Death on EE

[comics101]

Oh my. It's one thing to loose a family member at WDW, but it's another thing to loose one right before Christmas. It's a whole other thing to loose one while at WDW during Christmas time. I don't know what to say except I'm sorry. My thoughts and prayers are with the family...

 

[echoscot]

I hope you don't think 44 is a lot older....

 

[tigsmom]

I think its always important to go for an annual checkup to see how your insides are doing. As a premed graduate student, I know from experience that its hard to speculate how one's conditions really are. By making a visit to the doctor (esp those alot older), it frees your mind of any worries of an incident that could occur. For the case of the man on Everest, my heart goes out to he and his family especially during this Christmas season. But even though this is a tradegy for Disney and the family, people have to realize that everyone isn't going to follow the warning signs before E-ticket attractions. Also, think of the number of people that visit WDW every year since 1971, its a huge number. I'm actually surprized there haven't been more incidents on Disney rides in its history, but thankfully there haven't been. WDW is a great park and one of the safest in the world, the only reason the media likes to jump on it is because, well, its Disneyworld, the happiest place on earth! I go to Disney numerous times a year and enjoy riding my all-time favorite attractions without worry. I do not go to Universal anymore since they decided to smear Disney on commercials, but thats just my opinion. My prayers go to the family of this tradegy. I hope everything works out and Everest is up and running once again for families to enjoy. But remember, before every trip - get a check-up!

Mike T

You can get a clean bill of health from your doctor and drop dead an hour later. I agree though that everyone (especially those "a lot older") should have a yearly checkup to keep on top of things.

ps...44 is not old.

 

[a2grafix]

Updated information from myFOXOrlando.com with a statement from Walt Disney World.

You can check out WOFL Ch. 35 via this URL ...



Statement from Walt Disney World Resort, courtesy of FOX 35 Orlando:

On Tuesday, December 18, a 44-year-old male Guest riding Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom appeared unresponsive when his ride vehicle pulled into the unload area. CPR was administered and there were no reported signs of trauma. He was transported by Reedy Creek Emergency Services to Celebration Hospital where he passed away. The attraction was inspected this morning and was operating properly. The ride is currently closed while we reconfirm proper operation of the ride.


The Orange County Sheriffs Office was notified of the incident. Also, the State Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection was notified and will be advised of our findings.

 

[Iknewagirlnamed]

Sad... His kids may have been right next to him.



I'm honestly surprised that this doesn't happen more often. Think about the sheer number of guests that ride something like this in Central Florida every year.

true. however the rides in Central Florida by far pale in comparison to other thrill rides around the globe. Take Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. They have over 16 rollers coasters alone. One goes from 0 to 120 in 6 seconds and shoots you up 420 feet in the air, all in about under a minute. deaths happen on rides in the orlando area, but not nearly to the extent that other areas in the world do.

 

[Tom Morrow]

true. however the rides in Central Florida by far pale in comparison to other thrill rides around the globe. Take Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. They have over 16 rollers coasters alone. One goes from 0 to 120 in 6 seconds and shoots you up 420 feet in the air, all in about under a minute. deaths happen on rides in the orlando area, but not nearly to the extent that other areas in the world do.

What exactly are you saying? Parks with more extreme coasters have more deaths? Cedar Point has never had a single ride related death.

Deaths in ANY amusement park are so rare, that any you hear about on the news are the only ones.

Oh, FYI, its 0 to 120 in under four seconds.

 

[Skyway]

The OS story wasn't sensational it was Channel 6 that said "featuring an 80 foot drop and speeds of up to 50 mph"

That was a bit sensational.

For the average person unfamiliar with Disney rides (and even those who are familiar but can't rattle off ride stats by memory, like me) this is very pertinent information, and not a bit sensational.

Did this happen on a mega-coaster? Or a kiddie coaster? Was it fast? Does it have big drops or is it just tight curves? These are important details that help the reader visualize the environment where this man tragically died while on vacation (and yes, that is newsworthy. Maybe not nationwide, but definitely in Orlando where Disney is the largest employer, and its only local media you are quoting.)


It would be sensational (and irresponsible) for the media to say this a "high-speed, heart-pounding, stomach-churning, death-defying coaster". One could argue that the media should not judge that it is "high speed" without knowing how it compares to other coasters. Is 80mph fast or slow for coasters these days? The article doesn't speculate, it just states the facts--about as dry and unsensational as it gets. The other adjectives are, of course, very subjective and can be disputed by others.

But the media reports say nothing at all like that.

Everyone is so quick to accuse the media of doing a hatchet-job on a story, when in fact, many Disney fans immediately do a hatchet-job on the media.
And the local media at that, who has as much responsibility to cover incidents at its local theme parks as Detroit media do covering accidents and deaths at automobile plants.

