Disney faced with lawsuit in Mission: Space death

[wannab@dis]

is that the old sign?? Unfortunately I am in work now and the screen doesn't show the picture too big...

Yes... and it's exactly the same as the warning posted earlier with the exception of the added 'orange team' part.

I have an extension in FireFox that allows me to zoom in on the picture. Quite clear that the warning is the same.

 

[Mr Bill]

What's wrong guys? Why you care so much about Disney might lose money on this case? Thinking about Disney won't be able to afford anther 100 millions E-ticket killing machine because they lost the sue? ha ha ...funny.

My problem has nothing to do with the fact that Disney might lose some money. The issue is why they might lose the money. It's the principle.

 

[MrNonacho]

is that the old sign?? Unfortunately I am in work now and the screen doesn't show the picture too big...

Yes. The wording is identical except now it says Orange Team instead of Mission: SPACE. This particular sign was to the right of the moon. It was one of five signs that were removed, rather than replaced. They added two signs to the right of the Planetary Plaza, so the net result is three less warning signs since the introduction of the Green Team.

Edit to clear up any confusion: The sign I posted was one of two different types that were posted around the attraction. The other one was a yellow caution sign that warned specifically about motion sickness. This post is including both types of signs in the counts.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Yes... and it's exactly the same as the warning posted earlier with the exception of the added 'orange team' part.

I have an extension in FireFox that allows me to zoom in on the picture. Quite clear that the warning is the same.

i wish we could have extras added to our computers here.. I hate trying to look at pictures and not being able to see them... AGH!!!!

Ok, that is all well and good.. but where are the responses to my quoting the OFFICIAL DISNEY SITE??? I made the argument before that people find out when it is too late.. I was told by members here that people need to research the rides.. One tool in the research would be Disney's official site... providing the person has the internet or uses his/her work internet access or at a library... They read Disney's site and see nothing mentioned about it SPINNING or G's.. When do they find out?? When it is too late.. When they are there already.... I am not saying this makes Disney negligent in any way, shape, or form.... Ohh, i am still waiting to get a call back from my cousin.. He was trying to find out more information about the case...

Yes. The wording is identical except now it says Orange Team instead of Mission: SPACE. This particular sign was to the right of the moon. It was one of five signs that were removed, rather than replaced. They added two signs to the right of the Planetary Plaza, so the net result is three less warning signs since the introduction of the Green Team.

Ok thank you... but that still doesn't answer why Disney doesn't tell you before hand about the spinning and the G's... Like I said.. The ride is never advertised as one that spins or causes sustained G's... You find out when?? WHEN ALREADY THERE....

 

[wannab@dis]

Ok, that is all well and good.. but

You just don't quit... do you? :brick:

What's more important? Information on a website or blatent warnings during the queue of the ride?

 

[fers31]

There is not one person in this forum that reads every single caution sign before each ride entirely! Come on folks, Disney has caution signs for each ride to try to cover their butts. If you're pregnant, if you have back problems, if you have a bad heart, if you have braces, if you're scared of the dark, if your name is frank, if you were picked on as a child...you should not ride this ride. :brick: You can't blame the parents for this. Obviously if they thought that this could be the outcome, they would not have brought their child on this ride. According to all of the cautions on every ride, I'm scared to ride Small World! Ok, that's a joke, but you get the point.

 

[MissK]

i wish we could have extras added to our computers here.. I hate trying to look at pictures and not being able to see them... AGH!!!!

Ok, that is all well and good.. but where are the responses to my quoting the OFFICIAL DISNEY SITE??? I made the argument before that people find out when it is too late.. I was told by members here that people need to research the rides.. One tool in the research would be Disney's official site... providing the person has the internet or uses his/her work internet access or at a library... They read Disney's site and see nothing mentioned about it SPINNING or G's.. When do they find out?? When it is too late.. When they are there already.... I am not saying this makes Disney negligent in any way, shape, or form.... Ohh, i am still waiting to get a call back from my cousin.. He was trying to find out more information about the case...

Ok thank you... but that still doesn't answer why Disney doesn't tell you before hand about the spinning and the G's... Like I said.. The ride is never advertised as one that spins or causes sustained G's... You find out when?? WHEN ALREADY THERE....

