MK parade mishap

[tare]

wow maybe disney isnt that safe of a place anymore--just dont break down rockin roller coaster!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Figment632
Did they run over Stitch?
I HOPE SOOOOOOOOOO HE NEEDS TO BE GONE!!!!

 

[meekoman]

Isn't the castle float the one that the CM dressed as Pluto was run over by and killed?

 

[donsullivan]

Isn't the castle float the one that the CM dressed as Pluto was run over by and killed?

I believe that was the princess float. It's why it was broken apart and not used as we see it now for many years following that event.

 

[Tink313]

Everything was functioning as normal in the parade this afternoon.

Unfortunately, I had to see what all of the cast members are trained to deal with when this 13 year old (I'm guessing) kid decides to walk (not run) across the parade route in Town Square less than 3 feet in front of the Princess float as it's moving. 3 Cast members ran into the street to snatch him out of the way, but not before the driver of the float did a very quick stop jostling those riding, the stop was so sudden.

When the cast member got the kid to the side of the road he (the kid) was completely oblivious. As the cast member tried to make him understand how dangerous what he just did was he just stared at him like he was somewhere else. No parents around at all to react in any way, nothing. He just pushed through the crowd and disappeared into the park.

The fear on the face of the cast member was quite real and while he was a little harsh on the kid, I can't blame him at all given the danger he put himself as well as all of the performers on the float in.

I wish I'd gotten the CM's name to make sure the kid doesn't find his parents and say some CM yelled at him without describing why.

Wow Thank God he wasnt hurt and Thank God for our CMs who do such a great job :sohappy:

 

[rrmossy]

No thought was put into this post and I find it very rude. Did you think that there are people inside the character coustumes. I know it my be hard for you to beleive,but there is even a person inside the Stitch costume! If Stitch got ran over,a person was ran over,and most likely SEVERELY injured. Please post with more thought and respect.

Geez, lighten up. It was just a joke. We're all smart enough to realize that there are real people in those costumes and yes, we'd be saddened if someone was actually hurt. What a whiney, touchy feely society we've become !

 

[CastleBound]

No thought was put into this post and I find it very rude. Did you think that there are people inside the character coustumes. I know it my be hard for you to beleive,but there is even a person inside the Stitch costume! If Stitch got ran over,a person was ran over,and most likely SEVERELY injured. Please post with more thought and respect.

I agree... no need to joke about someone's safety... especially with the past several months events at WDW.

 

[STGRhost]

No thought was put into this post and I find it very rude. Did you think that there are people inside the character coustumes. I know it my be hard for you to beleive,but there is even a person inside the Stitch costume! If Stitch got ran over,a person was ran over,and most likely SEVERELY injured. Please post with more thought and respect.

I agree. None of us should have a sense of humor about anything. Cartoon mice are serious business. :shrug:

 

[luvlifeinfl]

Everything was functioning as normal in the parade this afternoon.

Unfortunately, I had to see what all of the cast members are trained to deal with when this 13 year old (I'm guessing) kid decides to walk (not run) across the parade route in Town Square less than 3 feet in front of the Princess float as it's moving. 3 Cast members ran into the street to snatch him out of the way, but not before the driver of the float did a very quick stop jostling those riding, the stop was so sudden.

When the cast member got the kid to the side of the road he (the kid) was completely oblivious. As the cast member tried to make him understand how dangerous what he just did was he just stared at him like he was somewhere else. No parents around at all to react in any way, nothing. He just pushed through the crowd and disappeared into the park.

The fear on the face of the cast member was quite real and while he was a little harsh on the kid, I can't blame him at all given the danger he put himself as well as all of the performers on the float in.

I wish I'd gotten the CM's name to make sure the kid doesn't find his parents and say some CM yelled at him without describing why.

Not sure if this is a good suggestion, but if you feel you want to give your side of the story, I would call into the Quality Control Dept. and just let them know that you would like to give a statement on the incident.

But yes that is why those CM walk the parade routes is to actually proctect park guest, they are not part of the parade, but for all the times we have been in a park how many people I have seen crawl under the rope to run to the other side of the parade route.

 

[raven]

Yes, On the other boards they said a CM from the Pirate tutorial fell onto a brick wall. He broke his neck, dislocated his wrist, needed 55 stiches on his head and is in surgury with a Neurosurgeon now. They also said hes had no signs of paralysis, thank god.

