The recent tragic death of a 4-year old after riding Walt Disney World’s Mission: Space attraction at Epcot has highlighted the lack of oversight by local, state, or federal agencies for the Florida tourists destination. Now California’s Disneyland theme park, which operates under some of the strictest state oversight in the nation, has just been… Read More »Judges Rule for higher safety standards in California
Dr. John Kuluz, an associate professor and expert in pediatric critical care and brain injuries at the University of Miami, said the mother’s report of her son’s rigidity suggests that the brain was a more likely suspect. "That episode of being rigid makes it sound as if the brain was having increased pressure," said Kuluz,… Read More »Disney World Death Update
It is difficult to speculate exactly what happened yesterday to cause the sad death of a young boy at Walt Disney World. Eventually the autopsy will reveal whether the attraction had anything to do with the death. It may not have. I do not mean to accuse the family or Disney Management of misdeeds, but I do wonder what a 4-year old was doing on Mission Space (M:S) at Epcot.
M:S is one of the most intense experiences available to guests visiting Walt Disney World. So what would lead a family to want to take their young child on it? Which warnings did they see and which did they miss? How can we give a family more information before they make their decision to join the queue? All questions that need to be answered to make the Disney World experience as safe as possible for all guests.
Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror probably qualifies as the most intense experience availabe to guests at the four Walt Disney World themeparks. Not only does the name imply its intensity, but as you approach the attraction to ride you can see exactly what happens to guests already on board as they plummet faster than gravity and then are jerked back up only to be pulled back down again repeated times. If the visual clues aren’t enough, the screams of terror is another signal. Those with weak constitutions know by these indicators to stay away. Parents with questions can see what happens during the ride and can judge if their child is appropriate for the attraction. At least that should work in theory.
Read More »Blink before riding: Steps to better decision making at Disney World
Reuters is reporting some additional details now. The family claims there was no previous history of ill health prior to the ride and that when the ride ended the child was limp and unresponsive. There is also more detail on the post-death inspection of the attraction.
UPDATE: Autopsy finds pre-existing condition (11/15/2005) The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that a 4-year old child has died after riding Mission: Space at Epcot. Although 4-years old, he apparently met the 44 inch height requirement for the ride. The cause of death has not been determined and the sheriff’s office is investigating. Also see Local10’s… Read More »Breaking: Child Dies after riding Mission: Space at Epcot
CNN picks up the story of Jim Hill’s booting from Disneyland as a result of his rogue tours. More bad publicity for Disney. (Update: btw, just thought I’d point out that Jim Hill is technically not a blogger but is in fact online magazine. CNN calling Jim a blogger has erked some people.) Meanwhile Jim… Read More »Roundup
With Spring Break officially in the record books now, I can report that we survived. Mostly by avoiding the parks when we could and by avoiding any of the major throughfares. A good idea, as Ken pointed out earlier in the comments: Disney World – Magic Kingdom was closed at least 3 days in a… Read More »A Break from Spring Break
Yesterday I went to the Magic Kingdom with family in tow to see what Easter surprises the park had in store, aside from Easter colored balloons. Turns out they had a nice little pre-parade with Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny (who knew he was married? Guess those eggs have to come from somewhere.) Also sauntering… Read More »Easter at the MK