Update on 2 tragic deaths at WDW this summer...

[rmforney]

Sorry if this has already been posted but...

Medical Examiner Releases Report On Typhoon Lagoon Death:

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orange County Medical Examiner's Office released a report in the death of a child at a Disney park.

Jerra Kirby, 12, died after she collapsed at Typhoon Lagoon in August. The Medical Examiner's office said she died of a condition called Myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart.

The condition was caused by a virus and was not connected to anything at the theme park.

http://www.wftv.com/news/5330063/detail.html

and

Autopsy Shows Boy Died At Disney From Heart Condition

The death of a 4-year-old boy after he went on a rocket-ship ride at Walt Disney World was caused by abnormal cardiac rhythms from a heart condition that he apparently had since birth, according to an autopsy released Tuesday....(more)

http://www.wftv.com/news/5329797/detail.html


Both very sad, but I can’t help but be a little relieved that there was nothing wrong with WDW or its operations...

 

[mkt]

so basically, they were both people that shouldn't have been at the park to start with.

 

[rmforney]

so basically, they were both people that shouldn't have been at the park to start with.

Well, from what I gather, the young boy's heart condition wasn’t known about, but the girl… yeah, the parents should have know something.

 

[DisneyJill]

It doesn't mean that they shouldn't have been at the park though...I mean, people who are ill or injured visit all the time. Had they known about the boys condition, I doubt he would have been allowed to ride something as intense as M:S. Very unfortunate.

 

[LouDisney]

That is very unfortunate and sad. A lot of people have conditions they don't know about. You just never know.

 

[Jose Eber]

^^
I like this perspective. Its true -- had they known, they wouldn't have dared test his health.

 

[The Mom]

It doesn't mean that they shouldn't have been at the park though...I mean, people who are ill or injured visit all the time. Had they known about the boys condition, I doubt he would have been allowed to ride something as intense as M:S. Very unfortunate.

Exactly. A friend died of Myocarditis about 12 years ago; he was 37 and had just returned from a ski trip. He thought he just had "post-flight" cold/flu, so didn't think much about it until he became suddenly deathly ill and died within 24 hrs of admission.

And the assumption that the parents knew about the cardiac condition could be wrong. (I don't know for sure) Many, many children have congenital conditions that aren't picked up until they develop problems; every year there are one or two athletes who die from undiagnosed heart or brain abnormalities. Doctors look for the more common ones that are easily recognizable at birth, or if there is a reason to suspect that a child might have a problem, but there's no way that they could realistically run every test available to rule out every disease/condition that each person might possibly have.

 

[MickeyTigg]

Well, from what I gather, the young boy's heart condition wasn’t known about, but the girl… yeah, the parents should have know something.

Not really....you can get bad virus and it can cause an inflammation of the heart muscles and you wouldn't necessarily know it unless you had started exhibiting symptoms.

 

[MickeyTigg]

so basically, they were both people that shouldn't have been at the park to start with.

Not really Rob....that might be the case if these conditions were both known by the parents. If that was the case, you're right. Also, with all the warnings, if the conditions were known, they shouldn't have been on the rides/attractions.

Generally, these aren't known until you start showing symptoms, then you go see a doctor. My guess is that neither one of these conditions was known about.

 

[TTATraveler]

Basically, these are 2 unfortunate incidents that the families learned about the hard way (assuming that both families were not aware of the medical conditions). Had the conditions been known, I would think that the parents would have exercised better judgement, I hope. It is a shame that the incidents had to happen at WDW though.

 

[tigger2]

hi

people who are ill are allowed out of the house!!

the parents may or may not have known about the conditions but it sounds like they would have died wherever they were. and i for one can't think of a place i'd rather be when my time is up .

 

[luvorlando]

so basically, they were both people that shouldn't have been at the park to start with.

:zipit: :brick: :zipit:

 

[ErickainPA]

This tells more about her illness: http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic326.htm

From the above article, the illness is not usually treated and doesn't happen often. Most people think they just have the flu or are starting to get it. I myself could have died within a week of getting the bloodstream virus that my daughter had while I was carrying her. There was no way to even know I had the bacteria until after I delivered my daughter. So to say the kids shouldn't have been at the park in the first place is not fair. Anyone could go to Disney (or anywhere) and just sit on a bench, pass away from say a heart attack, when they had no heart problems before. Do you want to go out and enjoy life or sit at home in a cocoon waiting for something to happen?

As a parent who has lost a child, I give my sympathy to the parents in these terrible tragedies, I am sure it's been horrible for them these last few months, not knowing why their children died at such young ages and especially now with the holidays coming, knowing how excited their kids would be opening presents and such and never getting to have that chance to see their happy faces again.

Losing a child is not something anyone should have to experience. How many of you in all honestly wouldn't think that a ride caused your child to die when you knew they were not ill, just to find out that it was an undetected illness that actually caused their passing. I am sure the parents feel bad about the lawsuit and would just like to put it all behind them and let their son now rest in peace.

 

[Timmay]

so basically, they were both people that shouldn't have been at the park to start with.

You're right, a person with any kind of disease or illness shouldn't be let out of their house, much less be at a place like Disney World...

 

[col]

i dont mean any disrespect by writing this but after just reading articles about the little boys death on mission:space this year i am a little puzzled, i know it is a tragedy but:
- what good will it do if the height measurements are changed? i know for a fact that children come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes young children are tall so what difference would changing the height requirments do?

- why did CERTAIN cast members say that they didnt perform CPR on the little boy when speaking on the 911 when in the sheriffs report they said that they did?

there are so many question about this tragedy that need answering and it is a tragic loss.

 

[dandaman]

The death of a 4-year-old boy after he went on a rocket-ship ride...

Rocket-ship ride?

Glad to hear Disney isn't at fault for this (though, I thought as much).

 

[Connor002]

I was going to write something about the media only reporting the bad things about disney, but there was just a mention of it on the news, so forget it. Though I might add, when the bad thigs happen, it's big news, but once the truth comes out and proves it was not Disney's fault, they barely give it a minute of air time.

 

[imagineer boy]

The death of a 4-year-old boy after he went on a rocket-ship ride at Walt Disney World

A rocket ship ride?! I find it kinda funny that they call M:S a rocket ship ride.:lol:

Anyways, its very tragic to hear about these deaths, however, it is nice to know that Disney had no fault in the accidents.

 

[Nicole]

I don't mean this to be at all insensitive; I feel deep sympathy for the families who lost children this summer.

But for me, personally, if I have to die early, I would just as soon die happy at WDW. Although of course I would never want Disney to face any negative publicity as a result of it!

 

[mkt]

alrighty... keep throwing the flames at me people...

I meant to type "on the ride" and not "at the park"

to those that replied with smilies, just say it.

I apologize for not looking back at what I typed.