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

[skyscanr]

Well we just did the ride and it was great . I think a lot of folks that read stuff like this have to think about the number of folks per day who ride this and how just using numbers that you are going to have someone who has something wrong with them that they may not know about that just happens to take place at the time they are on the ride or just after.


After all how many kids just drop dead while playing say basket ball and find out it was caused by something they did not know they had ?

 

[BankBunny]

Yes, what happened is a tragedy, but I tend to think that a bigger deal is made because it happened at Disney. As one other poster mentioned there are many rides all over the country much, much worse the RnR. Kingda Ka at Six Flags was mentioned. Dh and I are gong to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH this September and there are emny coasters there worse then RnR (one very similiar and almost as tall as Kingda Ka). Unfortunatly, people do have pre-exsisting conditions and don't know they shouldn't be riding these rides, but are we all supposed to live in fear of what might happen or of what might be wrong with us? We all take risks every day-some smaller some bigger. I just don't think it's fair to just blame the ride or to just blame Disney. I do agree that Disney should be better prepared to handle situations like these should they occur.

 

[LordAthens]

A 911 call at 11:21 a.m. said the boy was unconscious and not breathing after the ride. Reedy Creek Fire Rescue, which responds to emergency calls at Walt Disney World, noted in its 911 call report that there was no defibrillator available before rescue workers arrived about 11:26 a.m.

I'm rather shocked \ amazed that Disney hasn't placed a defib at each one of it's rides. Defribillator's are less than $1000 (at retail, mind you) and training to use the newer ones is very minimal. I'm not saying it would have saved the kids life, but I just found it as odd in the report.

 

[MickeynMinnie]

my thoughts and prayers go out to the family! It is sad that this happened to someone so young!! I agree with others that it was probally something that was preexistiting but the family probally didn't know about it... i mean come on do you really think any parent would send their child on a ride that could harm them?? i would hope not..

 

[maddhatir]

<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/

so you are saying it disneys fault???

 

[funshipm174]

I'm rather shocked \ amazed that Disney hasn't placed a defib at each one of it's rides. Defribillator's are less than $1000 (at retail, mind you) and training to use the newer ones is very minimal. I'm not saying it would have saved the kids life, but I just found it as odd in the report.

Great point.
I just wonder when one of the reports come back about one of these sad losses that there is no pre-existing condition, what people will say. Preobably that it's fate.

 

[ANTSS2001]

Yes, what happened is a tragedy, but I tend to think that a bigger deal is made because it happened at Disney.

exactly!!!


Any other accidents/incidents that have caused death all over the country have made it to the newspaper but since they don't have that magnetic pull to the media, you're lucky to even noticed it.

 

[tamman]

Wow, I am shocked that disney does not have a defiberator at each of the more intense rides. I know we have one at the school where I teach. Could it have something to do with training or liability?

 

[tamman]

oops- I meant defribillator

 

[TDC Nala]

According to the article, this boy was 12. His brother is 7. That may be where the age mixup came from.

 

[littlebigdog]

Wow, I am shocked that disney does not have a defiberator at each of the more intense rides. I know we have one at the school where I teach. Could it have something to do with training or liability?

oops- I meant defribillator

So, I guess you're not the english teacher??

 

[Dorisk3]

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.

I'm a little shocked how cold you are about this situation- you feel bad for the CM's?!?!?!?! What about the people that DIED and their families!!!!!! A normal 12 year old is not tested for pre-existing conditions. In another thread someone once said about Disney bias: if the mouse kicked sand in your kids face you'd say the kid had it coming! The tragedy might not have been Disney's fault but don't blame the victim or the victim's parents either. That is just heartless.

 

[TLHB70]

Greta just did a segment about it on her show. There really wasn't any new information. She did interview the lawyer representing the mom of the 4 year old boy. He mainly talked about the lack of defibrillators. I did notice that Greta said something like this isn't the first death on the/a rollercoaster as she led into the story about the 4 year old boy. She did say his death was on Mission Space in Epcot, though. She just made it sound like Mission Space was a roller coaster.

