Child's Death at Epcot

[mking624]

Yes I am blaming and will blame Disney if in fact the child died because he was dehydrated and the spinning effect caused him to pass out and die. There are no signs that state this anywhere on that ride and if it can happen then they should post it and if they didn't know, then it's their responsibility to find out beforehand. Just because you don't blame Disney doesn't mean I can't. Don't pyscho analyze me, you are not qualified. Your logic is foolish, look at your examples, they have absolutely nothing to do with what has happened. Stick to the facts here, the story states that a four year old died after passing out on MS, what conclusion am I to come to? Don't go down the line with ridiculous "oh are you going to blame cars.." give me a break. You have your side, I have mine. If my dog bites someone, I am not going to blame the dog, I am going to blame myself because I am the owner of the dog. Disney is the owner of the ride, they make bazillions a year off it, if it's not fit for a 4 year old who is dehydrated then they need to post it. We are not even sure how he died, just that he passed out and died. You can take your four year old on any ride you want, I'll do the same (although mine are 7 now, but you get my point). Have a great day.

I'm not psycho analyzing you. But you sure do take the liberty to psycho analyze Disney. My logic is not foolish. I am simply taking your logic to it's conclusion. You feel the need to blameshift. You take an example of dehydration and feel the need to blame someone else for it. And I am sticking to the VERY few facts we have. I don't feel a need to point fingers until ALL facts are in. It's unfair judgment. You don't know the full situation, so it's unfair and unreasonable of you to blame anyone at this point. Let's take your dog example. If someone was beating up your dog and the dog tried to defend itself by biting...would it be fair for the person who was bit to blame you? I don't believe it would be...because the person was beating the dog. But if someone just said "the dog bit someone", I have no way of determining who is at fault because I don't know the full situation. Courtrooms need evidence of fault before they can convict/condemn someone. Apparently, you don't. So am I right to assume that you have all the answers in the world and you are some sort of god who knows it all that you could prevent such things from ever happening? Because this is what you're expecting of Disney....

It just saddens me that you need to rush to conclusion about things when you don't even know all the facts yourself. Take a deep breath and wait for the answers before you condemn anyone.

 

[LoriZH]

So, who caused the child to be dehydrated in the first place? Parents for not watching out the kid. So, using your logic, the parental units are to blame for child endangerment.

This is a sad case and blame can be spread like manure on a farm field. But I think people here are just arguing for the arguing's sake.

Are you serious??? I am being dragged over the coals for blaming Disney then you read one post and say I am blaming the parents? You didn't even read the post, I said if the child died from dehydration (because someone asked me what if...and it was their scenerio not mine, so I answered them) then I would think it would be Disney's fault for not posting signs. Are you reading the same posts?

Gee...you can get dehydrated without even knowing, it's not the parents fault. If it was a factor in the rides warning then you would make sure that the child is not dehydrated or not take them on at all at such a young age because they cannot fully communicate to you.

 

[MomsGoneGoofy]

How terribly sad. I can't even imagine what pain the family is experiencing. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and CM involved.

 

[Feralpeg]

I wonder if the child had an aneurysm? The change in pressure could have caused it to break. My mom died of an aneurysm. There is often no advanced warning. Yes, children can have them. Anyone can have them. If that is the case, it is no ones fault. It is just a tragedy.

 

[scoutsmom99]

This is so sad. and prayers to the family

 

[LoriZH]

It just saddens me that you need to rush to conclusion about things when you don't even know all the facts yourself. Take a deep breath and wait for the answers before you condemn anyone.

And Mary, you should do the same.

 

[mking624]

And Mary, you should do the same.

I am doing the same. I never judged or condemned anyone in this situation. I don't know all the facts and I won't make my judgment on the situation until I do.

 

[faeflora]

Wow, this is just so sad. Our prayers go out to the family. My two great nieces aged 3 and 5 just went to Disney for the first time this year and I was looking at their photos after reading this story. My nieces look so happy with so much joy I am sure that this young boy experienced that same joy. Losing a child is so hard, and when you are planning a wonderful trip to the happiest place on earth this is the last thing that anyone would think of. It is truly a tragedy for that family. May they find comfort and love to help them through their grief.

