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

[Lora]

I dont agree with using this situation as a keystone for your conversation. I understand that it is important to educate people about this kind of stuff. But you should not be paranoid about death especially while on vacation you have to loosen up a little bit.

I don't think the poster was being paranoid at all. She has a wonderful perspective. How much more can a person loosen up than she has with her mock tv interview - I thought that was great. As a parent, I also use many events and situations as a spring board for conversation.

 

[tamman]

Littlebigdog- I teach kindergarten!!! I often don't hear big words like "Defibrillators". Honestly...in my earlier post, I didn't even know what the dang thing was correctly called so sorry for my spelling errors

 

[mapmakerj]

Come on. Waiting. You want a flame war, it's yours. I said nothing cruel, unkind or untrue, and offered sincere remorse for the family. You randomly insult me. What's it your beef? Did something hit a little too close to home for you perhaps?

I think the reason for the flame is that you started a topic that had no place on this thread and yes it did make you sound like a jerk for injecting that kind of topic. Yes, you did show sympathy for the family but ended your post with a political jab. It should end here and now and everyone needs to get back to the original topic.

 

[jjarman]

I agree this was most likely not the fault of Disney or the parents. I told my husband last night when he heard about it (I tried to hide it from him because he is a worrier and we are going in March) that it won’t be on the news but it will come out in a month or so that this child has some type of hidden problem that caused his death. And it is sad that the people who caught the news story will always think it was Disney’s fault.

As for the AED’s and having trained medical personnel on hand, it seems in each of the cases recently where someone died of what was later found to be a hidden medical condition, it doesn’t sound like the AED or CPR would have mattered. There are just some conditions that if you drop out in the middle of an emergency room you are still not going to make it. Also, I posted on another thread I worked for 4 years in a busy emergency room in Dallas and I never, not one time, saw someone come in in full CPR that made it. Not to say that others had CPR in the field that brought them back but I never saw anyone make it. That said, I still believe CPR is very important and DS who is a lifeguard learned it.

 

[CaipiraBob]

[/B]

You're a JERK to say that!

My first response was pulled. I'll tone this one down.

The reason that tiny little comment hurt you to the point of an angry response towards a perfect stranger is that it was too close to the truth for you. You could not debate or counter it intellectually or with facts, so you followed through via the lowest common denominator of the guide idiot's to debate: Name calling.

You got nothing. You can't respond in fact. A tiny tidbit of truth tore apart your world and you've sunk to name calling.

Grow up and open your eyes.

 

[mapmakerj]

As I said in my post above, this topic shouldn't even be discussed or debated on this thread. It is disrespectful of the original topic of this thread. If you want to debate the topic, take it elsewhere and show some courtesy for the rest of the poster who are sticking to the topic.

 

[Hanover]

The whole thing is just incredibly sad and I feel awful for the boy's parents and brother.

As for the lawyer issue, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they are using him/her for all the paperwork involved and as a spokesperson. I know that if I were in their shoes, my immediate, extended family and I'd be grieving for so long and so much that I don't think I'd be capable to deal with anything else.

 

[CaipiraBob]

I think the reason for the flame is that you started a topic that had no place on this thread and yes it did make you sound like a jerk for injecting that kind of topic.

I see your point. Well, it was a comment made in Disney's defense. Seems to me that Disney has made an effort to bring joy and happiness to people's lives. This is a terrible tragedy and I mourn for the family. I thought the comment put this very sad situation into perspective from the point that Disney absolutely takes as much care as possible to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for families to enjoy. Does that make it any closer to a reasonable statement?

 

[CheshireVal]

My first response was pulled. I'll tone this one down.

The reason that tiny little comment hurt you to the point of an angry response towards a perfect stranger is that it was too close to the truth for you. You could not debate or conter it intellectually or with facts, so you followed through via the lowest common denominator of the guide idiot's to debate: Name calling.

