A Walt Disney World cast member has died after falling from scaffolding at the Walt Disney World power plant. According to local news reports, the fall was from a height of approximately 5 feet and the cast member complained of non life-threatening injuries but went… Read More »Disney World Cast Member Dies After Fall from Scaffolding
Walt Disney World is a gigantic place at nearly 27,000 acres. While guests are allowed to travel through many of the areas, there are a few areas where only official vehicles and cast members are supposed to drive. One of these is Bear Island Road which goes… Read More »One Killed in Backstage Roads Crash
The family of the 9-year old boy who died after riding his bike off the sidewalk and into the side of a Disney transport bus near Fort Wilderness has reached a settlement with Disney that will keep this case out of the courts. Disney’s spokesperson… Read More »Disney Settles With Family Whose 9-year old Boy Died in Accident with Disney Bus
There’s no doubt Walt Disney is an American Icon. What he was able to achieve in his 66 years on the planet shaped the American psyche in ways that we’re still just beginning to understand (see virtual reality for instance). I always find it hard… Read More »Walt Disney Remembered
Harry Morgan, (aka Henry Morgan) known to most of the world as Colonel Sherman Potter from the TV series M*A*S*H and Officer Bill Gannon on “Dragnet”, died in his home this morning in Los Angeles. He was 96. I loved Morgan’s stint on M.A.S.H. and… Read More »Harry Morgan, M.A.S.H. actor and Disney movie star has died
All the adjustments in policy and procedures have already been made, employees disciplined, OSHA fines levied, and the family’s lawsuit settled. All that we have been waiting for is the final federal investigation’s Accident Report. Today the National Transportation and Safety Board released that report putting a period on the end of a long sentence that I’m sure Disney World would like to put behind them.
That sentence started with a conflagration of errors by operators, management, and poor enforcement of existing policies that ended in the tragic death of a Walt Disney World Monorail Operator early on the morning of July 5th, 2009.
The report itself, issued this afternoon (releasing something on a holiday is almost like intentionally burying it, I wonder if that was coordinated in any way?), is written a very factual manner and in a plainly stated way. The facts outlined clearly put majority of the blame on inadequate procedures and failure to enforce the exact safety procedures that would have prevented the accident. To its credit Disney has made a lot of changes to correct what went wrong, but even if Disney had just enforced one of the common sense errors, this tragedy could have been averted.
Read More »Report on Disney World Monorail Accident of July 2009 released by NTSB
Besides Disney my other real fandom is that of racing, particularly open wheel racing. So as I posted early this year, I was very pleased when this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was feted at Walt Disney World with a victory parade.
It was with tremendous sadness that I learned today of Wheldon’s death in an accident at the Las Vegas race. Wheldon celebrated his 33rd birthday with his family when he visited Walt Disney World in June. Here’s a video from that day that so clearly shows his love of his family, of life, and of racing.
The 2005 IndyCar series champion, Wheldon was a class act all they way. There’s really nothing more to say than too soon, too soon. Our thoughts are with the Wheldon family and all the drivers and members of the IndyCar racing team and league.
Update: Today’s race was called after officials learned of Wheldon’s death. Instead the remaining teams and drivers held five parade laps in tribute to Wheldon. The video of this moving ceremony is below the jump:
The Golden Horseshoe review lost two of its legends within one day when Wally Boag (wikipedia) and Betty Taylor (Disney Legend Bio) passed on in the last two days. They played Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue respectively in what became the longest running variety show… Read More »Disney & Golden Horseshoe legends Wally Boag and Betty Taylor Die Within One Day of Each Other