As for the CM's working that day, I am sure that they are distraught, pixie dust and good thoughts and prayers go out to them also.

 

[DisOrBust]

The question to Disney should be how many people with "underlying health problems " are worth risking. If this child cause of death end up being say a brain anyerusm that was aggravated by this ride and its G force is it worth having??? The g force on M:S is advertized as the "same" forces as the astronaunt feel. However astronaunts are checked over medically with a fine tooth comb, not every guest walking thru a theme park is. The G force on M:S has been a "question" from the begining and right now this is all speculative but I am sure some statistician is saying "told you so" in Burbank.

I also remember Hulk at Universal also having some issues with "brain injuries" that had a occured with a few riders although they were minor.

 

[Neelloc]

The whole thing is very sad. I hope the autopsy provides some answers for the family.

 

[DHSsenior007]

This is so sad! I'm just interested in what the autopsy will discover. I really liked Mission: Space. Sometimes I got dizzy after I rode it, but other times I didn't. For some reason, it can be more extreme on a certain ride than others. In other words, the consistency of the 'intensity' isn't all that great.

My prayers go out to the little boy, his family, and Disney...

 

[LoriZH]

The question to Disney should be how many people with "underlying health problems " are worth risking. If this child cause of death end up being say a brain anyerusm that was aggravated by this ride and its G force is it worth having??? The g force on M:S is advertized as the "same" forces as the astronaunt feel. However astronaunts are checked over medically with a fine tooth comb, not every guest walking thru a theme park is. The G force on M:S has been a "question" from the begining and right now this is all speculative but I am sure some statistician is saying "told you so" in Burbank.

I also remember Hulk at Universal also having some issues with "brain injuries" that had a occured with a few riders although they were minor.

I have to agree with you, is it worth it? There are signs posting about conditions that you know about, but are you protected from the conditions you don't know about? If an attraction is going to cause this kind of reaction, is it worth having at Disney World, the happiest place on earth? People can go on and on and on about the signs and all sorts of analagies of why it's not Disney's repsonsiblity no matter what, but the question still remains, is it worth it?

I cannot imagine one bit and won't pretend to, what that family is going through right now.

 

[Jeanne B]

This is a tragic event, and my prayers go out to the family.

I don't want to get flamed for this, and I am not saying this happened in this case...

There was a thread I posted to about tips and tricks for having your children "appear" taller, so they can get on rides they may have been just barely under the height restrictions. Dozens of moms and dads chimed in on their favorite ways, such as "platform" shoes, or styling up their daughters hair to gain an inch, or suggesting the children sort of "tippie-toe", and of course, making sure they stand up very straight. Every centimeter counts!

This alarmed me, and I suggested that the height requirements are there for a reason - for your childrens' safety. Is it really worth risking the health of your child so they can ride Space Mountain or Tower of Terror? I received very little response, and the tricks and tips kept on coming.

I know a lot of people think that the rules don't apply to them. Or, that bending the rules really doesn't matter. I truly hope that, although this was a horrible situation, that it makes moms and dads give extra thought and consideration before strethcing the rules just to their child can go on a ride that they may not exactly be ready for. There will be more vacations and more memories to be had. Don't bargain with your safety.

This is a little off topic but this thread reminded me of our first time going on ToT over Memorial weekend. There was a little boy standing in front of us with what I assume was his father and they were next in line. Just prior to them directing you which line to get in for boarding there is a height chart obviously for the CM's to refer to and the boy happened to be standing just a foot or so from it and I could see right away that he was a little too short, maybe an inch at the most. The CM came over to direct them what line to go to and she looked at the boy, looked at the chart, looked back at the boy and kind of paused for a moment and then let them go through. This surprised me although I had forgotten about it until now.

Like everyone else here, my heart goes out to this boys family.

