Mission Space

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Until the facts are known, It might be worth considering not taking your child on Mission Space.
So sad :-(

http://tinyurl.com/cr5ox

 

[stemikger]

My sentiments exactley Obi Wan. Thanks for looking out.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Maybe its me, but this line out of the Sentinal article gave me concern

"Florida's large attractions are exempt from state regulations on ride inspections but voluntarily report basic details about incidents that require hospitalization, or cases that require transportation to hospitals, said Allan Harrison, an operations and management official with the ride inspection agency."

If your buisness depends on good publicity, how many times are you going to voluentarily admit to problems witch certain rides?

 

[carolfoy]

I read on one of the u.s. threads that a woman had a lot of trouble getting a cm to take notice when she realised her childs safety harness wasnt done up properly, she said she had to really yell and shout to get them to come over and double check, it is very worrying.

 

[Mumof2]

I read on one of the u.s. threads that a woman had a lot of trouble getting a cm to take notice when she realised her childs safety harness wasnt done up properly, she said she had to really yell and shout to get them to come over and double check, it is very worrying.

Carol was this also on mission space?

I read the thread about the boy dying on mission space last night along with one about a 10 year old drowing in a swimming pool. All very, very sad.

I have decided my 7 year old will NOT be going on mission space - the 5 year old had already said she wasn't up for it anyway. And they will NOT be allowed out of my sight when in the pool!!!

You cant help but feel for these poor families - what a tragedy.

 

[VSL]

I think a number of people have died on some Disney attractions - I know BodyWars is one. I don't think any theme park in the world has a zero mortality rate. AND we don't know for sure the actual cause of death.

I wouldn't take a 4yr old on it anyway though

It's still very sad though..

 

[carolfoy]

Hi can't remember which ride they were talking about, methinks it was RNRRC but not sure, it is still a cause for concern ,although I don't beleive that the child in that particular incident you posted was anything to do with seatbelts or they would have said, maybe a case of sudden infant (child?) death syndrome or something, still very worrying

 

[trevorsem]

We rode Mission Space twice. There are plenty of warnings before you ride, so much so, that it put my Wife off riding on both occassions. The room is circular and spins the compartments around enough to give you the G-force feeling of a take-off. I saw the reports on CNN last night. What I find hard to believe is that they only closed the ride for a few hours before opening it again

Trev

 

[carolfoy]

What I find hard to believe is that they only closed the ride for a few hours before opening it again

I know Trevor, I found that a bit hard to stomach too, I suppose they could have been thinking that if they closed it they were in some way admitting liability??? do you think that if they could then prove x amount of people rode it safely hours after that in no way they were at fault?

 

[trevorsem]

Given America is a sue first society, they must have opened themselves for compensation claims from the people who rode after the child.

T

 

[carolfoy]

Very true Trevor, maybe more will come to light soon

 

[Mumof2]

I wonder whether the crowds were down or whether maybe no-one knew what had happened.

 

[daveyoghurt]

By its very nature it's an intense ride and I'm not sure one I would recommend for young children. As with all 'thrill rides' there are warning signs prior to the ride commencing and at this early stage it doesn't seem to be as a result of the ride malfunctioning.

 

[wicket2005]

Terrible business, the poor family.

Personally I am dubious about going on the ride myself now till the full autopsy report is out. If the poor child had an undiagnosed condition, what is to say the rest of us may have the same condition? I am certainly not going to risk my own kids (16 and 14) going on till the causes are known, after all it is only a ride.

 

[bj70]

It is a tragedy, lets get that right, but it is likely that the child in question had a pre-existing condition and Mission:Space just happened to be the trigger. I wouldn't let it affect my decision to let my child go on it, it is a horrible, tragic accident and no more.

 

[Beth__WDW23/6/02]

I know I would never let Chelsea (5) on it, I do know,Martyn (DP) His dad and also our Neice who is (10) went on the ride, and she said and they said they would never go on it again.
Martyn DP was quite sick afterwards and he is 27 so for a 4 year old I can imagine it being quite scary,shocking etc.

So No way would I let Chelsea on the ride.

Lets await the autopsy report, Poor Child.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

This is very sad but no way is this a ride for a 4 year old.
How much is a child of this age going to understand?
Little children should be entertained by Dumbo, Peter Pan etc

The height restriction worries me too, my little lad is 8 and whilst being slightly on the small side has only recently met the height requirements.

I remember years ago seeing a little lad crying his eys out whilst riding 'Kongfrontation' at Universal and have never forgotten that, have always been really careful which rides our son goes on.

Obviously our thoughts go with the parents but we do need to be careful and think about what rides adults may enjoy and not necessarily be enjoyed by our little ones.

 

[BONZO]

From SNOPES

Claim: A four-year-old girl died while riding the Body Wars attraction at EPCOT.

Status: True.

Origins:

Four-year-old Linda Elaine Baker from Galveston, Texas, slumped over in her seat, unconscious, three minutes into riding the Body Wars attraction in EPCOT's Wonders of Life pavilion on 16 May 1995. A cast member monitoring the attraction stopped the ride and summoned paramedics while two nurses who were also riding Body Wars performed CPR, but Linda was pronounced dead after being airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Although an autopsy was unable to provide conclusive evidence for the cause of death, samples of Linda's heart tissues analyzed by medical laboratories indicated that she had probably died from a congenital heart condition known as cardiac conduction defect, which causes disturbances in the electrical signals that regulate the heart's beating. There was no evidence that the motion of the ride had triggered or exacerbated this condition.

Guests with medical conditions are warned against riding Body Wars (and all other attractions featuring sudden or violent motions), but Mrs. Baker told investigators that her daughter had no history of health problems. However, Baker's relatives said that the girl did have a heart ailment, and Linda was apparently being treated at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for reasons undisclosed by her doctors.

Last updated: 19 May 1997

 

[Cochise]

Tragic but a lesson to heed warnings

 

[Beth__WDW23/6/02]

I agree that is what warnings are in place for.
Mission space warns you numerous of times before entering the ride, of the risks along with any other ride,I dont think the ride is suitable for young children,and Chelsea will not ride it But for a life to be lost to bring this to peoples attention is a shame, and I really feel for the parents.