Boy on RockNRollercoaster had heart problem

[gsimpson]

Try not to be so very sensitive

This thread has a lot of interesting drift. The grief and sadness of this event are of truly irreducible proportions and I don't imagine anyone would, or for that matter could, argue that. I have no doubt that the level of guilt that the parents feel, justified or not, is right off the charts. If as has been suggested they coerced the poor kid onto the coaster the punishment that has already been exacted is far greater than anything any of us could do and I for one am certainly not going to pile on, they have my deepest sympathies, period.

To get upset that someone put an exclamation point after their post is just political correctness gone too far in my opinion. The tendency to be hypersensitive and to over analyze leads to prior censorship which could, and in fact does, deprive us all of some possibly wonderful exposure. I something offends you at first read, try to read it again and find a more positive framework. If the post really is horribly offensive the mods will take care of it and there is not point everyone getting themselves all worked up about it. The down side to free speech is that sometimes that speech is offensive. First of all, the fact that the ride was not at fault is news worthy. The fact that the news media, which typically loses interest when the sensational aspects of a story are gone, decided to report it is surprising (albeit a pleasant surprise). The fact that the news story implies to the 10s of millions of people going down to WDW in the next few years (many with kids and some with the elderly) that in fact the engineering and maintenance is sound is very important and is in my opinion a piece of very good news. How would you like to be going down there with your kids next week not knowing? I imagine many kids really wouldn't be interested in the story about this poor family, they would only be badgering you to go on the ride regardless. I think that to infer the exclamation point was somehow saying the death was any less tragic suggests a very sinister outlook on things. Part of Disney being a happy place is trying to find good in things..... I think we all should try a little harder.

 

[Rockin Roller]

When my daughter was three, they caught a heart murmer at a check-up and we immediately took her for an EEG and and MRI. To skip the details, she had a hole in her heart that did not close after birth. She had open heart surgery at the age of 4. If the doctor had not caught it, one side of her heart would have enlarged faster than the other and she would have been at risk to die on a ride just like the Rock-n-Roller Coaster. or while playing soccer, or while riding a bike...It could have happened anywhere. We just got back from Disney in May and my now 8 year old went on Rock-n-Roller Coaster for the first time. When we screached to a stop, her first question was, "Is that It?"
The only thing I wonder about is why do we hear this happening only at Disney. I live 30 minutes from Hershey Park in PA and they have roller coasters = to or more extreme than Disney's, but I never hear anyone dying at Hershey Park. I remember people dying on rides at Ocean City New Jersey a few summers ago. Does anyone else remember hearing of deaths occuring at parks other than Disney?

I also have heart murmur but apparently it was fixed my parents told me....so I get a little nervous before riding RNR!

 

[bayoutinkbelle]

This thread has a lot of interesting drift. The grief and sadness of this event are of truly irreducible proportions and I don't imagine anyone would, or for that matter could, argue that. I have no doubt that the level of guilt that the parents feel, justified or not, is right off the charts. If as has been suggested they coerced the poor kid onto the coaster the punishment that has already been exacted is far greater than anything any of us could do and I for one am certainly not going to pile on, they have my deepest sympathies, period.

To get upset that someone put an exclamation point ...

Excellent post with some great thoughts. Well done.

 

[VeRTiGo91]

Condolences to the family.

We plan on going back in 2008, and I am terrirfied at thought of something like this happening to us. I think we'll be OK though, the kids will do some growing in he next 2 years.

 

[mitchjs]

im sorry for the family, but there is nothing that could be done, its a very very small risk to ride, rides at disney, are some of the most tested rides made!

I almost lost my daughter in 1997 (coma) from a car accident, but just last month we both rode everything at wdw, including RnR and MS mutiple times infact... we do the get fast pass, and get in line, so that when were done riding, the fast pass is due, and we go right back on...

she was stuck on what is the best ride at disney RnR or Tot

i love RnR, and will go on it everytime

just think 9k people a year die from food poising, are you now gonna stop eating!!

cant beat the stats! its quite safe to eat, and quite safe to ride RnR!

my heart goes out to the to the family, especially the father who as a memeber of our armed forces, willing to give his life up, so i can go to WDW without issues!! thanks! and the sun will come up tomarrow!

mitch

 

[sar1980sweetie]

Newspaper reports stated

"Though Disney has portable heart defibrillator units stationed throughout its parks, there was not one available to use on Michael until the paramedics arrived, according to an audiotape of the 911 call."

