Space Mountain Death News Report.

[Space Mountain]

Disney report explains death


A 73-year-old man with a heart condition died 3 days after riding Space Mountain in December.


Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted January 30, 2007

A man who died three days after losing consciousness on Space Mountain at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in December succumbed to natural causes, according to the Medical Examiner's Office.

The incident was among six serious injuries or illnesses outlined by Walt Disney World in quarterly reports filed recently with the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection for the fourth quarter of 2006.

The report stated that a 73-year-old man was "unresponsive" after riding Space Mountain on the afternoon of Dec. 12, and died three days later "due to a heart condition." The report did not identify him.

Steve Hanson, chief investigator with the Medical Examiner's Office for Orange and Osceola counties, said Monday he was aware of the death but that it was not referred to that office because it was clearly due to natural causes.

Disney spokesman Jacob DiPietre said the company extended deep sympathy to the family and offered all possible assistance.

Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, Wet 'n Wild and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay reported no serious injuries or illnesses on rides in their fourth-quarter filings.

The other incidents reported by Disney involved a broken foot at Mayday Falls, a broken pelvis at Test Track, a seizure at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and two people who reported prolonged illness, one after riding Mission: Space and the other after Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

In a previous matter involving Mission: Space, Walt Disney World and the family of a 4-year-old boy who died in June 2005 settled a lawsuit the family had filed alleging wrongful death.

Circuit Judge George Sprinkel of Orange County approved the settlement on Jan. 11. No details were disclosed, except that each side would pay its own legal and court fees. Disney spokesman DiPietre and Robert Samartin of Tampa, an attorney representing the family of Daudi Bamuwamye would not comment.

 

[jakeman]

Here's a ladder Sentinel...'cause you're reaching...

 

[Space Mountain]

huh?

 

[napnet]

Here's a ladder Sentinel...cause your reaching...

hahah so true.... its sad the paper loves bad news about Disney

 

[Wilt Dasney]

"a broken pelvis at Test Track"


OW

 

[jakeman]

Sorry, bad joke. It seems to me that this is just another "bites the hand that feeds" paper from the Orlando Sentinel. From the information presented in the article there is no link between the Space Mountain incident and the death, except for the timing.

The Sentinel is implying fault by contacting the medical examiners office (I will grudgingly give them credit for including the quote that is was from natural causes). Additionally, they are leaving out important information regarding the reporting of the cases to the Safety Board. Namely, the difference in attendance between the different areas and the cause if known of the previous accidents. Also, I very well may be wrong, but is reporting voluntary?

The simple fact is, in almost every article the Sentinel post about Disney is at the very least slant and in some case, such as this one, leaves out important information to completely tell the story.

This is the equivalent of saying an intersection is dangerous when someones breaks fail and cause and accident. At best it is poor reporting, at worst it is a lie of omission.

I am not trying to be a Disney apologist, just unbiased reporting is all I ask for.

 

[lilclerk]

"Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, Wet 'n Wild and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay reported no serious injuries or illnesses on rides in their fourth-quarter filings."

Wow, is that necessary?

 

[Wilt Dasney]

The lead paragraph says the death was due to natural causes. Granted the headline seems to be implying some causality connection, but anyone who reads the first sentence of the story will see the medical examiner's conclusion. Can't place it much higher than that.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

"Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, Wet 'n Wild and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay reported no serious injuries or illnesses on rides in their fourth-quarter filings."

Wow, is that necessary?

It may not be necessary, but if it's a fact, then the public has a right to know. I know what it's like to be in a newsroom and too often, people call bias to a straight recitation of fact.

Whether the reporter or the editors who handled that piece have a Disney bias I don't know, but that snippet doesn't show one.

 

[tigsmom]

It may not be necessary, but if it's a fact, then the public has a right to know. I know what it's like to be in a newsroom and too often, people call bias to a straight recitation of fact.

Whether the reporter or the editors who handled that piece have a Disney bias I don't know, but that snippet doesn't show one.

If you were given this report wouldn't you call the ME's office for a quote?
I would.

I also don't think it shows a bias, its just a comparison between parks located in the general vicinity. *shrugs*

 

[Wilt Dasney]

If you were given this report wouldn't you call the ME's office for a quote?
I would.

