The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a cornerstone of Universal’s theme park empire, failed to conjure the right kind of magic in a recent lawsuit.
A female guest, described as the “adventure grandma” of her family, was awarded $7.25 million by a California federal jury after an incident on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, according to Law360.
The popular dark ride, housed within Hogwarts Castle, combines practical sets, robotics, and projections to immerse riders in the world of Harry Potter. However, this immersive experience turned into a nightmare for Pamela L. Morrison in 2022.
During boarding, her safety harness failed to latch, and in the ensuing darkness, she fell while disembarking, resulting in a crushed spine and four days of hospitalization.
Morrison’s lawyer, Taylor S. Kruse, argued that the accident – which effectively ended her reputation as the “adventure grandma,” could have been avoided if Universal staff had simply paused the platform when her harness malfunctioned. Kruse stated that the incident boiled down to “one button, five seconds, and the rest of Pamela Morrison’s life.” He further alleged that Universal’s focus on throughput — aiming for 1,800 guests per hour — led them to “keep the ride moving no matter what,” even at the expense of guest safety.
The jury’s $7.25 million award consists of $250,000 in economic damages and $7 million in noneconomic damages. Kruse told Law360 that “justice was served” but declined further comment. Universal’s attorney, Edward E. Ward Jr., also declined to comment.
This isn’t the first time the Forbidden Journey ride has faced scrutiny. In April 2024, four guests sued Universal Studios Hollywood, alleging they were stranded on the ride for over an hour in 2022, resulting in serious injuries. Legal filings obtained by PEOPLE claim the park’s negligence caused the riders to be left in a dangerous position, leading to medical expenses and emotional distress. One plaintiff, Debra Biane, reportedly required surgery and claims the incident has impacted her life.
Other reported incidents include a 26-year-old guest at Universal’s Islands of Adventure who allegedly lost the ability to speak after riding, and a 78-year-old who experienced dizziness and loss of consciousness on the same ride.
Universal has also faced litigation over incidents near the ride. In 2022, a grandmother sued NBCUniversal Media LLC after a queue divider allegedly fell on her hand, causing ongoing pain. Her complaint argued the park was negligent in failing to secure the divider.
What are your thoughts on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey?
Elderly woman was asked to get off the ride. Tripped on the moving walkway when getting off, and fell down….
You’re article is misleading as disembarking has nothing to do with the safety harness latching or not latching.
Not sure how that “crushed” her spine in any event. And also not sure why she was on a ride like this if she couldn’t manage the moving walkway? There’s plenty of signs and warnings and staff shouting warnings at you too…. 🤔😬 it’s standard procedure at a lot of universal rides. She would have gotten on the ride in the same manner, so if she didn’t feel comfortable she had an opportunity to leave much earlier than she did, without injury.
Sucks she got injured but
Ridiculous sum to pay to someone who clearly shouldn’t have been trying to ride that ride in the first place. Pay attention to the warnings or if you ignore them accept you put yourself at risk of harm, so you can only blame yourself. Obviously a ploy by her family to get an easy payout at their family member’s expense.
Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey is my favorite ride in Universal’s Islands of Aventure in Orlando!
I have never been on these, or other rides that I don’t take it upon myself to back out of if necessary. In fact I did that one time. Went through the line at the Castle, got all the way up there, and backed out. It was my decision, and the right one. I know when something is right, or isn’t right for me. This is NOT Universal’s fault. I’m 65, love HP and the entire Universal Set-up for the Castle and Hogwarts, and have been multiple times. (I’ve also been to all Disney Parks.) There is plenty for me to do at the parks that I should be responsible not to myself into something that would makes me dizzy, or sick for that matter. What the heck is anyone over 70 even thinking?
If the ride itself malfunctions and falls off the track taking out everyone there should be NO issue. If 15 people climb on a ride, and 14 get off without incident, than the fault is NOT the ride, but the person who got on and acted stupid, didn’t click, or didn’t follow the rules.
EVERYONE who gets on the rides at Universal, Disney, Sea World, etc… all know they are doing so at a risk. Unless the Courts and various Parks stand up and say … “You walked onto this ride knowing the consequences.” and the Courts back it up, there is nothing left. If I pay even $1.00 to go into the park, I do so at MY OWN RISK.
BACK OFF greedy people; STAND STRONG Universal and Disney. “Somethin for nothin” people are selfish. And we need to stand against that.