A Chinese woman who fell out of a moving Disneyland tram and suffered injuries that left her needing 24-hour medical supervision for the rest of her life has reached a settlement in the lawsuit filed against the Walt Disney Co. The settlement was reached between Disney and Qi Zhao, the Plaintiff, while the trial of the case in Los Angeles County Superior Court was in its second week.

Mrs. Zhao, who is now 48, filed her suit in 2007, alleging the tram driver was going too fast. She was riding the tram with two sisters and a niece. One of the sisters fell from the King tram as it moved toward a parking lot. Reacting to the fall, the other two sisters also fell out. The sisters suffered relatively minor injuries. But Mrs. Zhao hit her head on the pavement, suffering severe traumatic brain injuries and skull fractures. She was in a coma for three weeks.

Mrs. Zhao and her husband were born in China, but were living in Northern California when they visited the Anaheim theme park in February 2007. Mrs. Zhao is now being cared for in Beijing. Her husband, Zuchun Wang, had a claim for loss of consortium.

Disney, which says safety is its top priority, contended the tram was not moving too fast and had a device limiting its top speed to 11 mph. This was disputed during the trial. The settlement came just as lawyers had started their closing arguments. The judge then dismissed the jurors. Mrs. Zhao’s two sisters had settled their claims against Disney before the trial.

Source: Associated Press