Just an observation I've found....most people planning a Disney trip do NOT spend their time pouring over websites, writing down everything pertaining to a ride and posting on boards about what to do/not do on a trip. They don't, most people who go to Disney basically go "Hey, lets go to Disney World" book a trip and then wait.

Posting information about sustained g's (which to be honest even I don't get and I'm one of those folks who research everything for the sake of researching) on MS to be buried on the official disney page (boy what I wouldn't give to smack around that designer) really wouldn't help. Most people pay attention to warnings on the actual queue...because it's RIGHT there in your face. Dumping information on a site for someone to read and possibly forget as oppossed to putting up glaring signs saying "Oi you ride this you might get sick sorry!" makes much more sense.

 

[Captain Chaos]

You just don't quit... do you? :brick:

What's more important? Information on a website or blatent warnings during the queue of the ride?

Just an observation I've found....most people planning a Disney trip do NOT spend their time pouring over websites, writing down everything pertaining to a ride and posting on boards about what to do/not do on a trip. They don't, most people who go to Disney basically go "Hey, lets go to Disney World" book a trip and then wait.

Posting information about sustained g's (which to be honest even I don't get and I'm one of those folks who research everything for the sake of researching) on MS to be buried on the official disney page (boy what I wouldn't give to smack around that designer) really wouldn't help. Most people pay attention to warnings on the actual queue...because it's RIGHT there in your face. Dumping information on a site for someone to read and possibly forget as oppossed to putting up glaring signs saying "Oi you ride this you might get sick sorry!" makes much more sense.

Members here did say PEOPLE SHOULD RESEARCH ABOUT THE RIDES BEFORE GOING.. I was simply responding to those comments... While researching on Disney's own official site, there is no warning about spinning or G's... granted they say you MUST BE IN GOOD HEALTH, but a reasonable person would assume, since they are not diagnosed with any conditions, that they are in good health... They can also assume this ride is not a spinning ride, nor does it cause any G's... how will one know? When it is already too late and they are there... What is so hard to understand what is being stated here?? Am i saying this is a basis to find for the parents in this case? NO!!!! i am simply responding to the people who say RESEARCH THE RIDES BEFORE GOING TO DISNEY.... If it was just that simple.. So MissK... I do understand what you said... But, to those who said people should look up information about the ride, you cannot always find the info you want.. You only find out what Disney wants you to know.. and what do they want you to think? OHH MS IS FUN!!!! (sure some people think it is, some don't, all personal opinion...) Disney gets you to the park and then says OHH WAIT, WE HAVE YOU HERE, WE HAVE YOUR MONEY, BY THE WAY, MS IS A SPINNING RIDE WHICH MAY CAUSE YOU TO GET SICK.. RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK.. THANK YOU AND COME AGAIN.... again, IT ISN'T UNTIL YOU ARE ON THE LINE THAT YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE SPINNING AND THE G'S.. if you read this and decide to go on after, then fine... But that wasn't what I was trying to answer..

Now, regarding the warning signs.... COOL!!! 17 WARNING SIGNS. AHHHH HOW PRETTY!!!!!!!.... and with that I close....

 

[ilovepluto23]

You dragged me back in.. AGH!!!

because I supported the decision for Disney to offer a mild, tamer version.. that's all... when everyone else was mocking the idea, i supported it... now, it seems most everyone supports it cause people who have been on it said it is very good... it is a win win... and that is what I support... Notice it is the green team avatar, not the orange team avatar LoL... I don't care for the attraction and will ride it anytime soon

not picking on you, but you seem to be choking Pluto.. I mean his tongue is hanging out... LOL

Okay, I thought that's the explanation you'd give. I just found it really funny how you said you didn't care for it and had a M:S icon!

LOL, actually Pluto nearly choked me b/c in that pic I had just told him he was my favorite character...and he had shoved my little brother back into the booth we were sitting in at Garden Grill to take a picture with only me and him. He took a pic with my brother as well without me in it...but it was hilarious...he totally freaked out and shoved my brother to the side! I love pluto (obviously)!:lol:

 

[ilovepluto23]

ilovepluto23---

You have said over and over that a parent should know better than to allow a four-year-old child to endure such G-forces.

First of all, how is a responsible parent supposed to know that Mission Space even produces G-Forces? Not a single warning sign mentions "G-Forces" and I think the boarding announcement mentions it once.