Why was there not one available? And why wasn't one available near Mission Space last year when the 4 year old died? Why does Disney boast that they have them throughout the parks if they aren't available near attractions with warnings? I understand that people should obey these warnings if they have known conditions and it is unfortunate that these two children died having unknown conditions but a defibrillator is a valuable life saving tool that could have (I said could have, not would have) saved either or both lives. The father of the 12 year old victim was a green beret who performed CPR until paramedics arrived 3 minutes after the 911 cal was made-which in a cardiac arrest situation is a long time. The father since trained in CPR, he might have known how to operate the difibrillator and used it in those precious minutes with possibly a good outcome. Is seems odd for Disney not to have them available in either location, does it not?

Is it possible that a difibrillator was not used because no one at the scene felt comfortable using it? It is more complicated to use one of those then just getting it out and turning it on. It can make a life-treatening situation worse if used the wrong way...

Also, I am First Aid/CPR trained and MAT certified and I have never been taught to use one... are there places that teach using difibrillators when teaching First Aid/ CPR? Even after being trained to use it, I don't know if I would feel comfortable making the call to use it on someone before professionals arrive.

 

[Kadee]

This thread has a lot of interesting drift. The grief and sadness of this event are of truly irreducible proportions and I don't imagine anyone would, or for that matter could, argue that. I have no doubt that the level of guilt that the parents feel, justified or not, is right off the charts. If as has been suggested they coerced the poor kid onto the coaster the punishment that has already been exacted is far greater than anything any of us could do and I for one am certainly not going to pile on, they have my deepest sympathies, period.

To get upset that someone put an exclamation point after their post is just political correctness gone too far in my opinion. The tendency to be hypersensitive and to over analyze leads to prior censorship which could, and in fact does, deprive us all of some possibly wonderful exposure. I something offends you at first read, try to read it again and find a more positive framework. If the post really is horribly offensive the mods will take care of it and there is not point everyone getting themselves all worked up about it. The down side to free speech is that sometimes that speech is offensive. First of all, the fact that the ride was not at fault is news worthy. The fact that the news media, which typically loses interest when the sensational aspects of a story are gone, decided to report it is surprising (albeit a pleasant surprise). The fact that the news story implies to the 10s of millions of people going down to WDW in the next few years (many with kids and some with the elderly) that in fact the engineering and maintenance is sound is very important and is in my opinion a piece of very good news. How would you like to be going down there with your kids next week not knowing? I imagine many kids really wouldn't be interested in the story about this poor family, they would only be badgering you to go on the ride regardless. I think that to infer the exclamation point was somehow saying the death was any less tragic suggests a very sinister outlook on things. Part of Disney being a happy place is trying to find good in things..... I think we all should try a little harder.

Great post! You seem to have a way with words. You have summed up my thoughts exactly. I just could not find the right words to express them.

Welcome.......:wave: And I hope you hang around.

 

[mom2of2]

Also, I am First Aid/CPR trained and MAT certified and I have never been taught to use one... are there places that teach using difibrillators when teaching First Aid/ CPR? Even after being trained to use it, I don't know if I would feel comfortable making the call to use it on someone before professionals arrive.

CPR and AED (Defib) classes now go hand in hand, or they did when I was certified last year. The AED is extremely easy to use and really ....you can't do it "wrong" The machine tells you if a shock is needed and when to do it. The AED part of the course was 3 hours and that included movie, book and hands on instruction.

 

[sar1980sweetie]

CPR and AED (Defib) classes now go hand in hand, or they did when I was certified last year. The AED is extremely easy to use and really ....you can't do it "wrong" The machine tells you if a shock is needed and when to do it. The AED part of the course was 3 hours and that included movie, book and hands on instruction.

Must be different in different states then, I was just recerted and they didn't teach us to use one.
I think we also need to remember that even those certified are told to help to the best of their ability, and maybe no one there felt comfortable enough. You never can say how you will feel until something like that occurs (which we all hope never does).

 

[alitressa]

Is it possible that a difibrillator was not used because no one at the scene felt comfortable using it? It is more complicated to use one of those then just getting it out and turning it on. It can make a life-treatening situation worse if used the wrong way...

Also, I am First Aid/CPR trained and MAT certified and I have never been taught to use one... are there places that teach using difibrillators when teaching First Aid/ CPR? Even after being trained to use it, I don't know if I would feel comfortable making the call to use it on someone before professionals arrive.

