Incidents at Universal parks

• On January 1, 2011, a major fire broke out on the attraction's show building. The ride and the park's Toon Lagoon area were evacuated. No injuries were reported.[1]

• On July 1, 2009, an employee was walking underneath the coaster in a restricted area when he was hit by a train during a test run. The victim suffered multiple head injuries and was taken to nearby Orlando Regional Medical Center.[2]
• On July 31, 2011, a tourist was injured when an unidentified object hit him in the eye while riding Dragon Challenge. Prior to the incident, the guest had only one good eye, therefore the incident resulted in the guest completely losing his sight. Dragon Challenge remained shut for less than 24 hours after the incident with Universal concluding that the ride was safe.[3][4][5]
• On August 10, 2011, a rider was struck by an object while riding the attraction, injuring his face and leg. As a result of this and the aforementioned incident in which a rider lost sight in one eye, Universal officials announced that the two roller coasters would no longer operate simultaneously, pending an investigation into both incidents.[6] In October 2011, officials suspended the dueling aspect of the ride permanently.[7]

• On October 2, 2019, the park temporarily shut down the ride after a swarm of honey bees surrounded the whole area of the attraction. It reopened later that evening.[8]

• On August 11, 2020, a minor backstage fire caused the ride to shut down. The fire was quickly extinguished, and no one was injured. [9]

• On December 10, 2016, a 38-year-old man who was a tourist from Guatemala felt ill after riding the attraction. Due to him not being able to join his family, he had to sit on a bench that was closest to him while they enjoyed their visit by going on other rides at the park. By the time his family returned, they were horrified to find out that he collapsed and died after sitting on the park bench. Two years later in 2018, a lawsuit was filed against the park stating that none of the signs used for the attraction were in Spanish.[10]

• On September 23, 2003, a 34-year-old from Jensen Beach, Florida, suffered a heart attack from an unknown heart condition while riding The Incredible Hulk coaster. She was rushed to Sand Lake Hospital in critical condition, but never regained consciousness and died shortly after being taken off of life support.[11][12]

• On October 28, 2015, two guests were arrested and charged with battery for attacking "scare actors" during the Halloween Horror Nights event.[13] At least two scare actors quit after the attacks.[14]

• On September 30, 2016, at around 10:00 am local time, a "catastrophic" failure knocked out power to the entire Universal Studios Florida theme park. Park employees were able to evacuate riders from most attractions, but the Orlando Fire Department was called in to assist with some evacuations from the Men in Black: Alien Attack and Transformers attractions. Initial reports did not indicate a cause of the failure, but the adjacent Universal's Islands of Adventure park was unaffected.[15]

• On October 15, 1996, a 28-year-old man from Casselberry, Florida fell 10 to 12 feet from the ride's platform while trying to step into the vehicle. He was later taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center.[16]
• On January 31, 2019, an 11-year-old boy visiting from Brazil was injured when his foot became wedged between the ride's unloading platform and a vehicle, breaking multiple bones in the process. Due to this incident, the attraction has changed its operational procedures.[17]

• On October 1, 2016, a man and a 14-year-old girl were injured when an e-cigarette exploded on the ride.[18]
• On August 16, 2017, the Hogwarts Express suffered two separate incidents in which the ride broke down, stranding riders between stations.[19][20][21][22]

• On August 1, 2013, an unidentified woman received minor injuries when the ride came to a sudden stop.[23]
• On October 23, 2019, one of the trains suddenly stopped due to a technical bug. Twelve riders had to be evacuated and none of them were injured.[24]

• In July 1990, a 39-year-old man from Sicklerville, New Jersey fell off a railing after it broke and into the water. He then sued the park for $1 million claiming that the company and its park employees were careless and negligent with maintaining the ride.[25]

• On November 8, 2016, emergency crews were summoned to the attraction at around 2:30am to attend to a maintenance worker who had no pulse. The worker was found in the rafters of the attraction building. The worker was declared dead, but no cause of death was revealed, although park officials did state that the ride itself was not involved.[26]

• On September 21, 2004, a 39-year-old man from Apopka, Florida, fell approximately 4 feet (1 m) off the loading platform as he was attempting to step into the ride vehicle. He suffered injuries to his head and noted pain due to the fall. He was rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center for surgery and died the next day.[27]
• On September 23, 2004, a 67-year-old woman was injured when her arm became stuck between a handrail. The ride was temporarily shut down following an investigation and continued to resume normal operational hours after it was deemed safe.[28]
• On September 20, 2009, a 57-year-old man suffered chest pain while riding Revenge of the Mummy.[29]

