News Story - CNN.com - Woman dies a day afer riding Mission Space

[jann1033]

I think Mission Space is rather tame and a little boring but that could be because I am from Ohio and have pulled a few G's on the coasters at Cedar Point.

i am also from the same general vicinity and had to wonder what some would say about the cp coasters if they are feel threatened by ms ...especially the one that closes all the time anytime a stiff breeze blows( forget the name as it's been awhile since i went) cause it really IS to dangerous to operate...but i don't see the rabid reactions about that one

 

[jann1033]

Incidentally, there certainly was "but for" causation in the case of the little boy. If he had not gotten on MS that morning, he wouldn't have died when and how he did. .

well doesnt' that go with out saying? if he hadn't gone on MS, he wouldn't have died after riding it? but what does it prove?
if he hadn't gone to wdw that day maybe he would have died at the same instant at home in bed. and if he hadn't gone on ms then but spaceship earth, whose to say he wouldn't have died there...that certainly proves nothing as far as "cause" of his death.

 

[jann1033]

being in a household the has many disney fanatics i am always interested in any news about wdw. when i heard about this recent tragedy my first thought was sadness and disbelief that this could happen again.

do we place blame on WDW for this extreme ride or do we blame the unfortunate medical conditions on those people whether or not they were unaware of their condition. ( not the people their medical condition)

when i walk into WDW i make an assumption that the rides and attractions are safe and have been tested for safety. what bothers me about this is why doesnt WDW close MS and allow it to be inspected and tested by either the company who built it or have N.A.S.A test it for them. then they can safely and publicly state that the ride has been tested by an authoritative specailist on simulators and have been deemed to be safely ridden except by poeple with certain medical condtions.


when MS first opened my sister and her family were there for the opening. she isnt the fanatic i am so she asked my advice on all of the rides because my nieces are a bit on the petite size. well they all went on MS and they all came out ok except for my sister who was a bit woozy. she is an exercize fanatic so her health really wasnt an issue. you just sometimes dont know how something is going to effect you until you try it. spinning rides usually make me a bit sick but MS didnt effect me at all. multiple times i have ridden it with my DS#2 and neither one of us had any problems at all.

i may not ride it next time for 2 reasons: 1) i have recently developed the ear, dizziness problem that a previous poster mentioned. so if my specialist tells me not to ride it i wont. 2) to be honest unless an outside entity inspects MS i do not know if i would risk my or my son's health. contradictory sentence i know but i just dont know if it worth the risk. despite the statisticts supporting its safety i am not sure.

you may have missed the post on one of the other threads..it had a link that talked about how MS ( as well as other Disney rides)was inspected and proved to be safe by the Fl state dept that inspects rides..it also mentioned they said ( FL) g forces were much lower than actual space g forces and deemed safe to the normal person...

so once again that leads to the inescapable conclusion that unfortunately for these 2 who died, the did not fit the "normal" profile...nobody to blame, just an unfortunate coincidence for them

 

[jann1033]

Disney has looked into and investigated the ride both times after the accident. Both times they reopened it the next day. And, in both cases, the unfortunate victims had pre-existing conditions. In the case of the little boy, the family knew about them.
.

this is interesting as i hadn't heard this before...and if so pretty much shoots down the "MS killed him" theory. do you happen to remember where you read this...not doubting it but would like to read the whole account and haven't

 

[Jennasis]

This would make a very good epsiode on Boston Legal. Anyone can twist the "logic" around to prove their point whether you think Disney/MS is at fault or whether you think otherwise.

Me personally, I am never going on it again. I went on it once...it MESSED me up (even with the anti-motion sickness patch the Dr. prescribed for me). I didn't enjoy the ride and I barely remember what actually happens on the screen during the ride because I was concentrating VERY hard on not passing out or vomiting. I am thrilled that Disney built such a unique ride that appeals to so many (I can't wait to try EE but am sure there are many who hate the notion of this thrill ride). I would be quite disappointed in Disney if there wasn't a lengthy investigation launched concerning MS. I also understand that Disney spent MILLIONS on this ride is would be quite reticent to close it for any length of time.

What will happen now...who knows. I DO remember thinking that between all the posted warnings and the pre-show warnings, that I was shocked that anyone would be dumb enough to ride (including myself)...they practically tout the thing as a death trap (tongue in cheek). The warnings are copious and blatant and do their best to scare off people who shouldn't be on it. The only other thing they could do would be force you to show a doctor's note before getting in line!

