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

[wicket2005]

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.

Thanks. It is just a nightmare when something like this happens. The only ride I am a bit doubtful about is Mission Space, it sounds so intense.

I just feel so desperately sorry for the girl and her family, it is such a terrible thing to happen in such a magical place.

 

[paulh]

some 30 million people a year visit florida and its parks and there will be things like this happening all the time but because it hapeened in a theame park it will go on the news
Paulh

 

[wicket2005]

True. It is whether or not the ride has contributed to the problem or brought out an undetected problem that makes it worthy of media attention. It is poor consolation to the families who have lost people after going on a ride even if millions have been ok on it before, when they lose a loved one. They must be that questioning doubt that their loved one would still have been alive if they hadn't gone on that ride.

The trouble is people are walking around with undiagnosed conditions which may or may not be affected by certain extreme rides. I watched a programme of Sky the other week which illustrated exactly what your body goes through on rollercoasters. Many people didn't realise how the rides affected their bodies.

Everyone presumes rides are safe but the more extreme the rides get the higher the toll on our bodies becomes. When you hear about these accidents it does make you wary for your loved ones, after all their lives are more important than what is basically a fairground ride.

The only ride I am a bit dubious about is Mission Space, primarily because so many people feel ill after it which doesn't seem the ideal way to feel on a holiday. However, at the same time I would love to experience the ride but news of the little boy dying does make you question the sensibility of going on it.

 

[sunshine state]

I dont think it was anything to do with the ride personally, my thoughts go out to the family in this terrible time but maybe she was born with a problem she has only just found out about it now, who knows.

 

[disneyholic family]

it's being covered by the local news here in Orlando...
she had an aneurysm that ruptured....
they showed her picture....the one taken on the ToT....
she's all smiling and happy and beautiful...
very tragic....the news report said that her father was flying over to orlando (the girl was visiting WDW together with her mother, the father was at home with her brother)...

 

[gilld]

it's being covered by the local news here in Orlando...
she had an aneurysm that ruptured....
they showed her picture....the one taken on the ToT....
she's all smiling and happy and beautiful...
very tragic....the news report said that her father was flying over to orlando (the girl was visiting WDW together with her mother, the father was at home with her brother)...

If she had an aneurysm then the ride probably did cause it to rupture but didn't cause the aneurysm itself.

The stress some of these rides place on our body is increasing which is fine if we don't have undetected heart disease, but if we do then we are at increased risk.

Life is a risk, just walking outside your home is a risk, but I am desperately sorry for this young girl and her family, and I'm sure it will be no compemsation to them knowing it could happen to anyone susceptable.

 

[nicknsara]

my hubby hAD A VERY MILD STROKE IN MAY 2005.this means no rollercoasters for us(phew) i say.hes only 39

we were if you can say lucky,dont tell nick that.we found out before we went.

if you all get the chance have an MOT at youre doctors it might help


nick n sara

 

[arieliwish]

nicknsara, DH had a severe stroke 18 months ago at age 49, he'd suffered with high blood pressure for 10 years and this ultimately made his heart go out of rhythm, causing blood to pool in heart and form a clot which then travelled to his brain. Result was total parallasis on right side and almost no speech. He has made a remarkable recovery, and is continuing to progress even now, physically he's almost back to normal, only really struggling with speech now.

We visited WDW last Sept for the first time (life's too short to keep saying 'when the kids are bigger', 'when we save enough money', 'maybe next year', etc.) and as DH is on LOADS of medication, we went on most of the rides, but not the very big ones (ToT, Mission Space, RnRC). We also didn't do the biggies at US/IOA or Seaworld's Kraken.

It didn't stop us having a good time, you just have to pace yourself and think a bit more about what you're doing. We'll do the same this Sept.

I do feel sad for this girl and her family, but you can't live your life wondering what will happen, you just have to live it. I'm sure that's what they were doing, whether they knew about her condition or not.

 

[Beth__WDW23/6/02]

This is tragic news, I feel for her family, it could possibly of been a underlying problem,or not.

I am not a rides fan whatsoever,so I never have rode any of the big rides at disney, I still have a great time,it has made me question when we go back especially for DD who is nearly 6,she has rode the TOT but I am not letting her ride it again.

DP fell ill after riding mission space,he is a huge rides fan but this ride took it out of him he was ill all evening, with sickness, dizzyness etc, these rides do put a toll on your body, it's just a shame something like this makes you realise.

My thoughts are with her family...

 

[steve_rob]

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

Actually I read on the web somewhere (can't find the link to the article now though) that someone in her family said it was her favourite ride and she'd already done it something like five times that day.

It also mentioned that she was complaining of a headache and leg cramps before arriving at the park. I wonder if she may have suffered from a mild case of DVT on the flight out (these are typical symptoms) and a blood clot had developed?

Certainly want to join everyone else on the board in saying my thoughts are with her family right now.

----------------

EDIT - Found the article on the Orlando Sentinel website now. As you need a subscription to view it, I'll post the relevant parts here.

Teen went on ride many times

By Willoughby Mariano and Jerry W. Jackson | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted July 14, 2005

No one saw it coming. Over and over again, Leanne Deacon rode the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror thrill ride without a hitch. The British teen had visited Disney-MGM Studios six times in a week.

Before Leanne, 16, suffered cardiac arrest Tuesday -- minutes after exiting the popular attraction -- Leanne's only recent health complaints were headaches and leg cramps, according to details released in an Orange County sheriff's report Wednesday.

Leanne remained in critical condition at Florida Hospital Orlando this morning, two days after doctors discovered blood on her brain and performed emergency surgery.

----------------------

Moments before falling ill, Leanne smiled, as revealed in a souvenir snapshot taken by a Tower of Terror camera and released by the Sheriff's Office. At 9:49 a.m. Tuesday, as the ride took its final plunge, Leanne's eyes closed and her mouth grinned wide.

Leanne exited at 9:50 a.m., shaking and lightheaded. She drifted in and out of consciousness and her arm fell limp, the report states.

By the time she arrived in an ambulance at Florida Hospital Celebration Health, her heart had stopped beating. Emergency workers had to revive her, Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said.

A CT scan showed the teen had bleeding in her brain and required emergency surgery, the report states. She was later transferred to the Orlando hospital.

Leanne's sudden illness shocked her mother, June Deacon, 54, who rode Tower of Terror with her daughter Tuesday morning, according to the sheriff's report.

Leanne Deacon "is very active, athletic, jogs regularly, and is in great health," June Deacon told investigators. The girl "had been complaining of headaches and leg cramps for several days," the report states.

 

[rosiejo]

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

Are you sure about this? I read the article in a newspaper here in the UK on the 15th saying she was in a critical condition. And the article someone else printed on this thread was dated the 14th and said the same thing?

It's a tragic thing to happen when you're on holiday and our thoughts are with her family.

 

[Mr-D]

The BBC web site said yesterday (15th) that she is unchanged in a critical condition. It's a bit confusing but hopefully she will pull through.

D

 

[paulh]

the deaths are a 70 odd old woman who died on pirates ride reporst said that before visiting had had multipule mini sroke and was in very poor health before visiting WDW.and outher death was a 4 year old who died after going on Mision space .latest on brit girl they think she had DVT from the flight from uk she had ridden TOT lots of times that week without problems but the day before had been complaning of headaces and tiredness for a few days before incident
Paulh

Alwas note that if a death happens its never at the parks but at the hospital where they have been pronounced dead so there has never been a death at any of the parks

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Sadly, on our local station they said she had died, otherwise I wouldn't have posted saying this - but it's not the first time (thankfully) they've gotten something wrong.