12-year-old boy dies on Disney's Rock'n'Roller coaster at Disney-MGM studios!!!

[KyleRayner]

Its breaking news on CNN.com but no details posted yet.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Here's a Link to an article about it in the Orlando Sentinel.

HBC

 

[pjadtl]

I just saw that. MSNBC says it was a 7 yr old but no other details either. This is so sad.

 

[mommyceratops]

It is so sad. I have never been on the ride.

 

[pjadtl]

Orange County Sheriiff say he was 7 but Disney officials say he was 12.

 

[KimberlyC]

I just heard about it.
How sad, only 12 years old - the same age as my DNiece who plans to ride RNR with me in September. I can't imagine how his parents must feel.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060629/ap_on_re_us/disney_death

By TRAVIS REED, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 38 minutes ago
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - A 12-year-old boy died after riding a roller coaster Thursday at the Disney MGM theme park, the Orange County sheriff's office said.
The boy died after he was brought by ambulance to a hospital at about 11:30 a.m., a Disney statement said. The cause of death was not immediately known, Sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said.
Park officials closed the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster but said a preliminary investigation showed the ride was operating normally.
A Disney Web site description of the ride says: "Zoom from 0-60 mph with the force of a supersonic F-14, take in high-speed loops and turns synchronized to a specially recorded Aerosmith soundtrack."
Two other people have died after going on another Disney ride, Epcot's "Mission: Space." The space simulator spins riders in a centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity.
Daudi Bamuwamye, 4, of Sellersville, Pa., died June 13, 2005. An autopsy determined he died of an irregular heartbeat linked to an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle that can cause sudden death.
In April, a 49-year-old woman from Germany became ill and died after taking the ride. A medical examiner's report said she died from bleeding of the brain and had severe high blood pressure.
The ride has signs warning people with heart, back and neck problems not to ride. Epcot now offers a tamer version of the ride that does not include centrifugal force.
Disney MGM is among the Walt Disney Co.'s four parks in Florida.

 

[mickeysaver]

My prayers for the family. I can think of nothing more crushing than after months of planning and dreaming that you finally are there, you check into your Disney resort and heading off to MGM for your first day of vacation pixie dust, just to have your child become ill and die shortly after exiting a ride vehicle. OMG, it's just so unfair and a total heartbreaker.

My prayers for the CM's too. I can't think of anything worse than having a child become so deathly ill in front of you and having no way to really help other than calling 911. Not a good feeling for the folks that do everything possible to make magic happen. Maggie

 

[dizprincess717]

aaand i bet he had some sort of pre-existing condition. don't you just love how guests don't pay attention to the warnings?

and by they way, there are rides in other parks that are A LOT more intense than the ones at disney world. say for instance, this nice little roller coaster in new jersey called kingda ka that basically shoots people at about, oh 120mph+ and straight up 400ft+ in the air? makes rock n' roller coaster look like a kiddie ride.

it's not the rides, it's the pre-existing conditions that sadly some people either know about and don't take seriously or never got checked out during a physical.

i do feel bad for the cm's at rnrc. while i was doing my college program at splash mountain there were 2 deaths at mission: space. and the reason? pre-existing conditions that no one took seriously and/or didn't even look to read the signs like most guests do.

 

[coasterj]

aaand i bet he had some sort of pre-existing condition. don't you just love how guests don't pay attention to the warnings?

and by they way, there are rides in other parks that are A LOT more intense than the ones at disney world. say for instance, this nice little roller coaster in new jersey called kingda ka that basically shoots people at about, oh 120mph+ and straight up 400ft+ in the air? makes rock n' roller coaster look like a kiddie ride.

it's not the rides, it's the pre-existing conditions that sadly some people either know about and don't take seriously or never got checked out during a physical.

i do feel bad for the cm's at rnrc. while i was doing my college program at splash mountain there were 2 deaths at mission: space. and the reason? pre-existing conditions that no one took seriously and/or didn't even look to read the signs like most guests do.

AMEN!!!!! great point and well versed there are alot of coasters worse then RnRc in intensity i myself know that living only an hr from a park called cedar point.

 

[Mickey1122]

dizprincess717:
While you are harsh in your description, I agree. People with conditions should not go on rides that would be dangerous for them. They risk their safety and the safety of others. I feel sorry for the family and everyone in MGM that day.

 

[BlindTyldak]

and by they way, there are rides in other parks that are A LOT more intense than the ones at disney world. say for instance, this nice little roller coaster in new jersey called kingda ka that basically shoots people at about, oh 120mph+ and straight up 400ft+ in the air? makes rock n' roller coaster look like a kiddie ride.

It's funny you mentioned Kingda Ka, we watched a documentary on it being built and tested and I said to my DH "that one's going to be a killer, they pushed it too far with the height." Sure enough a friend in NJ said that it's constantly getting shut down or can't make it over the hill and comes back down backwards. Hasn't killed anyone yet, but that is the one and ONLY roller coaster I've seen that i will not go on as it stands right now (if they increase the propulsion system I would, though) because it simply does not look or act safe from its reliability record, and I'm a coaster fanatic.