Again I say...I MISS Horizons...

 

[funshipm174]

This would make a very good epsiode on Boston Legal. Anyone can twist the "logic" around to prove their point whether you think Disney/MS is at fault or whether you think otherwise.




Me personally, I am never going on it again. I went on it once...it MESSED me up (even with the anti-motion sickness patch the Dr. prescribed for me). I didn't enjoy the ride and I barely remember what actually happens on the screen during the ride because I was concentrating VERY hard on not passing out or vomiting. I am thrilled that Disney built such a unique ride that appeals to so many (I can't wait to try EE but am sure there are many who hate the notion of this thrill ride). I would be quite disappointed in Disney if there wasn't a lengthy investigation launched concerning MS. I also understand that Disney spent MILLIONS on this ride is would be quite reticent to close it for any length of time.

What will happen now...who knows. I DO remember thinking that between all the posted warnings and the pre-show warnings, that I was shocked that anyone would be dumb enough to ride (including myself)...they practically tout the thing as a death trap (tongue in cheek). The warnings are copious and blatant and do their best to scare off people who shouldn't be on it. The only other thing they could do would be force you to show a doctor's note before getting in line!

Again I say...I MISS Horizons...

I also agree. That "attraction" is not worth the risk.

Speaking of "Boston Legal", we know for a fact that IF WDW paid the family of the first victim to make the case go away, we would never know about it as goes on in the cruise industry.Same for this poor women. Thats what a corporate giant can do.Even if the corporation "feels" they did no wrong, just to avoid the bad publicity, they will "make it" go away.Two different cases, same method in the end.

<"Primetime" investigated sexual assaults at sea, and found case after case filed by "Jane Doe" — anonymous victims — almost all of them settled under terms of confidentiality>

Just for a reference, 1 of 3 Americans has high blood pressure THAT ARE NOT AWARE OF IT....one of the warnings MS lists as not to go on if you have it. It's not a matter of "IF", but a matter of when till this happens to someone who had HBP, but was unaware of it. Just out of curiosity, how many of the 1 of 3 americans who are unaware of their HBP would have to die or become seriously ill before the fanatics on this board decide that the ride is not worth having?

Just curious

 

[wood8176]

Just for a reference, 1 of 3 Americans has high blood pressure THAT ARE NOT AWARE OF IT....one of the warnings MS lists as not to go on if you have it. It's not a matter of "IF", but a matter of when till this happens to someone who had HBP, but was unaware of it. Just out of curiosity, how many of the 1 of 3 americans who are unaware of their HBP would have to die or become seriously ill before the fanatics on this board decide that the ride is not worth having? Just curious

If you're quoting the data from theamericanheart.org, then you're mis-quoting the statistics. "According to recent estimates, nearly one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don't know they have it." That would be one third of the one third or 1/9th. I'll concede that it is still a large number of people.

One other thing I'll throw into the mix The woman died the day after riding mission space. Was that the only ride she was on all day? I would argue that it may have been the combination of all the days activities that may have led to her unfortunate passing.

But of course, I'm a fanatic and probably wouldn't know as much as others here.

Also according to the National Safety Council, In 2002...

767 people died of bicycle accidents (I hope the bicycle industry gets busy 'cause I haven't seen any dramatic safety improvement there!)

785 people died falling out of bed, off a chair, or other furniture.

128 people: overexertion, travel and privation

 

[funshipm174]

If you're quoting the data from theamericanheart.org, then you're mis-quoting the statistics. "According to recent estimates, nearly one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don't know they have it." That would be one third of the one third or 1/9th. I'll concede that it is still a large number of people.

One other thing I'll throw into the mix The woman died the day after riding mission space. Was that the only ride she was on all day? I would argue that it may have been the combination of all the days activities that may have led to her unfortunate passing.

But of course, I'm a fanatic and probably wouldn't know as much as others here.

Also according to the National Safety Council, In 2002...

767 people died of bicycle accidents (I hope the bicycle industry gets busy 'cause I haven't seen any dramatic safety improvement there!)

785 people died falling out of bed, off a chair, or other furniture.

