Pennsylvania Man Suing Walt Disney World After Being Bitten By Snake At Resort Pool Three Years Ago
Earlier this summer, The Walt Disney Company was dealing with a serious tragedy, and it seems that it is opening a lot of doors. In June, a young boy was dragged into the waters and killed by an alligator near the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Now, a Pennsylvania man is suing Disney after being bitten by a snake near one of their resort pools.
One of the biggest wonders about this whole thing is that he was bitten by the snake more than three years ago.
Disney World has been sued by man who claims his right hand is bitten off as a result of poisonous snake bite –https://t.co/yKR0pIfePX
— Ogeohalee blog (@OgechiOhalee) September 13, 2016
While he may not have had his hand bitten off, TMZ is reporting that Michael Barth of Pennsylvania is suing The Walt Disney Company for the incident. He states that he was bitten by a venomous snake while swimming in one of the pools at the Walt Disney World Resort.
The specific resort that Barth was at was not named.
Barth states that in July of 2013, he was swimming in the pool at his Disney World Resort when a snake appeared. He attempted to find a Disney cast member but says that he could not find one, so he attempted to take care of the situation himself.
It was at that point that Barth tried to place a towel over the snake so it would not attack of those (adults and children) who were at the pool.
Unfortunately, the snake reached up and bit Barth on his right thumb which landed him in the ICU for a full five days. He states he was given 16 vials of anti-venom, but it wasn’t enough to help the matter entirely.
Barth claims he still deals with numbness and has lost all use of his right hand due to the snake bite.
The Legal Intelligencer is reporting that the lawsuit brought by Michael Barth against Disney has actually already been thrown out. U.S. District Judge Robert F. Kelly of Pennsylvania says the case has been dismissed due to the court’s lack of jurisdiction.
Disney is not incorporated within the state of Pennsylvania and does not have substantial operations there so jurisdiction is not in place per Judge Kelly.
“Here, the paradigm bases do not apply because defendants are neither incorporated nor have their principal places of business in Pennsylvania. WDPR [Walt Disney Parks and Resorts] is a Florida corporation that has its principal place of business in Florida.
“Since plaintiffs cannot show general jurisdiction under the two paradigmatic bases, plaintiffs must show that this is an exceptional case where defendants’ ‘affiliation with the state are so continuous and systematic as to render it essentially at home’ in Pennsylvania. Plaintiffs fail to allege sufficient facts suggesting that defendants are essentially ‘at home’ in Pennsylvania.”
James Radmore, who represented Michael Barth and his wife in the suit, plans to file an appeal to the judge’s ruling.
This lawsuit comes just a couple of months after young Lane Graves was killed at Walt Disney World after being dragged into the water near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Warning signs so that people can watch out for wildlife such as alligators and snakes have now been placed throughout the property.
The Walt Disney Company is constantly involved in lawsuits brought upon them by people trying to get money. Maybe Michael Barth has a legitimate claim in his suit that states a snake bit him by one of the Walt Disney World Resort pools. He could have a case on his hands that he never realized until the recent tragedy this summer with the young boy and the alligator, but now, it is being made known and put before the courts.
[Photo by Danny Cox]
