moved.


I don't think it's ever Disney's fault. They can rent someone a scooter, show them how to use it, but the driver can abuse it as soon as they're away from the rental place.


One time when my parents and I were at MK for park open walking towards Mine Train in the crush of people and the two in front of us stopped dead to tie their shoe. And when I was at Universal the day after Diagon Alley opened, my flip flop broke because somebody stepped on it from behind. I spent the rest of the day (Approx. 10 hours) walking around in shoe that was taped together because I was afraid if I left DA to buy a new pair I wouldn't get back in.

Oh my gosh that's horrible! I'm so sorry that happened to you, hopefully the excitement of Diagon Alley took your mind off of a broken shoe!

 

[BrianV]

Not that me or anyone I know has had to ride a scooter around Disney (thank goodness) but I just want to remind people just because you cannot see a disability does not mean it's not there. On another note there should be a lane for scooters to exit after parades and fireworks.

Totally. Many people have special needs that you cannot easily notice so we all have to assume the need is legitimate. And I wouldn't trade my ability to walk for the right to ride a scooter. I know how lucky I am as far as my health goes--for now.

As for needing scooters, the need at WDW seems to vastly exceed the need in the rest of the world. I can go weeks to months without seeing a single scooter anywhere. At WDW they are everywhere. Odd really.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Just out of curiosity, do you have actual stats to back up that last sentence? I'm not saying it isn't true. I'm just asking where you got that information.

The stats I have are the link from my eyes to my brain. There would never be a stat because people lie like a rug. You wouldn't get a true answer is you tried. If you want to know... pay attention when you are there. It will accomplish two things. First, you will see for yourself what is going on and, second, you will probably not get run into by anything, scooters, strollers or people. It's a win - win!

 

[psherman42]

Oh my gosh that's horrible! I'm so sorry that happened to you, hopefully the excitement of Diagon Alley took your mind off of a broken shoe!

Haha it definitely didn't! I'm just glad between the two of us, my friend and I had enough stuff in our bags to fix it enough that I could walk in it. We still had so much fun that day and my shoe breaking is just a funny story now about that crazy day.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

The stats I have are the link from my eyes to my brain. There would never be a stat because people lie like a rug. You wouldn't get a true answer is you tried. If you want to know... pay attention when you are there. It will accomplish two things. First, you will see for yourself what is going on and, second, you will probably not get run into by anything, scooters, strollers or people. It's a win - win!

So, in other words, no. You don't have any numbers to back it up. 74% of stats are made up on the spot...

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

There's a video of a person in a scooter driving into closed lift doors in a shopping mall. They're heading to a lift and the doors close before they get there. They're so mad they back up and head full speed into the closed doors, meanwhile the lift has traveled down more than a floor. Unfortunately for the person in the scooter the doors give way and break and the scooter with the person on it fall down the lift shaft and they end up being killed. It's a horrific scenario and I'm not linking the video for obvious reasons

That poor scooter. LOL!

 

[21stamps]

I'm curious about the final result regarding the point of this thread.

Did Disney do something? Or did they just say - " It's a person to person incident, we can't do anything."

I think this actually is bigger than a scooter issue and more of a "Disney should compensate me if my vacay isn't perfect". Hopefully not though. I could be totally off base.

Maybe people will read this and not come to a dead stop when walking in a line of traffic. We'd have less broken flip flops, spilled drinks, and just general annoyance if so