Injuries at Disney World?

**zetalove08** · 04-20-2006, 01:08 AM

Hi everyone!

I was just wondering if anyone knew any stories about accidents that have happened at the parks recently? I have read some stuff on www.snopes.com but was just wondering if maybe anyone had a personal experience of something going wrong on a ride. As much as I love Disney World and would hate for something to go wrong, I'm curious

Also, has anyone heard about someone else dying on Mission Space?

**mickey n minnie** · 04-20-2006, 02:12 AM

The last I heard was about the women, and they couldnt definitley link it to Mission:Space...

But my mom already made me promise not to go on it when we go to WDW in August..Which is sort of disapointing, since last year, I really enjoyed that ride.

**Xcastmember** · 04-21-2006, 04:07 PM

There are many, many injuries and even deaths at the parks, but they are usually not made public. I suggest reading 'Mouse Tales: A behind The Ears Look At Disneyland' byt David Koenig.

**zetalove08** · 04-26-2006, 01:58 PM

Hey guys- just wanted to share with you the newspaper article I found today.

Stroke killed Disney visitor
The German woman had 'severe' high blood pressure, an autopsy finds.

Henry Pierson Curtis and Beth Kassab | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted April 15, 2006

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A German tourist who was hospitalized this week after riding Walt Disney World's Mission: Space died from a stroke, according to preliminary autopsy results released Friday.

Dr. Jan Garavaglia, chief medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties, did not speculate on whether the $100 million centrifuge that spins riders at twice Earth's gravity contributed to the death of Hiltrud Blmel. Garavaglia noted that the autopsy of the 49-year-old woman from Schmitten, a town outside Frankfurt, showed "evidence of severe, long-standing high blood pressure."

Disney has 13 warning signs at the attraction, including eight that caution tourists that high blood pressure among other conditions could be a risk factor on the ride.

The role of the ride, if any, will not be known until "the official cause and manner of death" can be determined by test results in four to six weeks, according to the written statement.

Blmel complained of dizziness and general illness after the ride ended Tuesday. At 1:19 p.m., a Disney worker called 911 and Blmel reached Florida Hospital Celebration Health shortly after 2 p.m.

A CT scan of the brain prompted doctors at the hospital to conclude Blmel had suffered a "hypertensive bleed within the brain," according to Garavaglia's office. Blmel died about 24 hours later at 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to the death certificate.

Disney officials would not comment on the death, except to express their sympathies for Blmel's family. Disney is waiting for the complete autopsy findings before commenting.

Nausea and other symptoms of motion sickness have been fairly common for riders of Mission: Space since the roughly 4-minute, mock spaceflight to Mars opened in the summer of 2003.

Concerns about its safety briefly surged last June after the death of Daudi Bamuwamye, a 4-year-old from Pennsylvania. His autopsy showed he suffered from a rare, undiagnosed heart ailment that was so severe that the startling sound of a popping balloon could have killed him.

"The warning signs indicate that Mission: Space is not for every guest," Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said. "I don't know what else to say beyond that."

Epcot's brochure, available in German and other languages at the park entrance, warns that riders of Mission: Space and Test Track "should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure."

Disney is not planning to conduct its own evaluation of whether the ride contributed to Blmel's death but routinely reviews its thrill rides, Prunty said.

"We're not medical professionals," Prunty said. "Everyone relies on them to complete those kinds of studies."

A study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions last year warned people with heart disease to stay away from roller coasters, but it did not address centrifugal rides or simulation rides.

The study, which placed electrocardiograms on 55 participants, found the heart rates of riders increased dramatically during and after the ride, particularly for women.

"After the ride stopped, nearly half of the participants had irregular heartbeats . . . even though their heartbeat rates had returned to normal and were inside the range of a normal heartbeat rate," wrote the lead researcher, Dr. Jurgen Kuschyk.

Warnings, however, often go ignored.

A debate on an Internet message board dating to 2004 about the safety of Mission: Space included nine people who said they had high blood pressure, but rode the ride anyway. Some said they felt no effects. Others said they were sick.

"Sorry to be a spoiler but I have HBP [high blood pressure] and am on meds, and I LOVED mission space but was soooo sick I thought I wouldn't make it to the end of the attraction," one message stated. "I would not have ridden it if I had known how bad I would feel but it is a pretty incredible experience."

