Lawsuit Filed Over Bronx Zoo Skyfari Breakdown

Two women are suing the Wildlife Conservation Society because they spent five hours stranded on the Bronx Zoo's Skyfari one evening in July 2008. After a strong gust of wind knocked a cable car's wheel off track, stopping all cable car movement, some 37 zoo visitors were left with nothing to do but sit 100 feet above the ground (and lions and gazelles) alone with their thoughts—or, worse, other people. Robin Dean, 26, and her 27-year-old friend, Migdalia Arinegas, both teachers, have filed a lawsuit in Bronx Supreme Court seeking unspecified damages.

Arinegas had her year-old daughter with her and, according to the lawsuit, the experience left them all emotionally scarred. Dean's now on anti-anxiety medication, and she tells the Post, "The part that really tortured me was the rocking and the shaking. I cried a lot." Maybe only a big pile of cash can take some pain away, but aren't Dean and Arinegas a little late to the lawsuit party? Just two days after the epic Skyfail, a pregnant woman and her husband filed a $10 million lawsuit. And earlier this year the zoo shut down Skyfari for good.

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By John Del Signore in News on October 5, 2009 4:59 PM

Comments [rss]

dadoc

People have to toughen up. So you sat in a cable car for a while waiting to get out. BFD. The one-year-old didn't notice, and had a ready source of food at hand. I would've just celled for ESS to 'biner me up a six or two of Bud, some pretzels and a novel, and chilled. Also would insist I would not come down unless only interviewed by the hottest local news-face after my harrowing rescue. Then have some more fun with the story.

Won't shame her on Facebook, but hope she gets a full scholarship to Hofstra to finish grad school.

irvinghowe

it's very simple. these women are ignorant fools. it's even scarier that they are teachers. just goes to show you, any jackass with a pen can teach. if you're bored go visit robin dean on facebook and let her know just how smart she is. she's still in grad school at columbia, which tells us all we need to know.

she is definitely doing this to get easy money. tell her, we as a people will not tolerate this and these kinds of lawsuits will not stand. if she wants money for her kid she's gonna have to earn it the real way.

Boogie Down

I sent her the link to these comments. I love shaming those who deserve it most.

PTG in nyc

From the looks of that picture, shouldn't these assholes also be suing Delta for sponsoring the damn thing?

Give me a break. I was trapped in the elevator at work from 945pm to 1045pm last month. Thankfully I was by myself and not with evil bitches with dreams of suing, but my god it was not harrowing and I was happy to get out when the freed me. Why don't we just sue technology while we're at it, I hate that damn internet, especially when it doesn't work!

We need a voter referendum that requires all rescuees to sign a consent form that they won't sue before the FDNY is allowed to rescue them.

Boogie Down

Suing the Wildlife Conservation Society, eh? These broads should be really proud of themselves.

casuallyobscene

the zoo should be paying for those meds though. they are at fault.

melanarchy

I'm sure all the big ski mountain operators will file amicus briefs in this case if they feel the women have any chance at all of winning. This sort of thing happens at ski mountains pretty regularly and although 5 hours is a long time to be stuck it's not unheard of.

emilydickinson

It's not like the Skyfari tipped over and their legs were gnawed off by tigers. It seems really mean spirited to sue the Bronx Zoo for a freak accident where no one was really injured.

I'd settle for a pack of those capsules you drop into water, which then expand into little sponge animals, that they sell at the gift shop. Seems like fair compensation.

Kojak

"It's not like the Skyfari tipped over and their legs were gnawed off by tigers"

Fortunate for the Tigers. I bet those chicks load up on Whole Foods on a regular basis. There ain't no meat on those bones.

Soggy

This is freaking ridiculous. I can't believe this lawsuit is even allowed. Maybe if the Skyfari had fallen with them in it this would be acceptable. Where does it end? Are we allowed to sue when our train gets stuck in the tunnel because we have claustrophobia?! In that case every New Yorker would be rich. I hope their case is thrown out and they have to pay for the defense's legal funds.

NannyState

Give 'em a $1,000 each and a nice t-shirt. Next...

nicemarmot

They're teachers, eh? Well I hope their snot nosed little students do their best to torment them for attempting to steal money from the zoo.

uptownnyc

Yeah ... 'cause zoos are just rolling in cash. Way to go ... take away funds from an attraction that is truly awesome. The people filing these lawsuits should be ashamed of themselves.