Boy Hurt on Ride at Disneyland Now in Rehab Facility

Brandon Zucker, the 4-year-old boy who suffered severe brain damage after being pinned beneath a Disneyland ride, moved Friday from UCI Medical Center to an undisclosed rehabilitation facility.

As the Zucker family begins the newest leg of a long medical journey--one they still pray will end positively--the family attorney escalated his sharp criticism of Disneyland.

Brandon fell from the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin attraction on Sept. 22 and was trapped beneath the heavy “taxi cab” for about 10 minutes. When he was freed, the 45-pound boy had no pulse and was not breathing.

The family has requested privacy. They have not spoken publicly, and have limited condition updates provided by UCI Medical Center in Orange. Hospital spokeswoman Kim Pine would confirm only that the boy was transferred Friday to an acute care rehabilitation facility.

Los Angeles attorney Thomas Girardi said the brain damage is severe, but that the family still hopes for some recovery.

“Nobody can predict at this stage of the game what the final outcome will be,” Girardi said. “He’s a fighter. There’s no question about that. I suppose that a person with less heart maybe wouldn’t even have made it.”

Girardi said the boy’s parents, Veronica and David Zucker of Canyon Country in northern Los Angeles County, have maintained a constant vigil at the hospital. Neither has been able to return to work, but keep themselves going with their overwhelming faith, Girardi said.

The family is not bitter, he said, only because “their sadness overwhelms any anger.”

“Quite honestly, I’m angry,” Girardi said. “I think a lot of people who followed the story a little bit are angry, but [the family is] so darned sad there’s no place in their heart for anger.” He renewed his harsh criticism of Disneyland, saying, “Their equipment is faulty, their training is faulty and their response time to help people is faulty.”

He says employees were inadequately trained and inappropriately loaded Brandon into the ride by seating him closest to the cut-out door. Further, he said, the safety lap bar was enough to hold in the largest person on the ride, Victoria Zucker, but not the children seated beside her.

He also criticized the emergency response. He said it was too slow and reiterated witness statements that they were restrained by Disneyland employees even though they were trying to aid a frantic and pleading David Zucker.

Disneyland has repeatedly denied fault in the accident, pointing out that 20 million people have safely ridden the Roger Rabbit ride. Following the accident, they conducted safety tests and determined that neither the lap bar nor loading procedures were a factor, spokesman Ray Gomez said.

“The tests show that if Brandon was sitting down, even with the lap bar up, he could not have been thrown from the car regardless of whether it was spinning, or the direction,” Gomez said.

Brandon’s parents have said their son was seated appropriately at the time of the accident.

Gomez also defended the Disneyland employees working on the ride the night of the accident. He described them as “very experienced” and “among the best cast members at Disneyland.”

He said the emergency response was quick and appropriate. Information provided by state investigators and the Anaheim Fire Department indicate that Disneyland personnel notified paramedics three and a half minutes after the ride stopped.

So far, there have been no conclusive findings about what caused the accident. The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health continues to investigate and it could be weeks before its report is complete, a spokesman said.