The Orlando Sentinel and Local6 news have both updated their reports with additional information on the tragic death of a 12 year old boy while riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at the Disney-MGM Studios park in Walt Disney World. Both now provide identities for the child and his family.
His father, riding behind his son with the boy’s 7-year-old brother,
noticed the boy’s condition and immediately began CPR when the coaster
stopped, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The family
was on vacation to Florida from Fort Campbell, Ky., where the father is
a member of the Green Berets.
Any death of a child is a tragedy. It is amplified when it unexpectedly occurs at a place that is supposed to be the Happiest Place On Earth. To have it happen to a family member of our Armed Forces compounds it unimaginably. My heart goes out to the Russell family. I know the rest of the Disney community feels the same way.