Scott Powers of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5257. Beth Kassab can be reached at bkassab@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5448.

**Soccergirl426** · 04-26-2006, 02:06 PM

I do think that Disney should post warnings in different lanuages and tell all guests in park maps, ads, etc. that if you have certain conditions or if you have ever gotten sick from a motion simulator ride or any ride to not ride Mission: Space. But, there are 13 signs and 1 movie to tell you to warn you, plus right before you go in the guy says to leave if you are having second thoughts.

**skiyalater** · 04-26-2006, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by Soccergirl426

I do think that Disney should post warnings in different lanuages and tell all guests in park maps, ads, etc. that if you have certain conditions or if you have ever gotten sick from a motion simulator ride or any ride to not ride Mission: Space. But, there are 13 signs and 1 movie to tell you to warn you, plus right before you go in the guy says to leave if you are having second thoughts.

Soccergirl is right, I mean they do tell you 13 times, and common sense would tell you not to go.

**zetalove08** · 04-26-2006, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by skiyalater

Soccergirl is right, I mean they do tell you 13 times, and common sense would tell you not to go.

I completely agree! I remember when I rode Mission Space with my friend last year we were amazed how much it seems like they are TRYING to get you off! They are constantly showing the clip of the guy saying, "if you get motion sickness at all, this may not be for you..." over and over and they told you when the last possible place to exit was as well. It seems to me if I had some sort of medical condition I would be really nervous to ride after all those warnings- I was nervous enough anyways and I'm in fine health! lol

**skiyalater** · 04-26-2006, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by zetalove08

I completely agree! I remember when I rode Mission Space with my friend last year we were amazed how much it seems like they are TRYING to get you off! They are constantly showing the clip of the guy saying, "if you get motion sickness at all, this may not be for you..." over and over and they told you when the last possible place to exit was as well. It seems to me if I had some sort of medical condition I would be really nervous to ride after all those warnings- I was nervous enough anyways and I'm in fine health! lol

It's so that they are not liable for injury, death, etc. They really stress getting off that ride if you ever had gotten sick before, or if you have almost any condition. The problem is that people are undiagnosed, and ride it anyway.

**mickey n minnie** · 04-26-2006, 03:44 PM

You know the type of person that goes on a roller coaster even though theyre scared to death of them so they can say that they "faced their fears"? I think its the same type of thing with Mission:Space, and then people sort of ignore the warning signs, even if there is 13 of them, because they just make them more nervous. They don't realize that they need to be taken seriously. Obviously, it's a horrible thing that that women died, but this being the 2nd death, hopefully people will learn from it.

**nsl3** · 04-27-2006, 03:30 PM

I went to Disney World in 2004 with my boyfriend's family. On the third day of our 2 week trip we went to Blizzard Beach. My boyfriend and his dad went down the Tobboggan Racers, his dad being in the last lane. On his way down, my boyfriend's dad smashed into the side of the lane and broke his arm. The worst thing was that the lifeguards were at the top of the slide and no-one was at the bottom to help. He had to be sent to Celebration Hospital for the operation and it really put a downer on the whole holiday as he couldn't go on any rides with movement (most of them!).

At least we were able to park in the disabled spaces nearer the parks for the rest of the trip!
This year he managed to go back on the Tobboggan racers and come back in one piece!

**disneyimagineer** · 02-03-2007, 10:05 AM

When my friend's family went on Mission:Space, his dad started to black out towards the end of the ride.

**FriendOfTigger** · 02-05-2007, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Soccergirl426

I do think that Disney should post warnings in different lanuages and tell all guests in park maps, ads, etc. that if you have certain conditions or if you have ever gotten sick from a motion simulator ride or any ride to not ride Mission: Space. But, there are 13 signs and 1 movie to tell you to warn you, plus right before you go in the guy says to leave if you are having second thoughts.

There are warnings in the park maps. If you speak French, you get a French map. Usually, the international visitors will get park maps in their own language through their resorts or at Guest Relations. Plus, unlike Americans, most internationals speak English as well as their native tongue.

Also, in response to the unjustified hysteria over motion sickness and ill people riding rides that they probably shouldn't, Disney now offers a "spinless" version of Mission: Space, in which you go through the entire ride and simulation, without spinning or having the G-force sensations inflicted upon you.