Edit: Sorry he dislocated his finger and broke his wrist

Even after all of this I'm sure he will get a point on his record for "not being safe." Safe D Begins with Me.

I always thought it'd be better if the parade ran on rails, the problem would be that it would be much harder to move the floats around backstage as they'd have to stick to the track and would constantly be shunted from place to place whenever floats had to be moved rather than just driven out of the way.

It would make the parade much easier to move within the park though, as they wouldn't need to be driven cautiously down a narrow route and their movements would be entirely predictable. They wouldn't even need a driver, which would make designing the floats easier as there'd be no need for a concealed cabin. If the parade float needed to stop in an emergency, the cast member who walks alongside usually guiding the driver, could instead have access to a control in their hand or on the side of the float to stop it immediately.

Yeah, like I said in my earlier post though, it'd be safer on rails. I mean free roaming floats travelling down a narrow route packed with crowds on both sides and no barrier, while the driver has VERY limited vision?

It's hard to believe really that they run the parade like that. I mean i know these accidents pretty much never happen, but it'd be safer and easier to co-ordinate on actual tracks in my opinion.

But how would power be supplied to the floats? Through the track? Electricity + exposed rails + parade dancers or guests = law suit waiting to happen. Even if they were to run on their own power you are talking about months of walls blocking off everything from Frontierland to Mainstreet to install a track. It's just easier with a driver.

The design of the float doesn't have anything to do with the driver either. The design comes first then they figure out a way to fit a driver into what they already have.

 

[candydog]

well having a driver or running on rails doesn't change how the float is powered. The floats have in-built batteries to power them which would work for both driven floats and rail floats. Powering the floats wouldn't really have to change at all.

I understand your point about closing off a lot of the park to install tracks, and i know they never will do it, it's just something i've wondered.

I mean it's much easier to get a float down a narrow route if they're on tracks because they'd have to follow the route exactly, whereas with drivers there's always the possibility of human error.

 

[Rob562]

And how would this proposed parade float rail system work with the trolley tracks along Main Street? How would it fit into the theme of Liberty Square and Fronteirland to have tracks running down the middle of the walkway? What if they needed to re-route the parade temporarily like they did during the Liberty Square bridge reconstruction? Would they install new rails to allow the parade to go where it normally doesn't?

What about the smaller free-roaming floats like the balls and fish in Spectro? Or the train of fish that does a slow back-and-forth S-shapes down the parade route? They could still be manually driven, but they already have occasional issues getting stuck in the trolley tracks now.

-Rob

 

[janoimagine]

The design of the float doesn't have anything to do with the driver either. The design comes first then they figure out a way to fit a driver into what they already have.

One thing I have wondered for a while is with they being so concerned with aesthetics, why not install some exterior camera's linked to interior monitors on the floats for the drivers? That can't be terribly expensive? :shrug:

 

[candydog]

And how would this proposed parade float rail system work with the trolley tracks along Main Street? How would it fit into the theme of Liberty Square and Fronteirland to have tracks running down the middle of the walkway? What if they needed to re-route the parade temporarily like they did during the Liberty Square bridge reconstruction? Would they install new rails to allow the parade to go where it normally doesn't?

What about the smaller free-roaming floats like the balls and fish in Spectro? Or the train of fish that does a slow back-and-forth S-shapes down the parade route? They could still be manually driven, but they already have occasional issues getting stuck in the trolley tracks now.

-Rob

Well to be honest I'm not really "proposing" anything. I'm just making an observation about how having the floats on rails would change the parade, possibly for the better.

As for the tracks fitting the theme, I don't think that's really an issue, a few rails set into the pavement isn't going to ruin the theme of an area, it's functional. There are many functional fixtures in Disney Parks that don't quite work with the theming but are there because they have a purpose. And Rails in the colour of the paving or dark in general wouldn't stand out too much.

And if they can cope with a few wheels getting stuck in the tracks on main street i'm sure they can manage for the rest of the route. Small roaming/spinning floats could still be manually driven of course, the tracks would just have to be looked out for. Perhaps thicker, tire like wheels that wouldn't fit in the track?

Anyway, this is entirely hypothetical and I know it'll never happen, I'm honestly just sharing a few thoughts I had.

 

[Tink313]

Even after all of this I'm sure he will get a point on his record for "not being safe." Safe D Begins with Me.





But how would power be supplied to the floats? Through the track? Electricity + exposed rails + parade dancers or guests = law suit waiting to happen. Even if they were to run on their own power you are talking about months of walls blocking off everything from Frontierland to Mainstreet to install a track. It's just easier with a driver.