128 people: overexertion, travel and privation

Thats not mis-quoting. According to people on here, everyone should have proper check-ups, especially if they know they are going to go on vacation with attractions like MS. Most physicians would detect HBP in a patient.If you are aware of TAH, then I'm sure you took the time to read the NEJM. I'm sure you'll agree the stats in there are not mis-quoted.


And I'm sure you'll agree, that the amount of women that get raped on cruiseships, wouldn't happen if they were more cautious, but it's never the womens fault. So I guess the same thing would apply here. If women were more prudent on the ships, and not getting bombed and walking alone it never would happen. Seems like a fair comparison. How come on the cruiseships, they are called "victims" ?
The women who died didn't take precautions either according to most on here.By the way, another example of how "corporate america" makes the story go away.

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1844213&page=1




<"Primetime" investigated sexual assaults at sea, and found case after case filed by "Jane Doe" — anonymous victims — almost all of them settled under terms of confidentiality.

Critics said that is one tactic the cruise industry uses to keep crime out of the spotlight.

"I believe there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of victims that have never come forward. I believe that with my whole soul," said Maralyn Decker, whose daughter, Jamie, said she was assaulted on a cruise ship>

 

[wood8176]

Yes, I agree most people should have proper check ups, regardless of what their doing.

I'm not sure how you'd think that I would agree with you blaming all women for getting raped on cruiseships, I'm not sure that's even related to this arguement, other than "the big cover up" theory. So I won't even touch your "women getting raped on cruise ships" rant.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I wasn't going to post but, in defense of the poor woman who died, she may have been aware of her pre-existing condition but did she read english as to be fully aware of what the warning signs said. She was from Germany and that raises the posibility that she only knew German.

In fairness, Disney provides park maps in numerous languages - and I believe warnings about attractions such as Mission: Space are on the maps. In addtion, while Disney is an international attraction, they're really not responsible for Guests' language knowledge.

when i walk into WDW i make an assumption that the rides and attractions are safe and have been tested for safety. what bothers me about this is why doesnt WDW close MS and allow it to be inspected and tested by either the company who built it or have N.A.S.A test it for them.

The attraction IS safe. The guests who died on M: S or after riding it had medical conditions that indicated, based on Disney's NUMEROUS warnings, they should not ride (and yes, I know the four-year-old's condition was not discovered until his autopsy).

 

[dwkwootton]

This is one interesting thread. The topic was exhausted pages ago but the inability of seemingly decent and intelligent people to find any common ground whatsoever is noteworthy. There's lotsa numbers and stats and accusations and meaty words like blame, responsibility, victim, death, fault, litigation, rape, assault, coverup, blah blah blah!!

Is MS a flat out killer? Doesn't appear to be. Is MS perfectly safe with more than ample warning? Doesn't appear to be. Is there a possiblity that there is a situation here that could be improved? Sure appears to be. Webster's calls that progress.

Its also been interesting to me that some of the people who state they would not go on the attraction now are being ridiculed for being afraid to breathe or live or ride a bike or drive a car by some of the same people who feel that anyone who become sick, disoriented, or whatever by this attraction needs to take responsibility for their apparently reckless decision to ignore the warnings and go on this attraction.

Its pretty bad when good thought provoking points come up (the language barrier issue) (over 10% of the US population has undiagnosed HBP) (there's warnings all over all the parks and toddlers are allowed to ride this thing, is this one really different) and, if anything, it seems like people are just digging their heels in deeper and getting more upset.

Here's to hoping that the decision makers at Disney are doing a better job of communicating, thinking, and moving forward.

 

[NY Disney fan]

I haven't read this entire thread but I just wanted to add my 2 cents. I rode Mission: Space last year (I am in good health) and it ruined my whole day. I couldn't ride any other attraction afterwards. Its horrible. My DH rode it twice and had no issues with it.

I have lost a little respect for Disney after this. They closed down Alien Encounter (one of their best attractions) becuase it scared a few kids. Yet 2 people died on M:S and they leave it open. Something is not right with this.

 

[Schmeck]

I have lost a little respect for Disney after this. They closed down Alien Encounter (one of their best attractions) becuase it scared a few kids. Yet 2 people died on M:S and they leave it open. Something is not right with this.

They changed Alien Encounter to:

1. make it fit in better with the little kiddie crowd that is the base of MK
2. to promote another character that happened to be a money maker for Disney (Stitch)

It had nothing to do with how it "scared a few kids" It just wasn't the right attraction for Tomorrowland. It would have been fine at MGM.

