Florida Woman Sues SeaWorld Orlando After Being Knocked Unconscious By Duck On Mako Roller Coaster – Seeking $50K For Fowl Play
By Erin Whitten
A Florida woman has filed a lawsuit against SeaWorld Orlando after she says a duck struck her in the face while riding one of the park’s coasters, according to a lawsuit filed this week. The 41-year-old plaintiff was riding Mako in March when, the lawsuit says, the duck collided with her at high speed mid-ride. She was allegedly knocked unconscious by the blow and continues to suffer injuries and trauma as a result of the incident, according to her lawyers. Mako, which launches riders 73 miles per hour and whisks them around and above a lake in the park, is a “zone of danger” where the park should have foreseen and warned riders about the possibility of a bird strike, the lawsuit says.
SeaWorld created a hazard when it built a high-speed roller coaster over a large body of water in a prime area for ducks, gulls, and other waterfowl to gather, the woman’s lawyers say in the lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County court. The Mako’s ride speed and looping motions, the attorneys say, may confuse birds and increase the risk of them flying into riders at high speeds midair. SeaWorld did not respond to requests for comment about the lawsuit, but has said in the past that ensuring guest safety is its “top priority.”
The Orlando attraction is one of the tallest and fastest coasters in the region, and though riders have made complaints in the past about debris and loose objects flying off the train, the lawsuit is the first of its kind in which an animal is the subject of legal action. The duck strike was not one of 57 “rider or customer-related injuries or illnesses” that SeaWorld reported last quarter to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which has jurisdiction over theme park safety. It’s unclear whether SeaWorld considers the incident reportable under the department’s guidance for the industry, but the injury did not result in hospitalization, according to the complaint.
SeaWorld was also the site of another unusual duck attack on one of its coasters in the summer of 2023, when a family shared that a duck hit a teenage boy in the side at Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, the park’s newest attraction at the time. The duck then hit the boy’s sister, who was sitting behind him in the coaster’s train, during the 60-mph launch, the family said. Both riders reported bruises but no serious injuries to authorities. The bird was found dead near the ride after the incident. Neither that collision nor a similar bird strike that the same family said it experienced the previous year resulted in a lawsuit or any official complaints, but the incident did go viral after the family shared the video online.
The new lawsuit raises questions about SeaWorld Orlando’s coasters and whether their high speeds, close proximity to water, and location within animals’ natural habitats increase the risk of bird strikes and other wild animal-related issues. SeaWorld’s coasters have historically been praised and promoted for the way they blur the lines between man-made thrills and the natural Floridian outdoors, but the Mako duck strike may become just another bizarre theme park incident. RIP Duck.
