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By MIKE SCHNEIDER,\u00a0Associated Press<\/p>\n
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Should a theme park post warning signs about a ride\u2019s potential dangers in a language other than English?<\/p>\n
A lawsuit brought by a Guatemalan family against Universal Orlando Resort says yes.<\/p>\n
The family\u2019s 38-year-old father suffered a fatal heart attack two years ago after going on the ride Skull Island: Reign of Kong.<\/p>\n
Jose Calderon Arana, who had prior heart problems, didn\u2019t speak English, and his family said in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed this month that Universal was negligent by not displaying warning signs in Spanish.<\/p>\n
\u201cUniversal was aware of the great number of tourists on their premises who do not speak English,\u201d said the lawsuit filed this month in state court in Orlando.<\/p>\n
Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said in an email that the theme park resort doesn\u2019t comment on pending litigation. The official blog of Universal Orlando Resort has Spanish and Portuguese translations.<\/p>\n
Skull Island had been open about half a year at the time of Calderon Arana\u2019s death in 2016. Using animatronics and 3D screens, the ride recreates a truck expedition inspired by recent iterations of the King Kong movies.<\/p>\n
A sign at the entrance of the ride says in English, \u201cWarning! This ride is an expedition through the rough terrain of King Kong\u2019s natural habitat. The movement of the truck is dynamic with sudden accelerations, dramatic tilting and jarring actions.\u201d It warns that pregnant women or people with heart conditions or abnormal blood pressure, back or neck conditions shouldn\u2019t go on the ride.<\/p>\n
Besides the English text, each of the situations has an accompanying pictogram. That for heart problems shows a person staggering with one hand held to his chest.<\/p>\n
Calderon Arana, who ran a major farming operation owned by his family, didn\u2019t feel well after going on the Skull Island ride. His wife thought he had an upset stomach, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n
He took a break on a bench while his wife and son went another ride. He had collapsed by the time they came back and was taken to a hospital where he later died, said the lawsuit, which also claims there was a delay in rendering aid to Calderon Arana after he collapsed.<\/p>\n
The family\u2019s personal-injury attorney, Lou Pendas, said it\u2019s not unreasonable to have ride warning signs in English, Spanish and French so visitors can make informed decisions about whether they should go on the ride.<\/p>\n
Although it\u2019s difficult to gauge what percentage of visitors to central Florida\u2019s theme parks don\u2019t speak English, local tourism figures show that 6.1 million of metro Orlando\u2019s 72 million visitors in 2017 came from outside the United States. A little less than 900,000 visitors came from three Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America \u2014 Mexico, Argentina and Colombia \u2014 and more than 820,000 came from Portuguese-speaking Brazil.<\/p>\n
U.S. census figures also show more than a quarter of Floridians speak a language other than English at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a crazy request or expectation. It\u2019s actually quite basic in this day and age,\u201d Pendas said.<\/p>\n
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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeSchneiderAP<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n