Gabrielle Russon
On her Facebook page, Jessica Straub posted selfies wearing Mickey Mouse ears as she posed at Disney World.
Going to Disney felt like going home, she wrote.
According to a new lawsuit, the travel agent’s trip right before Christmas 2020 took a tragic turn.
Straub fell and hit her head Dec. 18, 2020, at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. She suffered blunt force trauma to the head and died, said a lawsuit filed by her estate against Disney this week.
Straub, 43, died Dec. 22, 2020, according to the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office which did not perform an autopsy but re-signed her death certificate. Her cause of death was ruled an accident due to blunt head trauma from falling at a standing height, the agency said.
Her obituary said her death was on Dec. 20, 2020, while the lawsuit listed Straub’s death as Dec. 22, 2022. Morgan & Morgan, which filed the lawsuit, did not respond to a message for comment to explain the discrepancies in the dates.
Reedy Creek Improvement District, which provides emergency medical services on Disney property, did not immediately release records following a Florida Politics request made Wednesday.
Straub, who lived in Bristol, Pennsylvania, worked as a travel agent at Magical Enchanted Vacations, according to her obituary and her Facebook page.
“She loved going to Disney World, New Kids on the Block concerts, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Phillies,” said her obituary.
The lawsuit was filed by Justin Morrison, of Philadelphia, who was listed as Straub’s surviving brother. In her obituary, Morrison is described as “her dearest friend and cousin.”
Morrison did not return a message for comment Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Florida Politics reported a pair of injuries at Orlando’s theme parks that were first disclosed in civil lawsuits.
A boy injured his hand on a metal sign at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and ended up having two fingers amputated, according to the lawsuit filed by his mother. At SeaWorld Orlando, a man fell out of his wheelchair on an uneven sidewalk and hit his head. He died less than two weeks later, according to a lawsuit filed by his surviving wife.
Millions of people visit the theme parks and stay at Orlando’s hotels every year.
