Boy dies after riding Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

[duck_daddy]

Oh Boy Here We Go!

yeah exactily. its because the carnival people are all on drugs and can not propery assembel or monitor the rides. that makes me so mad. i will never let my kids go to carnivals but i wil lhowever let them go to place like six flags and disney. but even though they meet the height requirements that doesnt mean im going to let them ride. everyone just tries to boycot disney because its a multi-billion dollar company. i am a medical student and i am almost positive that he suffered from a myocardial infarction.

As a medical student you should know at least two things:
1)There is more than one thing that can cause loss of life.
2)No diagnosis should ever be made without investigation into the cause of the problem!
Boy I would hate to see your malpractice premiums when you graduate!:lookaroun

 

[Senderella]

CNN headline news just said the medical examiners have determined the caue of death as a previously "undiagnosed heart abnormality."

Someone posted yesterday they saw the parents on Fox News and already had a lawyer. Wonder if they're planning on whatever they were planning on?

 

[Empress Room]

According to Themeparkinsider.com this is the second death on RNRC. The first being a 43 year old man who died of a brain injury while on the attraction in 2000.

<a href="http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/disney-mgm_studios/rock_n'_roller_coaster/accidents/">http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/disney-mgm_studios/rock_n'_roller_coaster/accidents/</a>

Actually, this unfortunate accident was the first death (in over 3.6 million riders since the attraction opened). The 43-year old man suffered a brain injury in 2000, but as your link describes, it was not fatal.

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

I knew it.... Disney again, is not at fault here.

Does that make this story any less tragic??

 

[mkt]

Someone posted yesterday they saw the parents on Fox News and already had a lawyer. Wonder if they're planning on whatever they were planning on?

yup... cause no matter what, it's always gonna be disney's fault

 

[gcurling]

However, it is not a news story when someone dies of natural causes... In my opionion, this should stay out the news.

But, has the cause of death been conclusively determined to be natural causes? Isn't there still a chance that the stress of the attraction triggered something? Pre-existing, known, unknown, hidden or whatever.

The unfortunate truth is that 4 WDW patrons have suffered deadly or near deadly events on thrill attractions in the last year. Given the profile of the organization, it's newsworthy. Like it or not.

 

[wdwishes2005]

Someone posted yesterday they saw the parents on Fox News and already had a lawyer. Wonder if they're planning on whatever they were planning on?

If true, I see they must be all shook up about it....

 

[Senderella]

yup... cause no matter what, it's always gonna be disney's fault

Silly me! :brick: Where's my brain today???

 

[hardcard]

Preliminary autopsy results found no injuries, but indicated congenital heart abnormalities in a 12-year-old boy who died after a Disney ride in Florida, according to a statement from the medical examiner’s office.

 

[Empress Room]

Does that make this story any less tragic??

Obviously not, but it makes it much more palatable for those who try to understand why a seemingly healthy 12-year old boy died after experiencing what most would agree is a very enjoyable theme park attraction.

Randy Walker, the University of Northwestern's head football coach, died unexpectedly last night at the young age of 52 at home from a previously undiagnosed (but noted) heart abnormality-induced heart attack. If he had been on Rock 'N Roller Coaster instead of the comfort of his home, we would likely be having the same fifteen-page discussion, complete with accusations, opinions and finger-pointing.

 

[wdwishes2005]

Does that make this story any less tragic??

No. But this thread isn't just about someone dying, it's about the safety and credibility of the ride also.

 

[kennygman]

RnR FORCE vs SPEED

Originally Posted by Senderella
I'm not sure how accurate this is- maybe someone can shed some light?- but 2 news stories I saw last night are reporting RnRc is comparable to an (I may get this completely wrong because I have no knowledge of military planes) F-14 bomber as far as speed.

That's what Disney says on their website.

This is what the Disney World website ACTUALLY says:
"Aerosmith's having a backstage party across town and you're invited. Ready to brave the LA freeways? Zoom from 0-60 mph with the force of a supersonic F-14, take in high-speed loops and turns synchronized to a specially recorded Aerosmith soundtrack and zip through Tinseltown in the biggest, loudest limo you've ever seen. "

It is referring to the G force of the "takeoff" of the RnR, not the actual speed. Also an F-14 is a fighter, not a bomber. An F-14 tomcat's maximum "clean" speed is: Speed: maximum level speed 'clean' at high altitude 1,078 kt (1,241 mph; 1997 km/h); (http://www.danshistory.com/f14.html)

Top Thrill Dragster is the fastest roller coaster in the world it is: "420 feet tall and topping out at an unheard of speed of 120 mph" (http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/top_thrill_dragster/index.cfm)

The initial G Force of RnR only lasts a couple of seconds before reaching a top speed of 60 mph. RnR is a VERY tame roller coaster in comparison to others in the world. My son & I rode Titan yesterday at 6FTexas and it had a top speed of 85. It was a blast.

My condolences to the family of this tragedy. I couldn't imagine the pain of loss they are experiencing in this situation. To think that one minute you're in a magical world of wonder and fun and the next the doldrums of the worst loss a parent could ever experience.

