16yr British girl had a heart attack after riding Tower - of -Terror

[snookhams]

I just heard the tale end of this on the news - is it right! - I thought they said she was still in a critical condition and that it happened as she got off the ride? Has anyone else heard anything about this?

 

[mrs-mac]

Yes i heard that too on GMTV this morning, poor girl.

It does make you wonder tho if there must be some underlining illness in these people that goes undetected

 

[mushumadness]

i was wondering the same, if there was another conditon she has

 

[cstraub]

http://www.local6.com/news/4713504/detail.html

 

[Tron[ADS]]

"a 77-year-old Minnesota woman, Gloria Land, died in February after riding the Magic Kingdom's "Pirates of the Caribbean"

I do hope they arent linking that whatsoever with the ride !

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

They've just said on our local news that she died. How sad feel for her poor family, they were all having such a great time I expect

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

By Willoughby Mariano and Jerry W. Jackson | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted July 12, 2005, 7:00 PM EDT

A British teen was in critical condition and undergong surgery at Florida Hospital Celebration Health after falling ill this morning at the Twlight Zone Tower of Terror ride at Disney-MGM Studios, authorities said.

Leanne Deacon, 16, of Kibworth, England, was exiting the ride with her mother at 9:50 a.m. when the girl complained she was feeling lightheaded and had a headache. Her mother, noticing the girl was getting more ill, went back inside the attraction to find an air-conditioned spot to sit down, said Orange County Sheriff's office spokesman Jim Solomons.

Disney employees approached the girl and called paramedics because she needed medical attention. Paramedics arrived at 9:57 a.m. to transport her to the hospital. On the way, the teen lost consciousness and heart function, but medical personnel revived her, Solomons said.

Today's incident comes less than a month after a 4-year-old boy from Pennsylvania collapsed on Epcot's Mission: Space ride and later died. The boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, was visiting the park on June 13, and authorities are awaiting results of an autopsy before saying what caused his death.

Walt Disney World released a statement expressing the company's concern for the Deacon family and said it is "working with them to provide whatever assistance they need."

The statement also said the Orange County Sheriff's Office concluded an initial investigation and found no indication of a ride malfunction at the Tower of Terror. The Florida Department of Agriculture Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection has been notified and will monitor the ride safety inspection, the statement said.

Walt Disney World spokesman Bill Warren said Tower of Terror would not reopen tonight and a determination would be made Wednesday morning whether to reopen it after Disney representatives and state inspectors complete their assessment.

"We just want to run it through the paces and test it to make sure it's completely operational," Warren said. An initial check found no indication of a ride malfunction.

Disney and other major parks with 1,000 or more employees are not required by state law to open their rides to state inspectors. The state's 15 ride inspectors focus instead on Florida's 155 smaller amusement parks and more than 222 traveling amusement companies that set up at fairs, carnivals and festivals.

But Disney and other large parks signed an agreement with the state to voluntarily report ride-incidents serious enough to require a hospital visit, and to sign off on annual inspections provided by on-staff or contract engineers and inspectors.

Warren said state inspectors were not asked to check out Mission: Space after the 4-year-old boy's recent death, and it was reopened after Disney engineers declared it safe, but Disney has invited in state inspectors after past accidents. He said the last case that company representatives could recall inviting in state inspectors was in November 2000, when a 37-year-old man climbed out of a Splash Mountain boat and died when he was struck by other boats in the flume ride.

The ride, which opened in 1994, simulates an elevator that goes haywire in an old hotel, shooting toward the top of the tower and then plunging down.

From the time people are seated and secured in the "elevator" the ride lasts about five minutes, about a minute longer than the Mission: Space ride at Epcot.

In September 1998 seven people were treated and released from hospitals after they complained of back and neck pain after one of the elevator ride cars malfunctioned. An inspection at the time by Reedy Creek, Disney's governmental arm, found that two of three bolts that guide the elevator cables broke, allowing the car to drop one floor before an emergency brake stopped the descent.