Why have the difibrillators if no one working in the park is trained to use them? ALso as another poster stated they are very easy to use and have simple instructions printed on them which would make it easier who has had training more comfortable in using it. And yes in the states, defibrillator use is taught along with CPR now.

Also in regards to the fact that 3 minutes is a great response time, yes that is true. I didn't say the paramedics took too long. With a caradic arrest every second counts and if a difibrillator had been available the boy would have had perhaps a better chance of surviving. All I am saying is that Disney could make better use of this tool that they boast in having available.

 

[Blizz]

You dont need formal training on one to use them.

I have a friend who is a paramedic and last time when we were in the parks I asked him about them.

All you do is apply the pads like it is show in the photos on the unit, and the unit talks to you and tells you how to do everything. It only shocks when you alert the unit you are ready.

It is very very easy to use.

 

[mkepcotmgmak]

I just can't imagine what a parent goes through, losing their child. For some odd reason, it makes it worse, to me, knowing that they were on vacation, in a place where you think no bad can happen.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Thank for you for sharing the report.

 

[MickeyTigg]

Must be different in different states then, I was just recerted and they didn't teach us to use one.
I think we also need to remember that even those certified are told to help to the best of their ability, and maybe no one there felt comfortable enough. You never can say how you will feel until something like that occurs (which we all hope never does).

I doubt that it's different by state...the standards are set by the American Heart Association.

 

[Neptune]

His poor parents. They'll never forgive themselves.

Yeah. And his dad was a marine from Iraq! Jeez, I feel so bad for them!

 

[pax_65]

I think that is a bit extreme as well. I don't think one should go through life doing nothing because something bad might happen. The chance of getting injured badly on the trip to the park is so much greater than actually getting injured in the park.

This was my thought too. Live healthy and teach your kids to be healthy... get medical checkups for you and your kids... make good decisions about what you do (including which theme park attractions are appropriate for the kids)... and then go live your life to the fullest.

I'm not going to live my life in fear of unknown & undiagnosed medical conditions.

 

[CatLady]

I'm very sad for that family, and I certainly send my condolences to them.

3 minutes is a very good response time. I cant imagine many places where you would get paramedics onsite any quicker. Infact, I would think in most places in the world, it would be considerably longer.

I agree. The RCID Fire Station is fairly nearby, but it isn't tied directly into the back areas of the Studios like it is Epcot. 3 minutes from there is exceptional. Or does RCID have paramedics at the individual parks?

As far as other places in the world, my uncle who moved to Israel had a heart attack. It took them an hour to get him to the emergency room, and you can imagine the rest of that story. We really take our standard of healthcare for granted.

On a sidenote: In conversations about this, I discovered that at least one other theme park in Orlando doesn't allow employees to call 911 themselves. They phone an internal emergency number and then someone there determines whether or not an actual 911 call should go out. At least Disney allows itse employees to actually call 911 and save the time that the telephone tag must use.

 

[gemini]

The tendency to be hypersensitive and to over analyze leads to prior censorship which could

Maybe this isn't directed to me, per se, but it was really the opposite of overanalyzing.

I thought it gave a bad, *even if false*, first appearance that the biggest concern is whether Disney is at fault. Certainly if it was my *first* impression, then it could have been someone else's as well. I'm sure this site had more than one visitor yesterday who came here because he/she heard about the story. It wouldn't be hard for someone who didn't know better to get a poor impression of Disney fans.

I guess my point is that I think musketeer had a valid point. In the big picture, however, it's a minor point.

Now see what you did. You made me overanalyze.

 

[pintraderpayee]

Different first impression: When I saw the exclamation mark on the OP I took it to mean that someone was shocked that the media had posted the truth so soon. I also used a little common sense and upon seeing the poster's avatar that clearly shows a mom with small children, knew that this wasn't someone being gleeful over the fact that a child had a previously unknown heart condition! I also know from having housed evacuees of Katrina and Rita in my "thank God for the piney hills of North Louisiana" home, that NO ONE from New Orleans would be happy about a tradegy!"Steps off soap box"My family and I are praying that the Russell family find comfort in their time of grief.

 

[conntom]

My Prayers go out to his family. But people don't read the Warning signs

 

[Tigger1988]

My Prayers go out to his family. But people don't read the Warning signs

If you don't know you have a heart problem the Warning signs do little good