Four people visiting a Walt Disney World resort in Florida got “extremely sick” and needed several trips to the emergency room after eating lettuce wraps crawling with live insects, a new lawsuit claims.
The plaintiffs from Broward County sued Walt Disney Parks and Resorts last week in connection with their disastrous December trip to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in Orlando, the lawsuit states.
A series of photos included in the 90-page lawsuit appears to show insects lurking on pieces of lettuce that allegedly were eaten by Cynthia Walker, Jeoffrey Walker, Brittany Walker Figueroa and her daughter, Bella.
“After consuming multiple lettuce wraps, [Brittany Walker Figueroa] felt something crawling inside of her mouth and removed what appeared to be a small green object that had legs and was moving,” the lawsuit reads.
Walker and her family had been eating at a buffet at the resort’s Club Level Lounge, where customers could make lettuce wraps filled with chicken, celery, carrots, broccoli and sauces.
The grub-filled greens caused the group to get “extremely sick,” requiring several visits to an Orange County emergency room for food poisoning, the lawsuit claims.
“The plaintiff’s injury of food poisoning and subsequent illnesses diagnosed by the plaintiff’s treating physicians is a type of injury that ordinarily does not occur unless someone was negligent,” reads the lawsuit, which seeks damages in excess of $15,000.
As a result of eating the insect-laden lettuce wraps, the plaintiffs suffered “loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life,” as well as loss of earnings and medical expenses, including hospitalization costs, the lawsuit claims.
In a statement to The Post, a Disney spokeswoman said the company plans to fight the lawsuit.
“Enjoying high-quality meals in clean and safe environments is an important part of a Walt Disney World Resort vacation,” the statement read. “We do not believe the claimed illnesses were a result of the guests’ dining experiences, and we will defend against these allegations in court.”
A message seeking comment from attorneys representing the plaintiffs was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort, which opened in 1971, is billed as an “oasis of tropical palms, lush vegetation and so much more,” including world-class restaurants, according to its website.