 

[valandemmy]

1st let me say that disney is visited by MILLIONS and MILLIONS of ppl each year, from all walks of life and HEALTH histories. the problem is because it is the most *magical* place on earth, it draws more attention to the unfortunate situation. with out an extensive physical there would be no way anyone would have known something was wrong with this child ahead of time. with no type of cardiac (which is what I assume occured) symptoms no doctor would put a child through a stress test or anything of the kind.

with that said....

I think that ALL PEOPLE of able body and mind should be taught CPR. all CPR courses now include training on how to USE AED's. Although its not quite as fancy as you see on TV, it can still help save someones life or at least sustain life until trained persons can arrive.

the AHA has changed some things about CPR this past year, so if has been awhile since you were trained, a refresher course would be a good idea.

DISNEY should have an AED on EVERY RIDE, not just intense ones, you never know when something is going to happen, and you should not have to run a mile to find something that could possible save someones life.


JMO,

Thanks,
Charles

 

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

How sad! And to think it could have happened to any of us. RnR was my DS, 7, favorite ride last trip. He absolutely loved it! It is sad to think of a trip to such a happy place ends in such tragedy. Better love your family while they are here, we never know when our number will be called. My prayers go out to the family.

 

[happyonhorseback]

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.

 

[TerBear4]

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!!!!!!

VERY WELL SAID!!! My thoughts exactly!!

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.

BTW, Anderson Cooper is getting ready to air a discussion on this story on CNN.

 

[pamouselover]

Oh my, We just heard as a family about the death of this young boy will playing disney trivia tonight. This is just so sad. My thoughts and prays go out to the family. Break my heart knowing that some family is sufer at a time that should be the most magical.
My DD is unable to sleep now. She wants to know how a boy could die on this ride, which she just rode a million times last Sept. I wish she did not hear about it. She has a friend going to Disney world the end of next month.

Please think fellow disers, that this family could be a Diser also, use some compassion in your posts.This does not need to be a bashing match.

 

[tinkerbellcruiser]

I am so saddened by this. My heart goes out to the family.

I have twin boy's who are 15. Last year they went in for their wresting and hockey physical for high school. They found a murmer in one of them but said not to worry. They sent us for a heart echo and the next day we were at U of M with two full blown cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopothy. Thickened heart musscle.

These boy's have played hockey since they were four years old. They also wrestled and played lacrosse. They were the picture of health, no one would have ever thought any thing was wrong. Needless to say their lives are changed for ever. No more sports and they must watch what they do now on. It's been extreamly hard on them. Now we go the U twice a year and their echoed and ekg'ed. Their heart's have stayed the same since we found out but they will have to be carefull their entire life. We are trully blesses that we found out.

I am telling you this because you just never no what can happen from day to day. We are the lucky ones that someone caught the murmer in one of them. The other twin we would have never known any thing was wrong until it was to late. Usually this condition does not show it self until the teen year's or later. That's why so many high school and college boy's collapse in so many sport's. No one thinks any thing is wrong with them. You have to have a murmer and then an echo. The parent's probobly would not have found out about a problem till he got in his teen's or later if it was the same condition.

They should have a defibb on all the rides. That is the only thing that will bring them back. But it has to be used right away. Rides can set off the problem. It has something to do with the adrenallin being released. We have had four kids by us die this year already. One in track, two in swimming and one in basketball. My heart goes out to all these kids and families everywhere that have these heart problems.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Wow! This is just so sad. My heart breaks for that family. Can you just imagine the horror of being on a ride and knowing something is so terribly wrong before the ride even stops? Maybe I am wrong, but all the other issues (bad press for WDW, ride safety, etc...) just don't catch my attention on this. The horror of it all makes me so sad.

FWIW, RnRC is one of DS6 favorite rides. He rode it multiple times when he was 5. I am wondering whether we will be letting him ride it when we go this fall