Anytime somebody so much as pondered their own mortality and we heard about it in my former life as a news hound, we were trying to track down a quote from the coroner. I probably could have dialed his pager number by heart at one point. :lol:

I also don't think it shows a bias, its just a comparison between parks located in the general vicinity. *shrugs*

Exactly. The likelihood is that all the fourth quarter filings were released around the same time and the only thing that seemed worth writing about (and trust me, what a newspaper considers worth writing about on a slow day probably clears a much lower threshold than what Joe Blow considers newsworthy) was the dead old man in the Disney report, so they just threw in the others as an afterthought. That's what this suggests to me anyway.

 

[TTATraveler]

It may not be necessary, but if it's a fact, then the public has a right to know. I know what it's like to be in a newsroom and too often, people call bias to a straight recitation of fact.

Whether the reporter or the editors who handled that piece have a Disney bias I don't know, but that snippet doesn't show one.

It is indeed a fact. However, in the context of the article, I interpret it as a bias. The article would not fall flat on its face if the line was missing. But for the article on Space Mountain, would the Sentinel have even run a story on the safety record at the other parks?

 

[Wilt Dasney]

It is indeed a fact. However, in the context of the article, I interpret it as a bias. The article would not fall flat on its face if the line was missing. But for the article on Space Mountain, would the Sentinel have even run a story on the safety record at the other parks?

If the Sentinel is run anything like the newsroom I used to work in, the decision went something like this:

Reporter: "All of the parks in the area filed fourth quarter safety reports this week."

Editor: "Anything worth writing about in there?"

Reporter: "Lemme look. Universal, nothing. SeaWorld, nothing. Oh, an old man died after riding Space Mountain last month."

Editor: "Let's call the medical examiner and see what he says about that. If we get anything on it, we can just throw in somewhere that the other parks had nothing to report."


I can't say that that is definitely what happened. I'm just saying that the mention of the other parks is NOT proof positive of any bias on the paper's part, and based on my own experience, I'm willing to lean more toward the scenario I just outlined.

If there's something else my experience has taught me, though, it's that people who are determined that they see media bias really won't be talked out of believing it regardless.

 

[teebin]

nah, this is just hype. It is how disney sells tickets and newpapers sell, um, newspapers. The Sentinel also hyped the new castle sleepovers and the new attractions at Disney. If the story can be considered somewhat big, the news will bend it good or bad to sell more of their papers. If the attraction is somewhat big, Disney will bend it "over the top" to sell tickets.

This is capitalism and should be applauded as it is what this country's success in the world is based in large part on. It is up to you and me to understand that what we read or hear may not be the complete story.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

nah, this is just hype. It is how disney sells tickets and newpapers sell, um, newspapers. The Sentinel also hyped the new castle sleepovers and the new attractions at Disney. If the story can be considered somewhat big, the news will bend it good or bad to sell more of their papers. If the attraction is somewhat big, Disney will bend it "over the top" to sell tickets.

*That* is pretty much on the money. If newspapers have any consistent bias, it's toward hyping anything they come across that has the potential for embellishment, and that can be positive or negative items. Good examples of some "positive" hype stories in your post.

 

[jakeman]

I understand what you are say Wilt and with other news source I would tend to agree with you when it comes to these types of articles. However, the Sentinel has demostrated on more than one occasion that they are not fans of the Disney company in general or Walt Disney World in particular.

I don't want to make a statement that is not fact, but didn't the Sentinel also get into some trouble a few years back with their reporting practices? I just thought I remembered something about it.

 

[Harry456]

i'm from ohio, but, yea, the newspaper seems to HATE with great intensly Disney World of something. Why was it necassary to list all injury of Disney World?

(i repsect the man who died, so sry if this seems to blunt) atleast his last look in life was on Space Mountain. (that is one of the ways i would love to die) plus it says natural cause so it was the shock he need sad to say.

.....He is riding the big space mountain in the sky......

 

[marni1971]

Another slow day in the world of war, global warming and terrorism. Let`s pick on Disney again. Not being harsh, but people die everywhere. At home, in parks, on rollercoasters. How many natural deaths are reported on at SeaWorld?

What went so wrong that the paper Walt Befriended back in the 60`s for his Florida Project could turn so nasty against his company? Time and time again?

 

[WishIwasThere]

Frankly, I would rather die at WDW than any other place on earth...At least I would die smiling and happy.

 

[darthjohnny]

How do they know it was exactly Space Mountain if it was three days later?