May 07, 2019 at 11:23PM
ORLANDO, Fla. (WESH) — Storms at Walt Disney World on Sunday caused two cheerleaders to end up in the hospital.
Gabby Langston, 13, is a competitive cheerleader with the Spirit of Texas Purple Diamonds.
She and her mother said they were in Central Florida for a national competition at ESPN Wide World of Sports when the team got caught in severe weather as they walked from their buses into the competition venue.
"We all see this trash can like flying in the air and my phone dropped, so I picked it up and we all went under the umbrella. The umbrella hit me on the side of the head and I fell down on the stairs and (became) unconscious," Gabby Langston said.
The Langstons say it was a large umbrella on a stand that struck Gabby and another member of the cheer team, injuring them both.
Gabby was taken to the hospital by ambulance. They showed WESH News paperwork confirming she was diagnosed with a concussion and had to get several stitches behind her ear.
Gabby's injuries prevented her from finishing the competition, and her mother said as a result of her absence, as well as the other teammate who was injured, their team lost the competition.
WESH reached out to Disney about the incident, and in a written statement, they said:
"Nothing is more important than the safety of those who visit Walt Disney World. We have reached out to the family to express our care and concern."
The Langstons want to tell their story to encourage people to take the dangers of severe weather seriously.
"I just feel bad for Gabriella and her teammate that got the seven sutures. It's not just them, it's the whole team who thought they were here to win, who got last place because of this," Gabby's mother, Rebecca Langston, said.
ORLANDO, Fla. (WESH) — Storms at Walt Disney World on Sunday caused two cheerleaders to end up in the hospital.
Gabby Langston, 13, is a competitive cheerleader with the Spirit of Texas Purple Diamonds.
She and her mother said they were in Central Florida for a national competition at ESPN Wide World of Sports when the team got caught in severe weather as they walked from their buses into the competition venue.
"We all see this trash can like flying in the air and my phone dropped, so I picked it up and we all went under the umbrella. The umbrella hit me on the side of the head and I fell down on the stairs and (became) unconscious," Gabby Langston said.
The Langstons say it was a large umbrella on a stand that struck Gabby and another member of the cheer team, injuring them both.
Gabby was taken to the hospital by ambulance. They showed WESH News paperwork confirming she was diagnosed with a concussion and had to get several stitches behind her ear.
Gabby's injuries prevented her from finishing the competition, and her mother said as a result of her absence, as well as the other teammate who was injured, their team lost the competition.
WESH reached out to Disney about the incident, and in a written statement, they said:
"Nothing is more important than the safety of those who visit Walt Disney World. We have reached out to the family to express our care and concern."
The Langstons want to tell their story to encourage people to take the dangers of severe weather seriously.
"I just feel bad for Gabriella and her teammate that got the seven sutures. It's not just them, it's the whole team who thought they were here to win, who got last place because of this," Gabby's mother, Rebecca Langston, said.