Boy dies after Disney roller coaster ride - did you hear about this???

[mommy*RN]

This is the article I just printed from Yahoo! News:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - A 12-year-old boy died after riding a roller coaster Thursday at the Disney MGM theme park, the latest in a string of tragedies that have stung Walt Disney World in recent years.

Michael Russell of Fort Campbell, Ky., had ridden the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with his parents and 7-year-old brother. When the ride was finished, Byron Russell noticed Michael was limp, pulled him off the ride and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, Orange County sheriff's spokeswoman Barbara Miller said.

The boy was pronounced dead after he was taken by ambulance to Celebration Hospital at about 11:30 a.m., Disney said in a statement. The cause of death was not immediately determined.

"According to the family, he was a very healthy child," Miller said.

State officials say he is the ninth person to die at Disney World since 2003. At least 14 people have died at Disney's two theme parks in Florida and California since 1989.

The park closed the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster but said a preliminary investigation showed the ride was operating normally.

The sheriff's office was investigating at the scene. State park safety officials were also notified.

A Disney spokesman said the company was assisting the family.

"Our deepest concerns are with the family," Disney spokesman Jacob DiPietre said.

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."

Theme park consultants said the ride is relatively tame.

"As roller coasters go that is not considered an ultra, ultra high-thrill coaster," said David Speigel, president of Cincinnati-based International Theme Park Services Inc. "It does have some high launch speeds, but it's more along the traditional lines of what roller coasters are today."

Disney MGM is among the Walt Disney Co.'s four parks in Florida.

___

Associated Press Writer Kelli Kennedy in Miami contributed to this report.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family...how tragic!

 

[brat5063]

Oh no, how sad. I didn't hear that. My thoughts and prayers to the family. I can't imagine.

 

[KristinU]

Very, very sad and tragic - I just can't even imagine what the family is going through. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

 

[petrymom]

I read about this yesterday. What a horrible tragedy. I feel for the family.

 

[LegoMom3]

I just heard this on my local news and came here to see if anyone had posted info. Absolutley tragic....

Does Disney just seem to be plagued with this lately, or does it happen elsewhere but you just don't get the publicity??! As the article from the OP states, there are far more super-thrill type coasters at other theme parks.

Regardless this is really about the family and I cannot fathom the horror they are going through. A trip to Disney is supposed to be about a really great family vacation....NO one expects something like this.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

There's a whole thread on this on the theme parks board.

 

[molly2004]

I wonder why you don't hear about such incidents at Universal or Six Flags, which I think has more hard-core rides than Disney. Is it because the media is ganging up in DIsney?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I just heard this on my local news and came here to see if anyone had posted info. Absolutley tragic....

Does Disney just seem to be plagued with this lately, or does it happen elsewhere but you just don't get the publicity??! As the article from the OP states, there are far more super-thrill type coasters at other theme parks.

Regardless this is really about the family and I cannot fathom the horror they are going through. A trip to Disney is supposed to be about a really great family vacation....NO one expects something like this.

They are the only place that gets publicity. Someone on the CB asked the same question and a quick google revealed that a child was seriously injured this year at Cypress Gardens after a fall from a roller coaster. I live locally and I have no memory of that on the news.

Deaths and serious or minor injury happen all over the country. They just don't have Mickey Mouse as their mascot so it rarely makes national news.
http://www.rideaccidents.com/
http://www.themeparkinsider.com/accidents/list.cfm

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I wonder why you don't hear about such incidents at Universal or Six Flags, which I think has more hard-core rides than Disney. Is it because the media is ganging up in DIsney?

Yep--Universal did have a woman die after riding the Hulk in 2003 at IOA.

And if you check links above you will find incidents all over the country.

It isn't ganging up--it is ratings--people hear death at Disney--they tune in. (okay yes it is ganging up!)