You got nothing. You can't respond in fact. A tiny tidbit of truth tore apart your world and you've sunk to name calling.

Grow up and open your eyes.

Oh good grief. I don't think your silly little comment was really capable of "tearing apart someone's world." If you want to debate the merits of Planned Parenthood, then head on over to the community board. This isn't the place people should have to address or even counter completely irrelevant arguments.

 

[brutus]

CaipiraBob-

Creating an arguement for or against abortion has nothing to do with this topic. That is why people are getting upset.

This is a topic that has most everyone feeing vunerable and sad. Do you really think more fuel needs to be thrown onto this issue?

If you want a discussion about your topic start one in another thread in another area.

This is not the time or place.

 

[Daxx]

What parent would put a child on a ride like this knowing their child had a pre-existing condition?? NONE! These parents did not know their child had any medical issues. I have a 12 year old son who begged me to ride the RnR last week, I was concerned, but as far as I know he is healthy, so I agreed!! Do you now how horrible it would have felt for me if something had happened??

Bottom line...........people don't ride these rides knowing they have heart problems or medical concerns. They do read the warnings! It is those who are undiagnosed who ride these rides.

You've got it right!!!

My DS had his yearly physical last week (for school and soccer camp) and was billed as healthy. Does that mean he doesn't have a pre-existing condition? Well, not one that was readily picked up by a yearly physical.
We're going to WDW in Aug., and I plan on keeping him well hydrated, there's no saying what might happen!!!

Just b/c a Dr. gives a clean bill of health from a routine physical does not guarantee that something won't happen. If I wanted to be 100% for sure, I'd prob. have to have him undergo a series on invasive tests (CT Scans, MRI's, maybe exploratory surgery and who knows what else) to be 100% sure. Who is going to do that? Everyone whose child gets a physical and is told all is well is NOT expecting their kid to die from a ride or collapse on a basketball court. But, if there's something there that only some big test (which, on a healthy child, no insurance company is going to cover) can detect, then that's a different story.

The parents of the boy who died on Mission Space said he was healthy -- apparently not. Not due to a fault of their own or their doctor's ... just a condition that was never picked up in a regular physical.

My sympathies to the family.

 

[happyonhorseback]

At a time we are all saddened by a tragic event, we should pull together our prayers for this family. We should be able to rise above conflict and those that want to perpetuate it. This is not a time to name call, and for those of you who thrive on conflict, go watch Jerry Springer and leave the Dis Boards alone!

 

[pugdog]

Any Drs. out there?? I have three seemingly normal, healthy althletic daughters. If I took them in for a physical and specifically asked them to check for unsuspected conditions, is it difficult to determine if a child has an irregular heartbeat, weak vessel, or hole in their heart? I wouldn't want to subject my girls to unnecessary, invasive procedures, but are there simple checks that any physician could perfom? You hear about tragedies like this, and athletes dying at football practices - what can we, as parents, do to help keep our children healthy?

Prayers to the family.

I work in a pediatric cardiac cath lab and we do see alot of cases where the primary MD heard a murmor and did nothing about it. These kids then come to us later after the parents take them to a cardiologist and they find a problem.
As other posters have said An EKG and echo will show you any irregular heartbeats or holes. The weak vessel would require a CT scan or MRI.
That being said no insureance company will pay for that type of screening because it would only catch about 1% of the cases out there.
Unfortunatly most cardiac problems with kids are diagnosed after they have a problem.

 

[Daxx]

The father of the boy said he was perfectly healthy and had no pre-existing medical conditions. Sadly, I think the father is going to be in for some surprising news after an autopsy is performed.

You've hit the nail on the head ... sure, the dad said no pre-existing medical conditions ... but he should have added the caveat "that I am aware of".

It seems like many of these deaths were caused by pre-existing conditions that families weren't aware of!

 

[biz410]

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?

