Child's Death at Epcot

[mking624]

he also did state that sure you can die from shock or dehydration on an intense ride, so yes you can die from passing out that is exactly what happened to the child.

If you die from shock or dehydration, that's not dying because you passed out. You can't die from passing out alone. There is something else that occurs that causes your body to die. Passing out alone is not a cause of death. However, something that happened that caused you to pass out (such as the shock or dehydration you mention) can be a cause of death.

It does sounds like you're trying to do a lot of blameshifting. Now you're claiming it's Disney's fault if he happened to be dehydrated. So if you were really thirsty, are you going to blame the entire world because there aren't signs posted everywhere saying you should get something to drink?

Are you going to blame car makers because the chances of you dying in a car accident are far greater than someone dying in any other "unnatural death"? Are you going to say to stop making cars?

Do you also blame all hospitals because people die in them and say they should all be shut down?

Do you blame all bodies of water if someone drowns and say they should be dried up?

My point is that you need to take your reasoning to logical conclusion. Unfortunately trragic things happen with no way to prevent it. Trying to point fingers isn't going to give closure to anyone...all it does it bring on more hurt and anger. We're not invincible, we're not immortal...so there are going to be things that happen that are out of our control...and out of Disney's control. Blaming them isn't going to satisfy anyone.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

As wonderfully built as the ride is I would rather Disney(barf bags are available-Good Grief!) not have it than to blame the child and keep the ride.

Um, how is saying the poor child MIGHT have had a heart condition "blaming" him????? Makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

[rgf207]

This is very sad news and I feel for the family but I honestly dont think it was Disney's fault. I have never rode M:S and I wont either because I do not do well on spinning rides. I have a feeling that there was an underlying medical condition that was sparked by the ride. Maybe the family had no idea about it but I know there are tons of warnings posted everywhere and the boy did meet the requirements.

 

[cocowum]

Also, correct me if I'm wrong and not to be "nitpicky", but I believe the definition of a toddler is aged 12 to 36 months. This child was much older than a toddler, being at least 48 months, and much taller if he was 44".

ITA.

We rode M:S and were disappointed. We actually thought it was a little boring.

I also believe there was some underlying condition. My prayers go out to the family. It's such and horrible thing to lose a child.

 

[pamouselover]

too sad for words.

 

[LoriZH]

Who makes the decision about which rides are too intense and where do you draw the line? We took my nephew at age six and started out "light" with Goofy's Barnstormer, and moved to "more intense" from there. He did EVERYTHING Disney had to offer, multiple times, and loved every minute of it.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong and not to be "nitpicky", but I believe the definition of a toddler is aged 12 to 36 months. This child was much older than a toddler, being at least 48 months, and much taller if he was 44".

You could probably be correct, I am just thinking about clothing size 4T (I thought that meant toddler).

You also have a valid point, however, would you want to take the risk again if you were Disney? We all had problems on MS (me, dh, dd 11, dn 16 and our ds's twin 6 yo's) the six year olds were the ONLY ones who did NOT get sick! However, I think that a 4 year old is just too young for that ride, especially if he did have a pre-existing medical condition that he was far too young to relay to his parents. We depend on Disney and their experts when it comes to their attractions, who knew this could happen. I know when a four year old gets sick, he or she give you about a 2 second warning before they toss their cookies and most of them can't even relay they have to go to the bathroom until it's coming out of them! I think at 6 they can start to feel things coming on a lot better. I don't know what the answer is, I do know however, Disney needs to change their policy regarding MS regardless.

 

[Tinkerchele]

This is DisneyWorld not Cedar Point or Six Flags Magic Mountain. As wonderfully built as the ride is I would rather Disney(barf bags are available-Good Grief!) not have it than to blame the child and keep the ride.

I read alot of the posts on this thread too and I don't get the impression that anyone is 'blaming' anyone...especially the child. Just alot of people trying to make sense of what may have happened...

 

[HaleyB]

That is so sad.
I am wondering, is 4 alwul young to be that tall or do a lot of 4 year olds make that hieght? My 6 year old loves this ride... now I wonder what they will find. I hope they let us all know.
I wonder if it is pre exisiting? There are so many invisable heart problems.
That poor mother. What a horrible thing.

 

[indigoxtreme]

Until all the final information is in there is no since in this it is his or her fault. We don't know what the child died from, yes it is a horrible experience and one that I wouldn't wish on my worste enemy. But lets all just wait and see what the autopsy shows. There have been so many recent report about young athlete that have died and they had unknown health problems. Let's just pray for the family's healing and hope they are able to go on from this point forward.

 

[krystyana]

I truly feel for the family... the loss of a child must be devastating....that being said...I think most of the people stating that there must have been a preexisting problem are probably correct...even a little exposure to the health care field allows you to know that healthy four year olds do not pass out and die under normal circumstances. If is was a fault in the ride design this would be a more common occurance. When a tradgedy occurs it is common to look for someone or something to blame...it's one of the reasons my state's healthcare system is in such trouble....endless lawsuits looking for compensation....Disney posts warnings about their rides...You as the rider and parent make the concious decision to ride... LorizH you state that if the child was dehydrated and died it is Disney's responsibility..I'm not sure I understand the logic....There are warnings posted, that is their responsibility as is the restraint system. Thousands of people ride these rides everyday with no incidence. You have a better chance of getting hit by a car than dying on an amusement ride. Unexplained deaths happen every day and more often than not noone is at fault or to blame.