How is a parent supposed to know why types of G-forces are proper for a small child? After all, Mission Space produces a maximum of 2G. Slamming on the brakes on a car, sneezing, or collapsing in a chair produces up to 10G. So does that mean a child who sneezes without health problems can ride Mission Space? "Oh, SUSTAINED G-forces you mean!" How is an educated parent supposed to know what a sustained G-force is, how much sustained G-forces Mission Space produces, and how much their child can tollerate?? All this while juggling potty breaks, snacks, and fending off the sweltering sun and souvenir vendors at Disney.

ilovepluto23---- you say (and others on here agree) that it is irresponsible to take a four-year-old child on this ride.

If that's the case, where is Disney's responsibility in all this? If some schmuck on a message board can say with total authority that a parent is irresponsible for taking a seemingly healthy 4-year-old on Mission Space--- then shouldn't Disney's highly-trained engineers (and even more over-cautious lawyers) be saying the same thing?

If the ride is truly NOT safe for 4-year-olds, and that a parent is stupid for bringing their child on the ride (which is what you and others assert) then Disney is irresponsible (and financially liable) for ALLOWING that child to ride. They should have raised the height limit (which not only deals with a child's true body length, but also their age and maturity). They should also post signs saying "4-year-olds should not ride or risk death".

IF DISNEY KNOWS A RIDE IS DANGEROUS, THEY NEED TO ALERT THE PUBLIC. IF THE PUBLIC IS NOT ALERTED, THEN THE PUBLIC CAN ASSUME THE RIDE IS SAFE.

This 4-year-old boy met the height requirement. His family was unaware of any health problems, so they were right in ignoring the warning signs pertaining to medical conditions. There was no posted age limit.

How on earth were they supposed to know this ride was dangerous for their son?

And how dare you blame this family for being irresponsible?

"Oh," you may now be thinking. "I was wrong. Mission Space IS safe for 4-year-olds, and this was just a freak accident."

Then if the ride is apparently safe for small healthy children, there is even LESS reason to call the parents irresponsible! They let their child get on a safe ride and he died. They did NOTHING wrong.

As for their lawsuit---- this message board has already rung up more than 230 widely contrasting opinions on this matter. This is NOT an open-and-shut case. There are questions. LOTS of them.

And this family, who must walk past a bedroom every night and know their little boy is not sleeping in there, deserves to have those answers. And the only way they can get them is to file a lawsuit and force Disney to PROVE what they've been telling the world: that Mission Space is safe.

Or should that grieving family just call you, ilovepluto23 ??? You seem to have ALL the answers.

First of all....I NEVER said that they SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT sue Disney. Honestly, what else can you do? I'd probably sue as well.

Secondly, I wrote a bunch of stuff but I'm editing b/c there is no point in arguing with you. Maybe some people do not find it common knowledge to NOT ALLOW a developing child on a ride with G-forces. It's ignorant!
Go back and read my comments carefully...I'm tired of arguing my point. Go let some toddlers on M:S...one of them will get sick, I promise you. What's Disney supposed to do, test all the attractions with a group of toddlers?
I'm out, this ignorance sickens me. Go read a medical book.

 

[durangojim]

Unfortunately, I think this thread illustrates why we have warnings on most items that have even a remote possibility of causing harm to someone, like the coffee cup warning - HOT - MAY BURN SKIN. or the video games - Flashing lights may cause seizures. Pretty sad.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Okay, I thought that's the explanation you'd give. I just found it really funny how you said you didn't care for it and had a M:S icon!

LOL, actually Pluto nearly choked me b/c in that pic I had just told him he was my favorite character...and he had shoved my little brother back into the booth we were sitting in at Garden Grill to take a picture with only me and him. He took a pic with my brother as well without me in it...but it was hilarious...he totally freaked out and shoved my brother to the side! I love pluto (obviously)!:lol:

You love Pluto?? I couldn't tell.. LOL.... Don't you just love the interaction Pluto has with guests?? One of te best interactions charcaters have during the character meals.. Other than Chip N Dale...

 

[ilovepluto23]

You love Pluto?? I couldn't tell.. LOL.... Don't you just love the interaction Pluto has with guests?? One of te best interactions charcaters have during the character meals.. Other than Chip N Dale...

I definitely agree! I've been disappointed by the lack of Pluto apparel and souveniers at the stores in WDW lately. It's becomming harder and harder to find him on things. I wonder why? To me, he's just as important as Goofy or any of Mickey's pals! Isn't he Mouse's best friend after all?!