Wow, I don't think I have ever seen a more ignorant statement.
You are, of course, assuming that it was a pre-existing condition AND known to the parents. I have a 10 year old and she has yet to have CAT scans and MRIs of her whole body. While it is unlikely, she may have a pre-existing condition that nobody has considered.

So while you, Dr. dizprincess717, may know everything; please judge us mortals as such.

And everybody- Ignore CaipiraBob and he will go away. Some people just don't get the attention they need at home.

 

[NYCMickeyMom]

Come on. Waiting. You want a flame war, it's yours. I said nothing cruel, unkind or untrue, and offered sincere remorse for the family. You randomly insult me. What's it your beef? Did something hit a little too close to home for you perhaps?

pathetic.......

 

[Firebug]

My first response was pulled. I'll tone this one down.

The reason that tiny little comment hurt you to the point of an angry response towards a perfect stranger is that it was too close to the truth for you. You could not debate or counter it intellectually or with facts, so you followed through via the lowest common denominator of the guide idiot's to debate: Name calling.

You got nothing. You can't respond in fact. A tiny tidbit of truth tore apart your world and you've sunk to name calling.

Grow up and open your eyes.

The point is this is not the place to debate or counter that comment. It you want to discuss abortion more power to you. Just go to a website that is for that purpose I am sure there are many of them. This is a place to discuss Disney.

FB

 

[Lorelai]

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.

"Pre-existing" doesn't imply foreknowledge. Many pre-existing health issues are detected only after a reaction. Sadly, routine physicals can not reveal many of the serious afflictions that rest in the heart and brain. For example, my son was born with a heart anomaly that can only be detected by an echo-cardiogram. His ekgs would never reveal the problem, because it is not related to function. Echos are not a routine part of a seven year-olds physical. Thank God that another situation led to him having an echo, or we would never have known. Not all people are as lucky to find the problem through happenstance. I feel so badly for this family.

To suggest that these parents neglected the warnings, with knowledge of their child's condition, is slanderous. Not to mention cruel. Unless of course a poster on this board knows for a fact that these parents purposely put their child on this ride, knowing full well that he could die.

 

[Melwood23]

My heart goes out to this family and all families who lose loved ones at a time of joy.

As for the AED, I agree then need more, and yes they would need, least in my opinion all CM's on the use of them, since CM's can be moved around from time to time. But the thing is, even with the training, can all CM's handle and emergency such as this? Will they all be able to keep a level head and be able to use the AED, and use it properly? I miss used AED could as easily be harmful (though I don't know alot about them), but if not set right, could it not do more harm than good?

Would it also not be benificial to have more EMT stations close to these more intense rides, just for this purpose?


As for why is Disney seeming to have the problems? I think it is more because it is DISNEY. They are bigger, more popular than all other parks (IMHO). Plus could some people visiting, especially the first time, have a false sense of saftey because it is Disney? What I mean, when the get on say RnRC, do they really think it is a intense ride like US or IofA, or more Disneytized version (tamer)? I don't know.

I just get tired of the media sensationalizing it...like...ohh..big Disney had another death.

just another sad, sad happenstance, and nothing we can really do but pray for the families of these tragedies.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

The death is the seventh in 18 months involving people stricken at Walt Disney World attractions, compared with two such deaths in the previous 18 months, according to state records.

2 deaths on Mission Space (health related)

1 death in wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon (health related)

1 death on Pirates of the Carribean (health related)

1 death on Big Thunder Mountian Railroad (person left ride vehicle)

1 death on Rocknroller Coaster (cause unknown)

That is 6 I'm not sure of the 7th.

This is a truely tragic event, my prayers are with this family.

I have an 8 year old in good health. But you never know if your child has an undetected problem. I def not going to force her to ride any thrill rides. If she wants to ride fine, I don't think I could live with myself if I forced her to ride and something happened. I'm not saying that Disney rides are not safe or that this will keep me from riding. I'm just going to let my child decide what rides she wants to ride.