 

[wdwdavem]

There is nothing wrong with MS!

It is very sad that two people have died.

However let me give you a scenerio.
I work on the fourth floor of an old mill with 14' ceilings so it's like an 8 story building. If we took the 8 million people that had ridden MS and had them all climb the stairs to my shop it would be quite possible that several could have heart attacks just from the exertion from the climb. These very same people may not have known that they had a pre-existing condition. It doesn't mean that anyones at fault, or that I have to "fix" something or move my shop to the first floor. Unfortunately things happen and what happened to the two individuals could have happened from anything.(as others have said just walking in the hot Florida sun could cause it) I'm not trying to trivialize this but I don't think shutting the ride down or changing it is the problem.

In fact I don't think there is a problem.

 

[tomerin]

I certainly hope NASA has better things to do than check an amusement park ride or else I want my tax money back! The ride was inspected by an outside party from the bureau of fair rides inspection.

what i was trying to say with my reference to NASA was that with all of the bad publicity MS is now getting in the public and the call for its closing wouldnt it be a good public relations thing to do by having an expert come in and publicly state that this ride has been tested and is safe even by NASA standards. if we got all of our tax money back spent on stupid stuff we all could visit WDW twice a year on what we would save!!

 

[brivers222]

Mission Space has not faild in way shape or form... There is nothing wrong with mission space... The health and knowledge of ones health is what seems to be failing so far. Its a shame, the ride is just a ride and it is acting as just a ride.

Now the injuries and I beleive a death right? at Disneyland on BTMR... that is a ride error. There is a prime example of the ride failing to work properly. MS space is not an example of this and should not be used in one.

 

[pepperw23]

I am not speculating.......
(CNN) -- A 49-year-old woman who died after riding on Walt Disney World's "Mission: Space" ride suffered a stroke linked to her high blood pressure, according to preliminary autopsy results released Friday by the Orange County medical examiner

Prayers for the family. It is sad. Lets not forget this was a tragedy for the family regardless of who/what was to "blame". (butterflies symbolize the 'release' of the spirit)

 

[tomerin]

you may have missed the post on one of the other threads..it had a link that talked about how MS ( as well as other Disney rides)was inspected and proved to be safe by the Fl state dept that inspects rides..it also mentioned they said ( FL) g forces were much lower than actual space g forces and deemed safe to the normal person...

this i did not know. actually i didnt read the other thread on this matter. havent had much time to read these boards lately

why then doesnt Disney use its media power to get the message out in public so there is not any room for doubt as to its safety. i would be making sure that everyone remotely interested in anything disney would know that the parks are operated at the highest safety standards. on the abc news they could have an entire segement built around these tragedies and what has WDW done to insure it wont happen again.


going to check out that lin now...thanks

 

[pepperw23]

ORLANDO, Fla. -- An autopsy finds that the German woman who became ill this week after riding one of the attractions at Walt Disney World -- and died a day later -- had severe and long-standing high blood pressure.

There is a link to this article on another thread. Don't forget to pray for this family tonight.

Happy Easter everyone.

 

[princess aurora]

Thats not mis-quoting. According to people on here, everyone should have proper check-ups, especially if they know they are going to go on vacation with attractions like MS. Most physicians would detect HBP in a patient.If you are aware of TAH, then I'm sure you took the time to read the NEJM. I'm sure you'll agree the stats in there are not mis-quoted.


And I'm sure you'll agree, that the amount of women that get raped on cruiseships, wouldn't happen if they were more cautious, but it's never the womens fault. So I guess the same thing would apply here. If women were more prudent on the ships, and not getting bombed and walking alone it never would happen. Seems like a fair comparison. How come on the cruiseships, they are called "victims" ?
The women who died didn't take precautions either according to most on here.By the way, another example of how "corporate america" makes the story go away.

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1844213&page=1




<"Primetime" investigated sexual assaults at sea, and found case after case filed by "Jane Doe" — anonymous victims — almost all of them settled under terms of confidentiality.

Critics said that is one tactic the cruise industry uses to keep crime out of the spotlight.

"I believe there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of victims that have never come forward. I believe that with my whole soul," said Maralyn Decker, whose daughter, Jamie, said she was assaulted on a cruise ship>

Okay you know what YOU are seriously disturbed and your arguements are indecent NOT comparable to the topic at hand and are simply and completely ridiculous!