 

[Captain Chaos]

I definitely agree! I've been disappointed by the lack of Pluto apparel and souveniers at the stores in WDW lately. It's becomming harder and harder to find him on things. I wonder why? To me, he's just as important as Goofy or any of Mickey's pals! Isn't he Mouse's best friend after all?!

you didn't hear?? Pluto is being replaced by Scooby Doo.. Disney traded him to Universal Studios.... :lol:

 

[Testtrack321]

Members here did say PEOPLE SHOULD RESEARCH ABOUT THE RIDES BEFORE GOING.. I was simply responding to those comments... While researching on Disney's own official site, there is no warning about spinning or G's... granted they say you MUST BE IN GOOD HEALTH, but a reasonable person would assume, since they are not diagnosed with any conditions, that they are in good health... They can also assume this ride is not a spinning ride, nor does it cause any G's... how will one know? When it is already too late and they are there... What is so hard to understand what is being stated here?? Am i saying this is a basis to find for the parents in this case? NO!!!! i am simply responding to the people who say RESEARCH THE RIDES BEFORE GOING TO DISNEY.... If it was just that simple.. So MissK... I do understand what you said... But, to those who said people should look up information about the ride, you cannot always find the info you want.. You only find out what Disney wants you to know.. and what do they want you to think? OHH MS IS FUN!!!! (sure some people think it is, some don't, all personal opinion...) Disney gets you to the park and then says OHH WAIT, WE HAVE YOU HERE, WE HAVE YOUR MONEY, BY THE WAY, MS IS A SPINNING RIDE WHICH MAY CAUSE YOU TO GET SICK.. RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK.. THANK YOU AND COME AGAIN.... again, IT ISN'T UNTIL YOU ARE ON THE LINE THAT YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE SPINNING AND THE G'S.. if you read this and decide to go on after, then fine... But that wasn't what I was trying to answer..

Now, regarding the warning signs.... COOL!!! 17 WARNING SIGNS. AHHHH HOW PRETTY!!!!!!!.... and with that I close....

Research doesn't mean you have to plan months in advance what each ride does. You know that, so stop hiding behind it. Simply seeing that M:S is an intense thrill ride, and then looking at the warnings before the ride is research into the ride. Simple as that. I don't have to spend months and days looking at sites and books to research if a resturaunt is what I want, I just go up to the menu and see what they offer and the prices.

You have an opinion, that's fine. But don't get on a slippery slope about this "research" and how they have to do this before their vacation.

 

[nyfrenchy]

*Had Disney been warned by doctors or engineers that there was an increased chance of death on this ride?

Probably not because there is NO such thing as an increased chance of death on this ride, the RIDE IS PERFECLY SAFE, see my second point below.

*With 130 people in two years formally complaining of illness after riding Mission Space, was it irresponsible for Disney not to provide better medical care at the attraction?

Right, 130 people.... out of MILLIONS (5, 10, does not matter at this scale). Therefore THIS IS STATISTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT.

That fact alone should be sufficient to shut up all your ridiculous conspiracy theories...

 

[browniebee]

ilovepluto23---

You have said over and over that a parent should know better than to allow a four-year-old child to endure such G-forces.

First of all, how is a responsible parent supposed to know that Mission Space even produces G-Forces? Not a single warning sign mentions "G-Forces" and I think the boarding announcement mentions it once.

How is a parent supposed to know why types of G-forces are proper for a small child? After all, Mission Space produces a maximum of 2G. Slamming on the brakes on a car, sneezing, or collapsing in a chair produces up to 10G. So does that mean a child who sneezes without health problems can ride Mission Space? "Oh, SUSTAINED G-forces you mean!" How is an educated parent supposed to know what a sustained G-force is, how much sustained G-forces Mission Space produces, and how much their child can tollerate?? All this while juggling potty breaks, snacks, and fending off the sweltering sun and souvenir vendors at Disney.

Most people don't know what G-forces are, and many would not take the time to fully understand them, even if Disney posted a sign telling all there is to know about G-forces.

ilovepluto23---- you say (and others on here agree) that it is irresponsible to take a four-year-old child on this ride.

