EPCOT accident

[AwallaceUNC]

Very sad. Enough can't be said about that. Poor kid. Poor family. I can't even imagine.

I've never ridden M:S, and don't really care to. I've said from Day One that I think it's way too intense for Disney (or anyone). There's a reason they train astronauts before they launch into space. Kennedy Space Center's only a few hours away if you're set on that. Disney could have come up with a much better themed thrill ride. Anyways...

Everybody wants to blame either Disney or the parenting. I don't really think there's anyone to blame here. It's just a horrible tragedy. The parents may not have known about any pre-existing medical problems. They also may well not have known what kind of ride Mission:Space is. True, there are a lot of warnings in front of it. Those same warnings can be found outside Big Thunder and just about every mild-to-wild attraction at Disney. There are more (and bigger) warnings at M:S, and it seems like you'd at least ask a CM just how bad it is, but that's what height restrictions are for, I suppose. The height restriction definitely needs to be raised quite a bit for M:S. I expect it will be.

I don't think Disney was wrong to open it back up the next day. There was an investigation. The attraction was not malfunctioning and there is no evidence that the death and the ride were in any way related. On those grounds, why keep it closed and disappoint thousands and thousands of eager, paying guests who want to try it out?

Disney can't do age restrictions on their attractions because kids don't have ID cards. Cast members can't tell the difference between a 6 year old and a 8 year old in many cases, and they shouldn't be in the business of enforcing guestimations. Also, as T/P Fan pointed out, size is really the determinant factor for everything but fear.

Renata is exactly right about the reason that Primeval Whirl has a high height restriction... the nature of the safety bars (instead of the buckles you find in most Disney rides). That ride is also a lot less tame than it looks from the ground.

I don't think it's fair to say that "loads" of people die or are injured at Disney these days. True, there's been I think 2 guest deaths that were the fault of a cast member/ride (and 2 cast member deaths, I think), but most of the injuries and deaths are the result of disobedience, ignorance, and stupidity. 4 deaths are 4 too many, but then I don't think it's entirely unsurprising over a 50 year period. It is very sad, though. Difficult to think about. Whether it was negligence or just an accident is probably debatable.

Mr. Toad is right that maintenance was suffering at the Disney parks for a while, but that seems to really be turning around at both DL and WDW lately.

IndianaJP is right that Body Wars and the entire Wonders of Life pavilion now run seasonally. It's currently closed but will likely open for the summer soon. There's something going on over there now, so maybe it will return to full-time operation one day. In my opinion, Body Wars should close and stay closed (now I have a ride for the "Overrated" thread!).

[/long-winded]

-Aaron

[Maerj]

IndianaJP is right that Body Wars and the entire Wonders of Life pavilion now run seasonally. It's currently closed but will likely open for the summer soon. There's something going on over there now, so maybe it will return to full-time operation one day. In my opinion, Body Wars should close and stay closed (now I have a ride for the "Overrated" thread!).


-Aaron

Actually, that was me, on page 3 of this thread between half and 3/4 of the way down the page. I posted it on Tue Jun 14, 2005 at 7:40 pm.

[indianajdp]

IndianaJP is right that Body Wars and the entire Wonders of Life pavilion now run seasonally. It's currently closed but will likely open for the summer soon. There's something going on over there now, so maybe it will return to full-time operation one day. In my opinion, Body Wars should close and stay closed (now I have a ride for the "Overrated" thread!).


-Aaron

Actually, that was me, on page 3 of this thread between half and 3/4 of the way down the page. I posted it on Tue Jun 14, 2005 at 7:40 pm.

Dammit Maerj! If he insists that I was right then don't try and change his mind

[AwallaceUNC]

Sorry! Got you mixed up- that's what I get for responding to 5 pages all at once. Besides shouldn't you be watching Star Wars somewhere?

-Aaron

[Maerj]

Sorry! Got you mixed up- that's what I get for responding to 5 pages all at once. Besides shouldn't you be watching Star Wars somewhere?

-Aaron

I just got home from my sixth screening of it!

[danamichelle]

This was taken from mouseplanet.com

Autopsy results for park deaths confirm Disney not at fault

In June, 4-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye died after riding Mission: Space at Epcot. In August, 12-year-old Jerra Kirby collapsed at Typhoon Lagoon and died. Last week, autopsy results on both were released by the Orange and Osceola County Medical Examiner's office. In both cases, undiscovered heart ailments were the cause of death.

Kirby's death was apparently due to arrhythmia caused by an early-stage viral heart infection. The honor roll student from Newport News, Virginia, had been relaxing near the wave pool at the water park, and passed out shortly after lifeguards had asked her if she was feeling all right.

Bamuwamye apparently died as a result of idiopathic myocardial hypertrophy with fibroelastosis of the left ventricle, or dead scar tissue and abnormally thick muscle walls in his heart. While it is a rare condition in the U.S., according to the medical examiner it affects a third of the children with heart disease in Uganda, the native country of the boy's parents. The heart condition is apparently so severe that those suffering from it are at risk of sudden death throughout their lives.

The sole remaining question, which will never be answered, is whether a quicker response by cast members to Bamuwamye's condition would have resulted in the saving of his life. Cast members immediately assisted Bamuwamye's mother when they spotted her carrying his body off of the ride. However, CPR was not started for over two and a half minutes after one of the cast members called 9-1-1, as they thought that the boy had merely passed out. However, due to the severity of the boy's condition, it is unknown whether starting CPR or even using defibrillators immediately would have prevented his death.

Walt Disney World Resort issued a written statement, simply stating, “Our sympathies are with the families during this difficult time. In regard to the reports, we believe they speak for themselves.”