• On February 15, 2014, a 40-year-old woman suffered stomach pain while watching Shrek 4-D.[30]

• On June 13, 2008, guests in one ride vehicle were sprayed with a nontoxic substance described as a "derivative of vegetable oil". No injuries were reported, and the guests were given a change of clothes and allowed to shower at the property. The park identified the source of the oil but were not able to determine the cause of the incident, and the unaffected ride vehicles remained open.[31][32]

• On June 19, 2006, a 4-year-old girl injured one of her feet while exiting the train. She was taken to the hospital to be treated for cuts on her foot. Reports said that the girl's foot got stuck between the train and platform. Her foot was freed, but Universal closed the coaster so that staff could examine the ride. The attraction reopened the next day on June 20.[33]

• On April 22, 2011, a 33-year-old man from Winter Haven, Florida, was found unconscious in front of the Universal Cineplex 20 theater after being tased by an off-duty police officer due to disorderly conduct. The man was taken to Dr. P. Phillips Hospital and later died.[34][35]

• Nine backlot fires have occurred at Universal's backlot throughout the park's history. For more information see Universal Studios Hollywood backlot fires.

• On April 6, 2016, a tram collided with a sign that was protruding onto the roadway. Injured passengers were treated on the scene.[36]

• On November 28, 1986, two workers were riding on a bucket from a 30,000 pound crane until they were thrown off after it fell through a plywood floor which suddenly collapsed. Both were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center where one died from suffering head and chest injuries while the other was treated for only minor injuries sustained in the accident.[37]

• On April 3, 2015, a man fatally shot himself in a designated smoking area near the Despicable Me attraction. His weapon had not been detected by park security because, at the time, guests were not required to pass through metal detectors upon entering the park.[38]

• On February 17, 1992, a 9-year-old girl injured her leg while stepping in front of a moving platform.[39]

• On November 17, 2008, one of the escalators from inside the park malfunctioned and threw eight people off it. The guests were taken to the hospital, all suffering minor injuries.[40]

• On June 29, 1996, a week after the attraction officially opened to the public, a malfunction occurred, spraying more than 100 passengers with hydraulic fluid. Four people were sent to Mullikin Medical Center with minor injuries.[41]
• On August 9, 1996, seven passengers suffered injuries when two boats collided into each other.[42]

• At 1:15 am on May 12, 2014, a suspect was fatally shot by Los Angeles Police Department officers at Universal CityWalk. Officers were called to a fight in a crowd at a club. A man was seen carrying a gun outside the club who was promptly shot to death by police. Two civilians were injured while running away, but none of them from gunfire.[43]

• On November 2, 1986, during Halloween Horror Nights (which back then was "Fright Nights"), scare actor Paul Rebalde Brooks, who was supposed to scare the attendees at The Terror Tram (a nighttime version of the Backlot Tour), fell between two of the tram cars and was crushed to death by a tram. This tragic event caused Universal Studios Hollywood to give the event a hiatus until six years later, in 1992, under the current name "Halloween Horror Nights".[44][45]

• In November 2004, a 35-year-old woman from Osaka Prefecture, Japan, suffered nerve damage in her right wrist, resulting in the loss of use of two of her fingers and, ultimately, losing her job. This occurred when her hand got stuck in a safety bar as an employee pulled it down to secure it. The woman sued the park and received an out-of-court settlement in 2006.[46]

• On August 23, 2017, a 13-year-old girl from New Jersey suffered a head injury while riding the Puihi water slide at the park. She fell out of the raft and was trapped underneath it and nearly drowned. The girl was unable to stand up on her own after being rescued from the water and was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children for treatment and recovered. Almost a year later, on April 16, 2018, her family filed a lawsuit against the park.[47]

• On December 27, 2018, a 26-year-old man from South Carolina allegedly molested a 10-year-old girl while they were on Kopiko Wai Winding River. He was arrested by the police and was also charged with lewd and lascivious behavior for molesting a child under the age of 12.[48]
• On June 2, 2019, multiple people were sent to the hospital after feeling electrical shocks throughout most of the attractions at the park. The park closed early and reopened the next day.[49]

On April 6, 2016, guests were stuck on both Human and Cylon coasters for half an hour when a technical error occurred on the ride. The ride closed early and reopened at 5:30pm the very same day.