 

[bp123]

"Preliminary autopsy results found no injuries, but indicated congenital heart abnormalities in a 12-year-old boy who died after a Disney ride in Florida, according to a statement from the medical examiner’s office."

 

[wdwishes2005]

Obviously not, but it makes it much more palatable for those who try to understand why a seemingly healthy 12-year old boy died after experiencing what most would agree is a very enjoyable theme park attraction.

Randy Walker, the University of Northwestern's head football coach, died unexpectedly last night at the young age of 52 at home from a previously undiagnosed (but noted) heart abnormality-induced heart attack. If he had been on Rock 'N Roller Coaster instead of the comfort of his home, we would likely be having the same fifteen-page discussion, complete with accusations, opinions and finger-pointing.

You said that so much better than I did. I agree.

 

[Senderella]

Originally Posted by Senderella
I'm not sure how accurate this is- maybe someone can shed some light?- but 2 news stories I saw last night are reporting RnRc is comparable to an (I may get this completely wrong because I have no knowledge of military planes) F-14 bomber as far as speed.



This is what the Disney World website ACTUALLY says:
"Aerosmith's having a backstage party across town and you're invited. Ready to brave the LA freeways? Zoom from 0-60 mph with the force of a supersonic F-14, take in high-speed loops and turns synchronized to a specially recorded Aerosmith soundtrack and zip through Tinseltown in the biggest, loudest limo you've ever seen. "

It is referring to the G force of the "takeoff" of the RnR, not the actual speed. Also an F-14 is a fighter, not a bomber. An F-14 tomcat's maximum "clean" speed is: Speed: maximum level speed 'clean' at high altitude 1,078 kt (1,241 mph; 1997 km/h); (http://www.danshistory.com/f14.html)

Top Thrill Dragster is the fastest roller coaster in the world it is: "420 feet tall and topping out at an unheard of speed of 120 mph" (http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/top_thrill_dragster/index.cfm)

The initial G Force of RnR only lasts a couple of seconds before reaching a top speed of 60 mph. RnR is a VERY tame roller coaster in comparison to others in the world. My son & I rode Titan yesterday at 6FTexas and it had a top speed of 85. It was a blast.

My condolences to the family of this tragedy. I couldn't imagine the pain of loss they are experiencing in this situation. To think that one minute you're in a magical world of wonder and fun and the next the doldrums of the worst loss a parent could ever experience.

Thanks for clearing that up Kenny. I'm just wondering, with all of that knowledge of aircraft, do you happen to be stationed in one of the San Antonio bases (considering you just went to FT) or are you just visiting? If you're just visiting, don't forget to hit the Ghost Tours that meet in front of the Alamo every night!

 

[bayoutinkbelle]

Just across the AP wire: The boy had a heart defect and death was ruled natural.

By TRAVIS REED
Associated Press Writer ​

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The 12-year-old boy who died after riding a Walt Disney World roller coaster had a congenital heart defect, a medical examiner determined Friday.
The autopsy of Michael Russell was done one day after he passed out while riding Disney-MGM’s Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. The cause of death was natural, ruled Dr. Jan C. Garavaglia, Orange County’s chief medical examiner.
"No evidence of injury was found but congenital heart abnormalities were detected, which will be further evaluated. The cause of death will be left pending until results of the additional studies are obtained," the office said in a statement.​

​

 

[PintoColvig]

Previously undiagnosed congenital heart abnormalities, eh? Sad.

What would have happened had the diagnosis been no pre-existing health conditions?

 

[Buried20KLeague]

"Preliminary autopsy results found no injuries, but indicated congenital heart abnormalities in a 12-year-old boy who died after a Disney ride in Florida, according to a statement from the medical examiner’s office."

CNN is reporting this as well.

So... Anyone else think we should put down the stick and step away from the horse??? My vote is yes.

Tragic, certainly. But no fault of Disney's. Let's let the family grieve and let's move on to another topic for pete's sake.

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

No. But this thread isn't just about someone dying, it's about the safety and credibility of the ride also.

No this thread has become a lot of people being outraged that anyone could possibly blame Disney for the death of this child and cover it in the media. The kid died yesterday and we have people questioning how broken up they are over the DEATH OF THEIR CHILD. It seems that it's not about the credibility of the ride but the credibility of Disney.

The main story here is that the 12 year old boy died. We don't know the circumstances of what exactly happened. Let the story play out and don't be so quick to judge grieving parents and to defend a company that really doesn't need your help. Disney will always be Disney. They will get past this. The ride won't be changed. You will be able to enjoy the ride as many times as you want. In the meantime, forget the ride....remember the boy.

That being said, this thread needs to be closed.

 

[wdwishes2005]

Why remember one boy and not the 50 others that died in the past week? The whole debate here has been the effect of the ride on the boy. And I think WDWmagic will decide when the thread needs closed. And yes, I think if the family already hired a lawyer ( I don't know if that is the case, the key word is IF) I think it's safe to say that they aren't as shook up as I would be if I lost a family member.