ORLANDO, Fla. — A family is threatening to sue Walt Disney World after a snake fell from a tree at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park and bit a boy, which the family claims ultimately caused the death of the boy’s grandmother.
Matt Morgan, the family’s attorney, held a news conference on Thursday and announced he will file a formal lawsuit against Disney for the injuries sustained by the boy and the wrongful death of the woman.
Morgan said the family, who lives in Alabama, claims that the snake escaped at the park and entered an area accessible by park visitors. The incident happened in October 2014.
A Disney spokeswoman confirmed to WKMG that the boy was bitten by a snake at the park, but she said the snake was wild and not part of the park’s animal collection.
The family claims the boy’s grandmother, who witnessed the incident, went into cardiac arrest and died two days later.
Disney said the boy was treated by a park nurse and the family enjoyed the rest of their day at the park, according to WKMG. There was no call for an ambulance following the incident, according to the the Disney spokeswoman.
Disney said “these allegations are an utter mischaracterization of the facts.”
