Lawsuit: Florida girl hit in face by rider's object while on SeaWorld Orlando coaster

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida family has filed a lawsuit against SeaWorld Orlando alleging that their child was hit in the face by an object while riding one of the roller coasters at the theme park. 

What does the lawsuit allege?

According to the lawsuit, the alleged incident happened on or around March 15, 2025, while the child was visiting SeaWorld Orlando from Hillsborough County.

The child was on Mako, billed by SeaWorld Orlando as the "tallest roller coaster in Orlando," when an object from another rider apparently flew into the air and struck the girl in the face, according to the lawsuit.

"As a result, the impact caused an injury that required stitches to her forehead and later a development of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Anxiety Disorder," reads the lawsuit.

The family has demanded a jury lawsuit and damages in excess of $50,000. The lawsuit accuses SeaWorld of general negligence and negligence for failure to train.

What they're saying:

SeaWorld Orlando issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit.

"The safety of our guests and employees is a top priority and we take these situations seriously.  We can’t comment beyond that as this is pending litigation."

What we don't know:

The lawsuit does not identify the object that hit the girl nor the girl's age.

Mako: ‘Tallest roller coaster in Orlando’

Mako is described as a hyper coaster. Riders go as high as 200 feet high and reach speeds up to 73 mph, ascending up hills and descending down hills, experiencing a few seconds of "air time" each time.

It's named after the mako shark, reportedly one of the fastest known sharks.