If that's the case, where is Disney's responsibility in all this? If some schmuck on a message board can say with total authority that a parent is irresponsible for taking a seemingly healthy 4-year-old on Mission Space--- then shouldn't Disney's highly-trained engineers (and even more over-cautious lawyers) be saying the same thing?

If the ride is truly NOT safe for 4-year-olds, and that a parent is stupid for bringing their child on the ride (which is what you and others assert) then Disney is irresponsible (and financially liable) for ALLOWING that child to ride. They should have raised the height limit (which not only deals with a child's true body length, but also their age and maturity). They should also post signs saying "4-year-olds should not ride or risk death".

I'm not getting into whether or not parents should let their 4-year olds ride MS, but I am sure many 4-year olds have ridden the ride, although I might be more cautious about letting such a young child on the ride. For all we know, the child, with the condition he had, could have died on the plane coming back from Disney. The parents should not be suiing Disney because in no way is Disney financially responsible for the death of the boy. Disney posts warnings about conditions and whatnot. The family had no idea the child had that heart condition and neither did Disney.

IF DISNEY KNOWS A RIDE IS DANGEROUS, THEY NEED TO ALERT THE PUBLIC. IF THE PUBLIC IS NOT ALERTED, THEN THE PUBLIC CAN ASSUME THE RIDE IS SAFE.

This 4-year-old boy met the height requirement. His family was unaware of any health problems, so they were right in ignoring the warning signs pertaining to medical conditions. There was no posted age limit.

How on earth were they supposed to know this ride was dangerous for their son?

And how on earth was Disney supposed to know that their son had a heart condition and would die on the ride?

And how dare you blame this family for being irresponsible?

"Oh," you may now be thinking. "I was wrong. Mission Space IS safe for 4-year-olds, and this was just a freak accident."

Then if the ride is apparently safe for small healthy children, there is even LESS reason to call the parents irresponsible! They let their child get on a safe ride and he died. They did NOTHING wrong.

But Disney didn't do anything wrong either, so why should they be sued?

The ride is safe for most 4-year olds. Parents should realize their child's limitations on an individual basis. Disney can't pull every child aside and give a medical examination and learn everything about each individual child to decide whether or not to let them on the ride. The parents didn't know their child couldn't handle it because they didn't know about the heart condition their child had, but how is Disney respsonsible? Disney does alert the public about the problems you can encounter while riding MS with more signs than I've seen for any other ride. I have never ridden MS because the sheer amount of signs gives off a little warning to me saying that this ride can be potentially dangerous than other thrill rides. Therefore, I think the suit is frivolous, but I am not going to judge the parents on their decision to sue because I have never, and hope to never have gone through the unimaginable pain the family is currently enduring.

 

[ilovepluto23]

you didn't hear?? Pluto is being replaced by Scooby Doo.. Disney traded him to Universal Studios.... :lol:

OMG don't make my blood boil and my stomach fall out of my butt! :hurl:

 

[amykissangel]

There is not one person in this forum that reads every single caution sign before each ride entirely!

I'm not trying to be difficult, I promise....but when I'm tired, bored, and hot while waiting more than fifteen minutes in a line, I ALWAYS read the warning/caution signs. It just gives me something to do. And I think you might be surprised by how many people do the same thing; I'll even read them more than once just because I'm bored. Or friends/family and I make fun of the warnings together (the dull language, the giant STOP! signs, etc.) - I think I really HAVE seen every one in the park So if the signs were truly the issue, I don't think there would be a case...because there are TONS.

 

[Captain Chaos]

OMG don't make my blood boil and my stomach fall out of my butt! :hurl:

Ok, that is a visual I did not need. I just ate.. :hurl:

:lol:

Research doesn't mean you have to plan months in advance what each ride does. You know that, so stop hiding behind it. Simply seeing that M:S is an intense thrill ride, and then looking at the warnings before the ride is research into the ride. Simple as that. I don't have to spend months and days looking at sites and books to research if a resturaunt is what I want, I just go up to the menu and see what they offer and the prices.

You have an opinion, that's fine. But don't get on a slippery slope about this "research" and how they have to do this before their vacation.

First, I am not the one who started this research nonsense... Others here said that before you go to Disney you should look into just what you are getting into.. I stated that not everyone has the internet, time, or care to look into the rides BEFORE going... What I will agree with you is that when you are there, sure, there are warning signs and people should read them... But my responses weren't directed toward those who claim people should read the signs...