A family has sued Walt Disney World after a fight broke out around them in the queue for Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney's Animal Kingdom, with their child allegedly pushed, struck and injured as the brawl spread through the line. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a minor plaintiff, accuses Disney of failing to properly monitor the queue, control the crowd or train employees to keep guests safe.
Attorney Mark Edwards filed the suit in Orange Circuit Court, according to Florida Politics, which reported the family had visited Disney's Animal Kingdom on August 2 and ended up waiting in the same line as a group of adults who allegedly confronted them. Per the complaint as described by the outlet, members of that group pushed the plaintiff and her family, climbed over queue barriers, and ultimately struck the plaintiff, causing bodily injuries and damages.
An 80-Minute Wait Turns Violent
The incident happened in the line for Avatar Flight of Passage, a simulated-flying ride based on the Avatar film franchise, during what Florida Politics described as an 80-minute wait. An August 3 report offers additional detail: according to Inside the Magic, two large groups of guests spent their entire wait for the attraction bickering before the confrontation turned physical, with several men and women seen hitting and punching each other as the fight moved through multiple rooms of the queue.
The outlet reported that a Disney cast member approached the group and asked them to stop, but did not physically step in — cast members are trained not to intervene physically and are instead instructed to call security. The Orange County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call reporting battery on Savannah Circle W at 11:21 a.m. on August 2, the same report noted. What sparked the fight, and whether anyone involved was banned from the resort, remains unclear per that account.
Lawsuit Targets Staffing and Training
The lawsuit accuses Disney employees of not monitoring the queue and failing to perform adequate crowd control, according to Florida Politics, and separately alleges that the queue was understaffed. The complaint further claims Disney employees did not properly intervene to de-escalate the situation and stop the fight once it began.
Morgan & Morgan attorneys representing the family alleged that Disney failed to provide adequate security and employee training to protect their clients, the outlet reported. The firm's lawyers said they would fight to hold Disney accountable and push for stronger guest safety measures. Disney World did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, according to Florida Politics' report.
Not an Isolated Clip Online
Video of the altercation was posted on social media Sunday afternoon, August 2, the day it happened. A Reddit user who posted footage, u/United_Excitement329, wrote that the two groups had been arguing for the entirety of the 80-minute wait, a detail cited by Disney Dining.
The Flight of Passage brawl wasn't the only queue confrontation to draw attention at Walt Disney World this year. A separate incident the following month, in which a man reportedly stripped down in a coaster line and challenged other guests to fight, led Inside the Magic to note that two separate physical altercations in theme park queues had circulated online within the same month, raising questions about crowd behavior and security response at the parks. Disney's theme parks receive millions of visitors every year, and Animal Kingdom, where the August fight took place, is located in Orlando.