The design of the float doesn't have anything to do with the driver either. The design comes first then they figure out a way to fit a driver into what they already have.

OMG that would be horrible. Its kinda funny if they did.(jk)
But really they wouldnt :lookaroun would day

 

[Rob562]

One thing I have wondered for a while is with they being so concerned with aesthetics, why not install some exterior camera's linked to interior monitors on the floats for the drivers? That can't be terribly expensive? :shrug:

Cameras with video monitors might be counter-productive. With visibility already low, glow from monitors inside the cockpit might reduce their ability to see outside the float even more, at least during the night parades.


-Rob

 

[raven]

I mean it's much easier to get a float down a narrow route if they're on tracks because they'd have to follow the route exactly, whereas with drivers there's always the possibility of human error.

What about areas where there are walls up for rehabs? HOP and now the Christmas Shoppe use walls that push spectators further into the street. Having a fixed track would mean they'd have to move the people out of the way but they still have to have space for a walkway as well. A driver can steer slightly either way to compensate for this.

I guess I'm just saying it's worked for years so why change it now "just because?" :shrug: Sounds like a whole lot of spending they could be using on more important things.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Everything was functioning as normal in the parade this afternoon.

Unfortunately, I had to see what all of the cast members are trained to deal with when this 13 year old (I'm guessing) kid decides to walk (not run) across the parade route in Town Square less than 3 feet in front of the Princess float as it's moving. 3 Cast members ran into the street to snatch him out of the way, but not before the driver of the float did a very quick stop jostling those riding, the stop was so sudden.

When the cast member got the kid to the side of the road he (the kid) was completely oblivious. As the cast member tried to make him understand how dangerous what he just did was he just stared at him like he was somewhere else. No parents around at all to react in any way, nothing. He just pushed through the crowd and disappeared into the park.

The fear on the face of the cast member was quite real and while he was a little harsh on the kid, I can't blame him at all given the danger he put himself as well as all of the performers on the float in.

I wish I'd gotten the CM's name to make sure the kid doesn't find his parents and say some CM yelled at him without describing why.

SO back when I was a CM (5 years ago) I was photographing spectro and wishes, trying for a new angle and was standing by the bridge in Liberty Square, right at the "nice castle photo spot" (for lack of a better term) and I'm like 2 or 3 people deep.

Somehow, a group of high schoolers managed to get in front of me and decided that they were going to run across the bridge, up the parade route. About half of them made if before i just missed snaring the backpack of one of the kids. Me and the PAC CM sorta made a wall and I explained that they'd have to wait to cross the bridge as it wasn't safe, etc., or they could take that nice path behind us and run behind the castle and get to where they were going that way.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

well having a driver or running on rails doesn't change how the float is powered. The floats have in-built batteries to power them which would work for both driven floats and rail floats. Powering the floats wouldn't really have to change at all.

I understand your point about closing off a lot of the park to install tracks, and i know they never will do it, it's just something i've wondered.

I mean it's much easier to get a float down a narrow route if they're on tracks because they'd have to follow the route exactly, whereas with drivers there's always the possibility of human error.

Ummm, Okay. Did everyone get that no one was injured? Don't some of us think we are overreacting here to want to change the entire parade structure and process because a float made a hard stop? Geez
That would be like eating a steak and having someone burn their mouth and saying, "you know, I always felt we should have eaten those raw. Somebody could burn themselves."

 

[candydog]

I think some people have taken my posts too literally. I really was just throwing an idea out there about an alternative way of running the parade. I know it won't happen and I don't even want it to happen.

I'm just saying in my opinion it'd be easier to run the parade on rails.

I don't think it should happen because it would involve a lot of work to convert the route and make new floats or adapt old ones.

The old driven system has always worked and most likely will until technology allows entirely flawless computer-driven floats or something, which can't be that far away.

But who knows? Maybe even that won't happen. It's just sometimes good to toss the occasional idea around regarding alternative ways of doing things to see how well they'd work.

 

[CapnStinxy]

Its at least 22 going on 23. Good thing no one was hurt hopefully the castle float is done for good.

Sadly, no, it's older than that. It was first featured during "Tencennial," the 10th year anniversary of the Magic Kingdom in 1981. Somewhere in my Polaroid photo archive is a picture of it...if the silverfish haven't gotten to it yet.