Nobody goes on a Disney World vacation, anticipating that they will have a medical emergency. I had never experienced it until 2011 when my daughter fell on a bolt protruding from a video game at Ft. Wilderness and busted her head open with all the trips we’ve had. The bolt has long since been replaced, we’ve checked multiple times, but I think it might help you to know how things might happen if you or a family member have a medical emergency in your trip.
When my 20-month-old fell, we were at the Walt Disney World Ft. Wilderness Campground eating at the Trail’s End Buffet. Everyone else in our party was still eating, but she was getting wild, so we were playing in a little video game area and boom, blood gushing. My first thought was to stop the blood, but right after that, I thought, “holy cow! We have to get out of here. This is an eating establishment”. So we went outside to compress the wound and let it stop bleeding.
Within moments the masses descended on us, including my mother, two waitresses, two nosey kids who had been playing on the playground, and one restaurant manager. As the manager is on the phone, I hear him say, “yes, be advised we have a two-year-old here with major head trauma. Yes, she is bleeding. Yes, she is breathing… for now.” Well, that’s not going to make a mother panic! But being trained in first aid, I’m just focused on stopping the bleeding and the wailing and gnashing of teeth of my 20-month-old.
Within 3 minutes, a Security Officer was getting a detailed report and what appears to be the coordinator of all of Ft. Wilderness Campground. A pretty high amount of attention for a baby with a boo-boo.
Within 10 minutes at the BACK of Ft. Wilderness Campground (which is remote if you’ve never been there), two paramedics arrive. The paramedics were AMAZING and so gentle with my daughter. They assessed her head and decided that stitches would further traumatize her and instead gave her a big blue crayon bandage. Fear not, within no-time she was at Chip & Dales Campfire Sing-Along.
On another trip, while waiting at Hollywood Studios one morning, we saw a man fall and hit his head. It was amazing to watch people with trauma training, not just staff members either, launch in to help. Again, in this situation, paramedics were there within 10 minutes of the first contact.
I tell you this to help you know that there is excellent on-property help that can get to you quickly should there be an emergency (even if you are as far out as Ft. Wilderness). Your only job is to alert any cast member and swiftly put the process into place. It would also help if you can look around and note the time as you tell many people this information repeatedly. Disney does customer service with excellence, no matter if it is an emergency or a non-emergency. Rest assured that in case of an emergency, you will be treated with the best of care!
Keep Moving Forward!
Kristin
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