re: the 4-yo boy who died om Mission: Space

[GurGie]

Posted on Tue, Nov. 15, 2005

Autopsy shows boy died at Disney from heart condition
Associated Press


ORLANDO, Fla. - The death of a 4-year-old boy after he went on a rocket-ship ride at Walt Disney World was caused by abnormal cardiac rhythms from a heart condition that he apparently had since birth, according to an autopsy released Tuesday.

Daudi Bamuwamye died after riding "Mission: Space" in June. He had an abnormality of the heart muscle called idiopathic myocardial hypertrophy, with fibroelastosis of the left ventricle, the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office said.

"People with this condition are at risk for sudden death throughout their life due to abnormal electrical heart rhythms," the medical examiner's office said. "This risk could be increased under physical or emotional stressful situations. This condition may also eventually lead to heart failure."

The $100 million Epcot ride, one of Disney World's most popular, was closed after the death but reopened after company engineers concluded it was operating normally.

"Mission: Space" spins riders in a giant centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity, and it is so intense that some riders have been taken to the hospital with chest pain.

 

[WaltD4Me]

Thanks for sharing this, I had been wondering what if anything had been found.

I'm sure this won't get anywhere near the media attention the original story did.

I'm assuming the little boy's parents were not aware of his heart condition?

 

[GurGie]

I'm assuming the little boy's parents were not aware of his heart condition?

I hope they didn't otherwise it would be criminal for them to have let him on the ride given all the warnings posted.

 

[safetymom]

http://www.wftv.com/news/5330063/detail.html

Here is information on the Typhoon Lagoon death.

http://www.wftv.com/news/5329797/detail.html
Another story on the boy who died on Mission Space

 

[TinkerbellMama]

I'm so glad they found this condition. It doesn't bring the little boy back, but maybe it will bring some peace and closure to his family. I felt all along that he probably had some unknown, underlying heart condition, even when the preliminary autopsy showed nothing abnormal. Like I said, it won't bring him back, but maybe having some answers will help those grieving cope with the loss. I know it would help me.

 

[beattyfamily]

Thanks for posting the results of the autopsy and thank Safetymom for the Typhoon Lagoon story too.

Although they are both tragic stories, at least Disney was not responsible. These stories just show that people can die anywhere, anytime.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

Poor little guy. That story really tugs at my heart. At least the family has answers now, and it is proven Mission Space isn't at fault. I ache for them, though. I can't even imagine how hard it must be for them.

 

[J and R's mom]

I've been wondering about this outcome. Thanks so much for following up on it and posting.

I really feel for the parents. It's just so devastating.

 

[bleeps]

I had been wondering, actually, about the little boy and about the girl at TL; like others, I feel so, so sorry for the families who lost children, and at the same time have some sense of peace and closure knowing that there was nothing that could have been done and that the deaths could have happened anywhere at any time.

Not to be morbid, but I believe there were also reports of a death this year after someone rode Tower of Terror repeatedly -- if I remember correctly, the person did not die at the park but shortly afterward, and the family blamed the ride. Does anyone know if there was any follow up on this story?

Yes, I am the kind of mom and wife who worries to bits about DH and DS riding things that have been implicated in deaths, even though I know that driving to school every day is statistically more dangerous....

 

[civileng68]

While this puts Disney and the attraction in the clear, nobody, not a single one of us, should take this lightly for ourselves.

AS the article said, people can have this for their life and never know it and this could happen at any moment.

So, before you go on this attraction, including myself, you should make sure you are free from health problems such as this, which never show themselves in daily life and can happen in a completely healthy person.

It's sort of a wake up call that you dont have to be a kid or have known problems to run into big trouble on thrill rides.

I think something can always be learned from mishaps, and I think anyone who would not look in the mirror and question their own health after this release would be foolish, even if presumed healthy.

 

[beattyfamily]

While this puts Disney and the attraction in the clear, nobody, not a single one of us, should take this lightly for ourselves.

AS the article said, people can have this for their life and never know it and this could happen at any moment.

So, before you go on this attraction, including myself, you should make sure you are free from health problems such as this, which never show themselves in daily life and can happen in a completely healthy person.

It's sort of a wake up call that you dont have to be a kid or have known problems to run into big trouble on thrill rides.

I think something can always be learned from mishaps, and I think anyone who would not look in the mirror and question their own health after this release would be foolish, even if presumed healthy.

True, but it sounds to me like this little boy's condition was undetected. On a regular annual check up it wouldn't show up. Some things are unavoidable, unfortunately.

 

[Zoemakes5]

You know, I thought that it was probably an undiagnosed heart defect when I heard about this. Unfortunately, the boy could have been swimming in a local pool or walking down the road or blowing out the candles on a b-day cake and this could have happened.

 

[cinder1]

I think his condition is the same one that has killed a few athletes too at practice or in games. Seems like a few yrs ago, there was a college basketball player who died from this. As someone else said, it's a condition that wouldn't be picked up at a regular checkup. I have also been so sad for these families.

I didn't think the teenage girl who collapsed after riding ToT died. I know she'd been complaining of leg cramps and a headache for a few days before she collapsed.

 

[disneynutt1225]

While this puts Disney and the attraction in the clear, nobody, not a single one of us, should take this lightly for ourselves.

AS the article said, people can have this for their life and never know it and this could happen at any moment.

So, before you go on this attraction, including myself, you should make sure you are free from health problems such as this, which never show themselves in daily life and can happen in a completely healthy person.

It's sort of a wake up call that you dont have to be a kid or have known problems to run into big trouble on thrill rides.

I think something can always be learned from mishaps, and I think anyone who would not look in the mirror and question their own health after this release would be foolish, even if presumed healthy.

You don't know how true your statement is. 4 years ago, my fiance was getting out of his bed (at the time, he had a loft bed with a ladder attached) and he fell off the ladder. He wound up having a seizure - thank goodness his mother was home and called 911. They took him to the ER and did an EKG and found an abnormality in his heart - something called Wolfe-Parkinson-White Syndrome. Basically he had an extra conductor in his heart that was creating a double beat (a tacchycardia I think?). Anyway, they said this could have become a problem at any time in the future for him, so he elected to have the catherization surgery to eliminate the conductor (or he could have been on medication for the rest of his life). He's a firefighter, and I could only imagine if this had chosen to act up on a call, or if he (down the road) would have been in the car with our (future) children and had a seizure. He's completely fine now, but it just goes to show that sometimes you take your health for granted.


I feel sorry for these parents, but in the same token, I'm glad they finally have closure with their children's deaths. I'm also glad it wasn't Disney's fault. Too bad they probably won't get too much "happy" press about it.