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Reckless Boat Driver Blamed for Jungle Cruise Crash in New Lawsuit (Plus: A Vintage Disneyland Video!)

jungle-cruise-hippo.jpg
Photo of a scary Jungle Cruise hippo by Nrico via Flickr

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The fastest ride in the Wilderness is over at Thunder Mountain, so guests on the classic Disneyland attraction the Jungle Cruise aren't usually in store for more jostling than the scare provided by some animatronic alligators. A lawsuit filed earlier this month, however, implicates a reckless cruise boat driver for a crash that allegedly left a couple seriously injured.

The incident in question happened in February 2010, reports the OC Weekly, when SoCal residents Jeffrey and Maria Lee claim the Jungle Cruise driver was taking the tour vessel up to some scary speeds.

From the Lee's lawsuit: "As the Jungle Cruise ride approached the Hippopotamus area of the ride, the boat crashed straight into the island and trees."

The impact threw the Lees out of their seats, and caused unspecified injuries.

This isn't Disneyland's first rodeo, though, since the theme park gets hit with lawsuits year after year of a similar nature. They've yet to comment on the Lee's Jungle Cruise lawsuit.

Speaking of year after year, let's go back in time and let Walt Disney himself show us around Adventureland and the Jungle Cruise, circa 1964:

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