A family has been awarded an $8.15 million verdict in a lawsuit against Busch Gardens Tampa Bay after a child sustained serious injuries at the theme park.

In September 2022, the child attended a Howl-O-Scream event. According to Morgan & Morgan attorneys Paul Fulmer, Grant Gillenwater, Bora Kayan, and Megan Tiralosi, the doors to the Stanleyville Theater were left unlocked and unattended by the amusement park.

The child entered the theater, went onto the stage, and then onto the acrobatic trampoline. He fell off the trampoline, suffering blunt force trauma that lacerated his chin, liver, and right kidney, resulting in the loss of his kidney function.

“A young child will now have to endure renal protective measures for the rest of his life, limiting what he can eat, what sports he can play, and what medications he can take,” said Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Fulmer. “We are glad the jury recognized the amusement park’s role in causing our client’s lifelong injuries and provided him with the justice he deserves.”

A Hillsborough County jury awarded the family $8,154,350.75 for the child’s injuries, after they declined a pre-trial settlement offer of $40,000 from the Tampa Bay theme park.

The jury found the family partially at fault, contributing 35% to the victim’s injuries. As a result, the final verdict amounted to $5,300,328, according to the law firm.

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(Image credit: WFLA)