All of the bolts were replaced on all four elevator cars and inspectors said incident showed that the emergency braking system worked as designed. A redesign in 1999 added different drop sequences, with seven minor and major drops, up from three. The redesign also added a bit more "air time" or the feeling of weightlessness during drops of as much as 13 stories.

Steve J. Collins of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

 

[nicknsara]

This is a really sad story.

is this ride that bad?.my relation in florida says the ride is still closed.is this the end?

i guess its all insignificate at this stage.

nick n sara

 

[disney13]

This is so sad.

Thoughts and prayers go to the family,
Andy

 

[carolfoy]

Such sad news ditto mushumadness and Mrs mac, also feel there must be some undetected problem as so many people do theses rides, sometimes loads of times back to back and are okay, my son was born with a heart murmur and for that reason alone he won't ever be allowed to ride the huge thrill rides

 

[kristieuk]

Oh, that news is just so awful. It doesn't sound like there is anything wrong with the ride, but it's just not the kind of thing you ever dream of happening, particularly in such a young girl.

It really doesn't bear thinking about. I suppose all we can do is send thoughts and paryers to her poor family, and hope and pray something like this doesn't happen to anyone else. Why do bad things have to happen?

 

[snookhams]

This is so sad, but as said - she must have had some underlyig undetected complaint - as 16yr old's don't just have a heart attack. my thoughts and prayers are with her family at this really sad time.

 

[wicket2005]

Terrible news. Makes me a bit anxious for my family going on the rides because any one of us could have an underlining condition that we don't know about.

 

[drennan]

What sad news especially when it was probably a holiday which the whole family had been looking forward too.... the family must be in total shock and disbelief, my heart goes out to them along with my prayers

ttfn
Sharon x

 

[lucy_love_]

this is very sad. we rode this ride back to back when we went. even my dd5. there must have been something else wrong with that poor girl. maybe something undetected until her body was put under so much pressure. its awful when you here of such bad things happening. my thoughts go out to her family.

lucy

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

By Jerry W. Jackson | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted July 13, 2005, 10:56 AM EDT

Walt Disney World reopened the Tower of Terror ride at Disney-MGM Studios this morning, one day after a British teenager suffered cardiac arrest following a visit to the attraction.

Disney said engineers and ride system experts completed an inspection overnight, under monitoring by an inspector from the Florida Department of Agriculture Bureau of Fair Rides and Exhibitions and found it to be operating properly.

In addition, Disney said in a statement, The Orange County Sheriff's Office also reviewed the incident and found no indication of a ride malfunction.

The teenager, Leanne Deacon, 16, remains in critical condition at Florida Hospital Orlando this morning. Deacon exited the thrill ride at 9:50 a.m. yesterday, shaking and light-headed, and soon lost consciousness. By the time she arrived in an ambulance at Florida Hospital Celebration Health, her heart had stopped beating, Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said.

This morning, there were long lines of people waiting to ride the attraction.

"It's awesome. I would ride it again," said Derenda Davilla, a chaperone for a Lubbock, Texas church group. Davilla hadn't heard about yesterday's incident.

"It's not too scary. It's a fun ride," said Nick Watts, 41, another chaperone. The group of 13 included teens from 13 to 18 years old.

 

[Sarnia]

Terrible news. Makes me a bit anxious for my family going on the rides because any one of us could have an underlining condition that we don't know about.

I understand what you are saying, but don't let it spoil your holiday. From time to time someone young dies of heart problems, and usually they find that they had some kind of heart defect. Fortunately it's very rare. Millions of young people ride on the scarier rides at Disney, Universal etc every year without any problems.

 

[natalielongstaff]

how very sad

 

[florida sun]

Just picked this up from the community board:
Sue

Quote:
She immediately underwent brain surgery at Celebration Hospital. Since then, she has been life-flighted to Florida Hospital where she is listed in critical condition. Her heart stopping was probably a result of something ruptured in her brain. Her mother said she was feeling bad before they even got to the park.
__________________

 

[carolfoy]

I read that too, Sue, she probably only went on that ride 'cos everyone she was with wanted to, poor girl I hope she's better soon