From
Newsday.com
Los Angeles - One man died and 10 other riders were hurt Friday when train cars filled with passengers broke loose from a locomotive in a dark tunnel on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.
The accident occurred at the Anaheim park at about 11:20 a.m., 2:20 p.m. in New York, after the small red engine with its open-top cars sped through the faux desert landscape and uphill into a tunnel, where the cars separated and the locomotive derailed.
Moments after the accident, riders clambered from the cars and agitated park guests ran out, calling for help. "Someone is hurt bad. It's really serious. Get someone up here," cried two young men running away from the site of the accident, said John and Laurie Whims of Seattle, who were waiting at the head of the line to take the next train.
Authorities said passengers were trapped inside the cavern for up to an hour before firefighters and paramedics could get them out. Frontierland was quickly sealed off and park employees kept guests from entering the area.
The man who died, Marcello Torres, 22, was in the first car behind the locomotive, and paramedics extricated his body from inside a tunnel section of the ride, said city spokesman John Nicoletti.
Ten other riders, ranging in age from 9 to 47, were treated for moderate to minor injuries at local hospitals. Among the most severely hurt was Vicente Gutierrez, a 22-year-old Wilmington, Calif., man who suffered facial cuts and chest injuries, including possible broken ribs. He was listed in serious condition, said Marcida Dodson, a hospital spokeswoman.
The death, the 10th since the park opened in 1955, was the first fatality at the Anaheim theme park since 1998 when a cleat tore loose aboard the Columbia sailing ship and struck a visitor in the head.
"We are shocked and saddened by this," said Cynthia Harriss, president of the Disneyland Resort. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the victim and all the people who were injured."
Later in the day, Michael Eisner, chief executive of the Walt Disney Co., attended a news conference at the park to express his condolences to the victims' families.
"For the last 50 years, the safety and well-being of our theme park, our guests and our employees has been and continues to be our top priority," Eisner said. Eisner and company officials declined to comment in detail, saying Anaheim police and the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health are investigating the incident. They said the ride would remain closed until the inquiries are complete.
