ALLENTOWN — A Lehigh County woman and her daughter are seeking more than $150,000 in damages in a lawsuit against Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom and its parent company, claiming the girl was injured after being scared off her feet by an employee during the amusement park’s Halloween Haunt attraction, according to an Allentown Morning Call report.
The suit alleges the companies were negligent in their operation of the attraction, in part for failing to inform the girl she could buy a glow-in-the-dark “No Boo” necklace designed to ward off employees in monster costumes.
The girl, a teenager, visited the park with friends in September 2017. While walking through a Halloween attraction, the lawsuit says, the girl was approached by several park employees dressed in scary costumes. The employees backed off when the girl pleaded with them not to approach, saying she did not want to be scared, according to the lawsuit.
That’s when one costumed employee approached her from behind and shouted loudly into the girl’s ear, the lawsuit alleges. The shout startled the girl, causing her to fall forcefully to the ground. The fall gave the girl severe, permanent, and debilitating injuries, the lawsuit says, although the injuries were not detailed.
The lawsuit claims the girl’s injuries, pain, impairment of bodily functions, and emotional and mental distress are the result of the park and its parent company’s negligence, according to the Morning Call. The girl allegedly had to undergo medical treatment that may continue in the future, and has been unable to carry on her usual activities or hold a job, the lawsuit claims.
In addition to failing to tell the girl and her mother about the “No Boo” necklaces, the companies also were negligent for disregarding the girl’s request not to be scared, the lawsuit claims. The companies also disregarded her safety and well-being, and “unreasonably startling” patrons, the suit says.