 

[echoscot]

For the average person unfamiliar with Disney rides (and even those who are familiar but can't rattle off ride stats by memory, like me) this is very pertinent information, and not a bit sensational.

Did this happen on a mega-coaster? Or a kiddie coaster? Was it fast? Does it have big drops or is it just tight curves? These are important details that help the reader visualize the environment where this man tragically died while on vacation (and yes, that is newsworthy. Maybe not nationwide, but definitely in Orlando where Disney is the largest employer, and its only local media you are quoting.)


It would be sensational (and irresponsible) for the media to say this a "high-speed, heart-pounding, stomach-churning, death-defying coaster". One could argue that the media should not judge that it is "high speed" without knowing how it compares to other coasters. Is 80mph fast or slow for coasters these days? The article doesn't speculate, it just states the facts--about as dry and unsensational as it gets. The other adjectives are, of course, very subjective and can be disputed by others.

But the media reports say nothing at all like that.

Everyone is so quick to accuse the media of doing a hatchet-job on a story, when in fact, many Disney fans immediately do a hatchet-job on the media.
And the local media at that, who has as much responsibility to cover incidents at its local theme parks as Detroit media do covering accidents and deaths at automobile plants.

OMG if you read the thread this argument has been hacked to death

Can we please stop?

 

[joanna71985]

Sad... His kids may have been right next to him.

I'm honestly surprised that this doesn't happen more often. Think about the sheer number of guests that ride something like this in Central Florida every year.

The man was in the park with his parents. He rode EE in the single rider line while they went to another ride.

He sat next to a stranger. I feel bad for the family, as well as the girl who sat next to him.

 

[echoscot]

The man was in the park with his parents. He rode EE in the single rider line while they went to another ride.

He sat next to a stranger. I feel bad for the family, as well as the girl who sat next to him.

That is really horrible...what a tragedy right before Christmas.

 

[tigsmom]

:lol: No I mean 50 and over, but if you notice the past incidents they haven't been old at all. EVERYONE should get a check-up before a trip.

50 is not old either. :lookaroun

 

[echoscot]

50 is not old either. :lookaroun

AGREED!!!!:wave:

 

[IROC it]

70 is not old... for a tortoise.

And death cannot be averted when it is time.

That said...

Sad to hear of this story, my condolences to the family.


fwiw - I may not ride EE again... I was dizzy and got an immediate headache after riding it... same with ToT.

 

[imagineer99]

Considering the sheer volume of people that visit Disney Parks every year, I'm suprised that incidents like this don't happen more often.

In any event, my condolences to the family.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Part of me wants to make a witty remark about the Yeti being in serious trouble, but I know that's just disrespectful.
My sympathies to the guy's family....

 

[csaguy]

Sympathy

We grieve at the loss, especially this time of year.

Bob & family

 

[Hoop Raeb]

IMHO, I think it's more likely for someone to be injured or die at Disney than other parks just because of the guests frame of mind. When you're looking at the coasters in Cedar Point, they're in your face. You know what you're getting in to. That scares most people away and they don't ride. When you're at EE, you see a very small part of the coaster. I think a lot of people think, "hey it's Disney, how bad can it be?"

 

[PhotoDave219]

The man was in the park with his parents. He rode EE in the single rider line while they went to another ride.

He sat next to a stranger. I feel bad for the family, as well as the girl who sat next to him.

.... And was doing fine when the ride photo was taken, which is between 45-50 seconds from the end of the ride. (Its in today's Sentinel)

 

[drkokintz]

IMHO, I think it's more likely for someone to be injured or die at Disney than other parks just because of the guests frame of mind. When you're looking at the coasters in Cedar Point, they're in your face. You know what you're getting in to. That scares most people away and they don't ride. When you're at EE, you see a very small part of the coaster. I think a lot of people think, "hey it's Disney, how bad can it be?"

I've wondered the same thing myself. I wonder if people assume that since it's Disney, they shouldn't be as concerned about the intensity of a thrill ride as they would at another theme park.

It's such a tragedy that these things happen, but I am surprised that we don't here more things like this coming from parks with a greater number of intense rides. Are there any statistics available on theme park related deaths?

 

[righttrack]

I've wondered the same thing myself. I wonder if people assume that since it's Disney, they shouldn't be as concerned about the intensity of a thrill ride as they would at another theme park.

It's such a tragedy that these things happen, but I am surprised that we don't here more things like this coming from parks with a greater number of intense rides. Are there any statistics available on theme park related deaths?

These are all valid points. I do think they do a good job warning you, however. I think the only problem is that once you've read one warning, they all sound the same. The only warning that distinctly stands out to me is Mission Space's. I think that one is a bit much, but it gets the point across.