 

[Feralpeg]

The question to Disney should be how many people with "underlying health problems " are worth risking. If this child cause of death end up being say a brain anyerusm that was aggravated by this ride and its G force is it worth having??? The g force on M:S is advertized as the "same" forces as the astronaunt feel. However astronaunts are checked over medically with a fine tooth comb, not every guest walking thru a theme park is. The G force on M:S has been a "question" from the begining and right now this is all speculative but I am sure some statistician is saying "told you so" in Burbank.

I also remember Hulk at Universal also having some issues with "brain injuries" that had a occured with a few riders although they were minor.

What most people don't realize is that just about anything can kill a person with an aneurysm. My mom bent over to pick something up. That simple pressure changed killed her. Many people have them and never realize it. Most never break. Should they do away with everything that can cause a pressure change because it could postentially kill someone with an aneurysm? In that case, you would need to close Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, Rock'n Rollercoaster, etc. If it turns out it really was an aneurysm (and we don't know that), the poor little guys days were probably numbered. His would be one of those that was destined to kill him. So sad.

 

[lillygator]

Gee...you can get dehydrated without even knowing, it's not the parents fault. If it was a factor in the rides warning then you would make sure that the child is not dehydrated or not take them on at all at such a young age because they cannot fully communicate to you.

So should we ignore dehydration if we aren't going on rides?

I mean, should we, as parents make sure our children (and ourselves for that matter) are not dehyrdated or do we need signs for that as well?


and I would seriously think the average four year old can communicate...my 2 1/2 year old can fully communicate with us.

 

[back2disney]

The g force on M:S is advertized as the "same" forces as the astronaunt feel. However astronaunts are checked over medically with a fine tooth comb, not every guest walking thru a theme park is.

I'm reminded now of a scene from the movie Spy Kids(I forget which one) but there is an amusement park where all the rides are extreme and on this one ferriswheel the arms extend out like an octopus and fling the riders around like a fly swatter. The children are all smiling and enjoying(maybe even yawning). Lets hope this is a wake up call so reality doesn't copy hollywood here.

 

[lenshanem]

Maybe it is time to go back and build family friendly rides like Walt did and try to quit competing with other amusement parks on who can build the most intense thrill ride. These new wave of rides are just becoming too much. At what point do they stop and say this is too much?!?

 

[LoriZH]

So should we ignore dehydration if we aren't going on rides?

I mean, should we, as parents make sure our children (and ourselves for that matter) are not dehyrdated or do we need signs for that as well?


and I would seriously think the average four year old can communicate...my 2 1/2 year old can fully communicate with us.

You're right! The average kid can probably tell their parents they are thirsty, but some people don't know they're dehydrated until they pass out, it happens, unfortunately. I think it's two different things, but I am not sure. Once again, this was not my scenerio, someone just asked me "what if the child died of dehydration" this is not what I think at all, I was just answering what I thought that's all. I do not claim to be a medical expert. I asked my husband who is a paramedic and he said yes of course you can pass out and die from dehydration. Like I stated, I do not believe the child died that way, I have no idea how the poor little guy died, I was just answering someone's question. My main issue is why a 4 year old should be on a ride like that if it simulateds the G Force trained astronaunts are use to.

Once again, this was NOT my scenerio, you can go back and find out who's scenario it was, I believe it was Mary's so maybe you should ask her the questions and grill her about that kind of stuff.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Orange County detectives say Daudi Bamuwamye of Sellersville, Pa., boarded the ride with his sister and mother Monday afternoon. According to officials, the 4-year-old met the 44-inch height requirement for the ride.

Thank you for the link disneyfan62. Sellersville is only 20 min away from me.
I will be curious to hear what the autopsy shows. I love roller coasters but have been very nervous about attempting this ride. My teen son is the only one in the family brave enough to try it and loved it. He didn't feel it was intense at all.....but then again he just rode Kingda Ka at Six Flags, NJ last week and thought that was fine.
I feel so awful for both the family of this child as well as the family of the boy that died in the Vistana resort pool. Tragic.

 

[lillygator]

we need a "over your head" smilie....