 

[bluejasmine]

Well some of the other ppl who have died on disney rides had conditions that they and their families were unaware of..My heart really goes out to this family, I cant imagine what they must be going thru right now. I am interested to see what the autopsy says about this poor boy, I think its very harsh to say the parents didnt pay attention to the warnings, maybe they had no idea anything was wrong?!

 

[fccabs]

Before we're too harsh on some of these unfortunate people we have to remember that some of them may not have known about their conditions and therefore thought they were safe to ride the attractions.

I do think its about time that Dinsey had trained medical staff and proper equipment at their more intense rides. I presume they're worried about being sued should something go wrong with any medical attention given but surely there must be a way round this if it helps save someones life.

 

[KinderTchr]

I knew someone who died of a cerebral hemorage after riding a ride at a local fair. She was a teenager and no one had any idea that she had any health issues. Sometimes it just happens.

I agree that I really feel for the families and the cast members.

 

[kidsister]

With children, the first time most of these 'pre-existing' conditions become known is AFTER some life threatening 'reaction'. Most kids make it through years of activities without a diagnosis of a hole in their hearts...sometimes it is caught in a pretty rigorous physical exam required by professional level (college) sports...and then there is a panic and a hastily scheduled operation.

My point is that pre-existing is not the same as foreknowledge about the condition. We are all walking timebombs for things like aneurisms...things that are 'waiting to happen' but can't be pre diagnosed.
It's possible that the G forces that rides like MS and RnR create could 'trip' one of these pre-existing but as yet undiagnosed conditions.

I doubt that any of the deaths of the last few years were because of a pre-existing condition that the people KNEW ABOUT. You just don't get a letter informing you that you have a aneurism lodged in your neck and it is about to explode!!!!!!

 

[mom2of2]

here's all the threads (just from this board alone pages 1 and 2)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1151369

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1151380

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1151394

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1151392

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1151442

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1151480

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1151348

 

[Luv2Roam]

We all take a lot for granted.
We assume that when we get into our car to drive to the store, we will return home safe and sound.
But if we thought about everything we and our loved ones could die from on a daily basis, we would go nuts!

 

[funshipm174]

aaand i bet he had some sort of pre-existing condition. don't you just love how guests don't pay attention to the warnings?

and by they way, there are rides in other parks that are A LOT more intense than the ones at disney world. say for instance, this nice little roller coaster in new jersey called kingda ka that basically shoots people at about, oh 120mph+ and straight up 400ft+ in the air? makes rock n' roller coaster look like a kiddie ride.

it's not the rides, it's the pre-existing conditions that sadly some people either know about and don't take seriously or never got checked out during a physical.

i do feel bad for the cm's at rnrc. while i was doing my college program at splash mountain there were 2 deaths at mission: space. and the reason? pre-existing conditions that no one took seriously and/or didn't even look to read the signs like most guests do.

<aaand i bet he had some sort of pre-existing condition. don't you just love how guests don't pay attention to the warnings?>


I wondered how long it would take for the first person to make a moric statement like that...Not long at all.It's never Disney. Thats why Disney is making tamer versions of these rides.....because they do nothing wrong.

**Epcot now offers a tamer version of the ride that does not include centrifugal force**

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13618240/

 

[crow11ad]

aaand i bet he had some sort of pre-existing condition. don't you just love how guests don't pay attention to the warnings?

and by they way, there are rides in other parks that are A LOT more intense than the ones at disney world. say for instance, this nice little roller coaster in new jersey called kingda ka that basically shoots people at about, oh 120mph+ and straight up 400ft+ in the air? makes rock n' roller coaster look like a kiddie ride.

it's not the rides, it's the pre-existing conditions that sadly some people either know about and don't take seriously or never got checked out during a physical.

i do feel bad for the cm's at rnrc. while i was doing my college program at splash mountain there were 2 deaths at mission: space. and the reason? pre-existing conditions that no one took seriously and/or didn't even look to read the signs like most guests do.

What is going on with people? There are so many warnings that specify if you have any type of condition to take careful warning. This is truly sad. Like the OP stated. There are many rides that are worse (still fun) then RNR and TOT. If you have never been to US or UIOA, you have the Hulk, which just like RNR, the inital take off is the amount of speed that is required to run the full length of the ride. Also, look at Dr. Doom, start from the bottom and shoot yourself all the way to the top.

Our prayers are out to the boy's family.

 

[disney kid at heart]

Such a horrible tragedy for all. The sad thing is a lot of people have no idea they have a pre-existing condition. Dr's do not check for abnormalities like weak vessels and make light of a lot of symptoms, especially in children that seem healthy otherwise. I on the other hand know not to let my Dh ride certain rides that can create a problem, but I am very cautious. I don't ride any of the rides but LOVE going to the magical place because it is magical and I love to see my grandkids having fun and seeing their smiles. My prayers go out to the childs family.