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Family Suing After Daughter Allegedly Injured On Disney Water Park Ride

Posted: 5:42 pm EDT April 11, 2008Updated: 7:39 pm EDT April 11, 2008

An Orange County girl was so badly shaken by a ride at Typhoon Lagoon, her family is suing Disney. They say the park admitted there might have been a problem with the Crush N Gusher ride and claim the injuries it caused cost far more than the pair of complimentary tickets Disney offered.

The family said the water pressure was too strong. Instead of pushing a raft forward, the victim claims she was flipped upside down and rolled down the water slide.

Tempesst Frias, 15, is recovering after she claims she was injured while riding the Crush N Gusher water ride at Typhoon Lagoon. She had some minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises on her elbows, but will now have to follow up with more tests. Doctors had to run CT scans and x-rays and are concerned she may have internal injuries.

"It's designed to push a raft through. If you can imagine a human being pushed through with a lot of pressure and speed. It was a traumatic experience and she got banged up," said the girl's mother, RC Frias.

The water slide is 35 feet high and has speeds of up to 25mph. Tempesst said, when she rode the waterslide, she felt like she was out of control. She ended up flipping upside down inside the slide and rolled around until she got to the bottom.

"The guys said, 'This doesn't happen a lot. It might be the water pressure was too high so we'll lower the water pressure and shut down the ride,'" Tempesst said.

Tempesst said, while she was waiting for an ambulance, a Disney worked offered her two free Disney tickets for her inconvinence. She doesn't have insurance and just wants her medical bills taken care of.

"It's a nice gesture, but obviously several thousand dollars of medical bills are more than two free tickets," said attorney Rick Martindale.

A Disney spokesperson told Eyewitness News they are aware of the situation. They checked the ride and believe the attraction was operating properly. The offer for the two tickets is still open.

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