Disney Reopens Attraction Hospitalized Girl Had Ridden
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Following an overnight inspection, Disney World officials reopened Wednesday an attraction closed when a 16-year-old British girl almost died after riding it.
Tower of Terror
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Disney invited an official from the state Bureau of Fair Rides and Exhibitions to monitor the inspection of the "Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," which the park doesn't typically do. Florida's major theme parks are not directly regulated by the state, and instead have their own inspectors.
Leanne Deacon, of Kibworth, Leicestershire, remained in critical condition Wednesday after suffering cardiac arrest Tuesday minutes after exiting the attraction, which depicts a haunted elevator ride that plunges more than 100 feet.
Deacon's illness came a month after a 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, died after riding another Disney World attraction, Epcot's "Mission: Space." That ride is so intense that it has motion sickness bags and several riders have been treated for chest pain. An elderly, diabetic woman also died in February after riding the Magic Kingdom's "Pirates of the Caribbean," but the medical examiner said her death "was not unexpected."
Officials aren't releasing precise details of what happened to Deacon, but police say the girl felt nauseous and dizzy after exiting the Tower of Terror.
Leanne thought she'd quickly recover, but park workers nearby who noticed her called in an emergency crew anyway. Before she got to the hospital the girl's condition deteriorated so rapidly that her heart stopped beating and she had to be resuscitated, Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons said. A witness who called 911 said the girl was shaking badly.
On the Tower of Terror, decorated as a haunted hotel, riders are placed in an elevator, which shoots up 13 stories and then plummets back twice. Disney warns riders that they should be "in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure." Pregnant women are advised not to ride.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Following an overnight inspection, Disney World officials reopened Wednesday an attraction closed when a 16-year-old British girl almost died after riding it.
Tower of Terror
GET WFTV NEWS HEADLINES BY EMAIL
9 a.m. Headlines
Noon Headlines
4 p.m. Headlines
News of the Strange
Breaking News Alerts
Disney invited an official from the state Bureau of Fair Rides and Exhibitions to monitor the inspection of the "Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," which the park doesn't typically do. Florida's major theme parks are not directly regulated by the state, and instead have their own inspectors.
Leanne Deacon, of Kibworth, Leicestershire, remained in critical condition Wednesday after suffering cardiac arrest Tuesday minutes after exiting the attraction, which depicts a haunted elevator ride that plunges more than 100 feet.
Deacon's illness came a month after a 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, died after riding another Disney World attraction, Epcot's "Mission: Space." That ride is so intense that it has motion sickness bags and several riders have been treated for chest pain. An elderly, diabetic woman also died in February after riding the Magic Kingdom's "Pirates of the Caribbean," but the medical examiner said her death "was not unexpected."
Officials aren't releasing precise details of what happened to Deacon, but police say the girl felt nauseous and dizzy after exiting the Tower of Terror.
Leanne thought she'd quickly recover, but park workers nearby who noticed her called in an emergency crew anyway. Before she got to the hospital the girl's condition deteriorated so rapidly that her heart stopped beating and she had to be resuscitated, Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons said. A witness who called 911 said the girl was shaking badly.
On the Tower of Terror, decorated as a haunted hotel, riders are placed in an elevator, which shoots up 13 stories and then plummets back twice. Disney warns riders that they should be "in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure." Pregnant women are advised not to ride.