 

[lovethattink]

That is so sad.
I am wondering, is 4 alwul young to be that tall or do a lot of 4 year olds make that hieght? My 6 year old loves this ride... now I wonder what they will find. I hope they let us all know.
I wonder if it is pre exisiting? There are so many invisable heart problems.
That poor mother. What a horrible thing.

(My son was tall enough at 4 to ride rock n roller coaster.)

 

[back2disney]

Um, how is saying the poor child MIGHT have had a heart condition "blaming" him????? Makes absolutely no sense to me.

Its not the first thing that pops in my head.

 

[LoriZH]

If you die from shock or dehydration, that's not dying because you passed out. You can't die from passing out alone. There is something else that occurs that causes your body to die. Passing out alone is not a cause of death. However, something that happened that caused you to pass out (such as the shock or dehydration you mention) can be a cause of death.

It does sounds like you're trying to do a lot of blameshifting. Now you're claiming it's Disney's fault if he happened to be dehydrated. So if you were really thirsty, are you going to blame the entire world because there aren't signs posted everywhere saying you should get something to drink?

Are you going to blame car makers because the chances of you dying in a car accident are far greater than someone dying in any other "unnatural death"? Are you going to say to stop making cars?

Do you also blame all hospitals because people die in them and say they should all be shut down?

Do you blame all bodies of water if someone drowns and say they should be dried up?

My point is that you need to take your reasoning to logical conclusion. Unfortunately trragic things happen with no way to prevent it. Trying to point fingers isn't going to give closure to anyone...all it does it bring on more hurt and anger. We're not invincible, we're not immortal...so there are going to be things that happen that are out of our control...and out of Disney's control. Blaming them isn't going to satisfy anyone.

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.

 

[buzzriders]

 

[deejohn]

I agree that no one is to blame. This just happened. There are risks in everything we do. This is just a tragic situation. It is probably a combination of things - a ride too intense for a 4 yr old, who may/may not have had a condition. Hopfully, some good will come out of this so that it doen't happen again.

 

[lucincia]

.... 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.

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.

 

[disboy21086]

Wow.... unreal...... I'm a wimp when it comes to rides, and was actually Considering riding Mission Space on my upcoming trip in 2 weeks....After this report, No way!!!!

Mom just called from work and told me, and then immediately checked the boards for the thread.

Thoughts & Prayers with the Family.

No Reports yet, on the local news affilliates here in Boston as of yet, probably will be on the evening news.

 

[gtrist4life]

Unbelievable....My thoughts and prayers to the family and everyone else affected. The CMs, the response EMTs, etc. Hopefully when the facts come in, we can be more knowledgeable and prevent this from happening again.

Peace,
G4L

 

[SnackyStacky]

This is starting to get very heated - and it has little if anything to do with the topic of this board.

Because of the nature of this thread, I will simply give a warning. If you wish to pass on condolences, or just discuss - please feel free. But do not sling personal attacks, and be civil.

If you cannot abide by those terms, I will have to close this thread.

 

[WDWBetsy]

You could probably be correct, I am just thinking about clothing size 4T (I thought that meant toddler).

You also have a valid point, however, would you want to take the risk again if you were Disney? We all had problems on MS (me, dh, dd 11, dn 16 and our ds's twin 6 yo's) the six year olds were the ONLY ones who did NOT get sick! However, I think that a 4 year old is just too young for that ride, especially if he did have a pre-existing medical condition that he was far too young to relay to his parents. We depend on Disney and their experts when it comes to their attractions, who knew this could happen. I know when a four year old gets sick, he or she give you about a 2 second warning before they toss their cookies and most of them can't even relay they have to go to the bathroom until it's coming out of them! I think at 6 they can start to feel things coming on a lot better. I don't know what the answer is, I do know however, Disney needs to change their policy regarding MS regardless.

Regardless of someone's age, someone can have an unknown pre-existing condition without any prior symptoms and just die. People have heart conditions, head bleeds/strokes every day doing normal activities and also while at theme parks. Many do not have any idea that they have conditions or that they're going to die, and many cannot ask for help. I could be sitting in a car and just appear to pass out, when in fact I'm having a stroke and dying. How many children and adults accidentally hit their heads and then die later on because they don't think it's a big deal and didn't seek medical attention?

I see this every single day at my job. It's not pretty, but it's life. It's really important to live life to the fullest each and every single day and love those around us while we're with them.

For goodness sake, warnings are posted on the most serene rides. Read the signs and decide for yourself. If your child can follow directions and seems old enough and meets the posted requirements, then its your decision. If you experience problems on M:S, don't ride it. If your symptoms seem severe, seek medical attention.

But until the medical examiner announces this little boy's cause of death, we're all just second-guessing and offering opinions.

*sending lots of pixie dust and prayers to this little boy's family *