Boy on RockNRollercoaster had heart problem

[browniebee]

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

The family may have read the warning signs, but what good do warning signs do if you don't know you have a heart problem.

 

[Snow White 610]

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.

The AEDs are great and easy to use when available. You follow the picture for placement of 2 pads, listen to the voice prompts and the button that you need to push will "light up" on the machine. It will say "shock advised" or "shock not advised". Herein lies the issue, the machine itself is easy enough, but it's a good idea to know CPR. It would be great to have these on all rides with spinning, speed, flashing lightsetc., but the CMs would have to be trained to use them. I don't know what the rules are for the ride CMs during medical situations or if this and the other recent tragedies will lead to increased AED presence, but they are truly miraculous devices. Swift paramedic response aside, a heart in a chaotic eletrical rhythm does not pump blood to the rest of the body, every second counts. My heart and prayers go out to his loved ones.

 

[dopey]

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.

You make a good point. You do what you can to make sure you and your family are healthy and go live life.

I'm in the Chicago area, and I can say for certain that anybody driving down to WDW would make sure their car was running properly before hitting the road. It's wise to do the same for ourselves and our loved ones.

Still, I can't -- and wouldn't want to -- imagine the grief the family is going through right now. They have my condolences, thoughts and prayers.

 

[Tigerdaly]

Typical of these Disney tragedy threads... So long as Disney's name is cleared, we can continue with business as usual.

Are these rides safe? Probably. Will my 7 year old ride them? Probably not. Why? Because there is an outside chance he could have a condition we're unaware of and that small chance is enough for me. There are plenty of other rides he can enjoy while I'm responsible for his well being...

My deepest sympathies go out to this family who has lost there precious child on what should have been a wonderful holiday.

I do however find your response odd.
You wont let your child go on any of the rides for fear of something happening to them because of an underlying complaint you dont know about.
It seems unfair you are going to take you kids to a wonderland of fun and excitement and then you are going to stop them riding...........why dont you have them medically screened before you go. That way your child can have a wonderful no holds barred time and you can remain stress free.
How do you explain to them they can't ride ?...........I hope you you dont tell them of your fears.

 

[imagineerfan]

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?

Hi Kreiderr I live in Lancaster when not at school :wave: Sadly yes, other parks have deaths as well. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember someone dying at Six Flags New England on the Superman ride a few years ago. There have also been a couple of deaths at Lake Compouce in Connecticut over the past few years. Unfortunetly, deaths occur at many parks around the US.

Dan

 

[Rayray]

For those of you who find that others put too much emphasis on finding Disney's responsibility minimal, please remember that many ride engineers and construction managers can sleep easy knowing that their ride did not take the life of a child. Though the situation is certainly tragic, the only positive feedback of the accident is that the public is not and has not been in any danger. Although we should mourn over a terrible condition, we must find some relief in a safe ride system and good response time. In one word - bittersweet.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

I knew it. It's still sad and I feel really bad for the family but I just figured this would be the reason.

 

[Timmay]

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.

AED's are the very simple to use...you turn it on, put the pads on the person, and let the machine do it's thing. The operator of the AED does not have to make any choices, only do what the AED tells you to do.

Chances are though, in this case it would not have done a single thing to help.

 

[BadTigger]

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.

Yeah but when you call 911, its RCFD that the call goes to not a 911 emergancy center like it would go to if you called from your home phone. Also there are medic crews at each park.

 

[bgraham34]

I did not even take the exclamation point into effect. Just relax people.

 

[msthunder]

We are going to Disney for the first time in September. My boy is 7 but is tall enough to ride probably any of the rides. I just made him an appointment at his Doctor to have a complete physical and check up. Maybe its overkill,,, but it will make me feel better. Because he is determined to ride these big rides.

 

[Monty]

We are going to Disney for the first time in September. My boy is 7 but is tall enough to ride probably any of the rides. I just made him an appointment at his Doctor to have a complete physical and check up. Maybe its overkill,,, but it will make me feel better. Because he is determined to ride these big rides.

It can't hurt and if it makes you more comfortable, then by all means.

 

[socalkdg]

Turns out there wasn't an AED at the ride.

When asked about whether or not an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) was located at the attraction, Disney spokesperson Kim Prunty told MousePlanet, "There was not an AED at the attraction. We rely on highly trained and well-equipped professional paramedics (Reedy Creek) stationed in our theme parks to respond in emergency situations. In this case, professional paramedics responded within 3 minutes and 15 seconds of receiving the call."

Additionally according to Mouseplanet based on phone calls to the Disney Company AED's are only located at the resorts. They use paramedics that are onsite at all the parks.