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Yes I heard about that last night on the news. That is so horrible.
I can't beleive that 9 people have died there since 2003. It seems like such a big number. You would just never think of something like that happening on your way to WDW. (or anywhere for that matter.)
My heart also goes out to that family

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

ON the CB thread someone has posted that prelim autopsy results were released and he had some congenital heart issues.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Yes I heard about that last night on the news. That is so horrible.
I can't beleive that 9 people have died there since 2003. It seems like such a big number. You would just never think of something like that happening on your way to WDW. (or anywhere for that matter.)
My heart also goes out to that family

I'd have to look them all up--but at least half were something wrong with the individual when they chose to ride the ride.

While sad--it isn't Disney's fault.

 

[mrsmiller]

My prayers for this family also

Because of this my husband spoke to our Dr. to see if right before the trip we could give the kids a complete physical including a stress test and MRI's
I know there is no guarantee but sometimes there is medical conditions that unless you have certains test you will not know about.

Linnette

 

[all4fun]

Yep--Universal did have a woman die after riding the Hulk in 2003 at IOA.

And if you check links above you will find incidents all over the country.

It isn't ganging up--it is ratings--people hear death at Disney--they tune in. (okay yes it is ganging up!)

Someone on the theme park thread also commented that it's a numbers game. Disney gets many more visitors per year than IOA (or other parks) do. I don't remember the number but it was a lot more. So just statistically Disney is more likely to have more people die at their parks than other parks simply due to the sheer numbers of visitors they get every year. It makes sense.

It is still very tragic and my heart goes out to the family. I can't even imagine...

 

[slo]

Yes, I have heard about it on The Community Board, and it just breaks my heart I feel so sad for that family - I just can't imagine that pain they are going through.

 

[mommiepoppins]

That is so sad that poor family. My prayers go out to them

 

[jessica52877]

My prayers for this family also

Because of this my husband spoke to our Dr. to see if right before the trip we could give the kids a complete physical including a stress test and MRI's
I know there is no guarantee but sometimes there is medical conditions that unless you have certains test you will not know about.

Linnette

I think that is a great idea. I was thinking something along the same lines, my son had a slight heart murmur detected at his 3 yr check up. They said it was perfectly normal for kids his age and they normally outgrow them, not to take any precautions or do anything different because of it but it makes you think. He loves thrill rides, anything he tall enough for, he isn't even 4 yet, so it really worries me.

I cannot imagine taking my family on vacation and something like this happening. No, it usually isn't disney's fault but just horrible in general.

 

[Goofy22]

I read in the news paper yesterday that the young boy had some kind of congenital heart defect that they family was unaware of! That is sooo Sad!
My prayers are with the family!

 

[Mom to Jordan]

My prayers for this family also

Because of this my husband spoke to our Dr. to see if right before the trip we could give the kids a complete physical including a stress test and MRI's
I know there is no guarantee but sometimes there is medical conditions that unless you have certains test you will not know about.

Linnette

You know I just do not know. With many of these heart defects that children die unexpectedly from there is NOTHING they could have done anyway. I just do know know if I would want to know or not. Most correctable defects do have symptoms and they of course need diagnosis and treatment.

We had a 12 yr, old at our local school last year that just droped over dead in the hall at school after lifting a desk. Seemed to be 100% healthy, had sports physical every year. Turned out to be one of those heart defects that you could not treat. The parents were glad they had not know because they are not sure they would have let him live a normal life.

Sure a sad sad sorry.
Prayers for EVERYONE involved.

Jordans' mom

 

[mrsmiller]

There are medical conditions that there is nothing that you can do to prevent them, but at the same time if you know of them you take precaution, I know of a case that a teacher notice this boy get out of breath every time he'll run or play in the school playard ,he mentioned this to the mother and she took the boy to the doctor and they were lucky, he had some kind of deformation of the heart and needed surgery, I know not everybody will be so lucky, but it gives a little peace of mind. In my case my boys are a little overweight and asthmatics eventhough the doctor told me that they are very healthy we are paying extra for the physical.