Three Yr Old Boy Dies choking on Hot Dog

[Tjkane28]

Hey TwingleMum,

Please ask your sister for the name of this teacher and the town she lives in and the school at which she teaches.

I am sure many people on this board are very interested in finding out more about your story!

I imagine that we may not hear from you, or that the story will change to someone your sister's teacher friend knew, or that you want to keep this info private.

That's the way these stories usually end!

So let's end this one, now!

 

[pintrader]

Prayers and sympathy for anyone who has suffered from hearing of this matter where it happened or not, whether the media caught it or not.

I feel compelled to add this tidbit just for anyone who may be concerned as to their own safety and welfare at WDW . I have info that may put your minds at ease. Next time you are on the roadways and you are stopped at a red light, notice that there is a strobe in the red light. It is noticable in the brightest of sunny days. This strobe is "tuned" to the strobes on emergency vehicles (EV)(all over Florida). When an emergency vehicle approaches the intersection, the traffic signal receives a transmission that is transmitted from the emergency vehicle and turns the light green to allow traffic to move the direction the EV is coming from.

In other words, cars are no longer stopped at a red light, it turns green and allows everyone to get through the intersection and the opportunity to move as far to the right as possible to allow passage of the EV. This system has been in Orlando area for a few years now.

Next time you are at Magic Kingdom on the train going around between Frontierland and Tootown, look to your left through the trees, rather than to your right at the wigwams and deer. You will see a tan corrugated bldg. Just so you know, that bldg is one of many emergency service-Reedy Creek facilities. They use a back entrance to the park. They travel on a CM-service road only pavement and never have a need to even meet traffic or tourists.

I have seen the same thing at other parks, but since I can't remember how to point them out, I thought I'd skip the others.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Tragedies do happen at WDW, just as they can happen most anywhere. Our own poster *Fantasia* went through the lose of her own DH while at WDW. She felt Disney was wonderful to her during this time. I am seeing posts from her again that she went back and is going back !
I remember when I was younger, a boy drowned in the MK. I don't remember the details, but it sure stuck with me.

 

[TwingleMum]

I said my sister works with the woman who's son died. I wouldn't post an urban legend or I would state the fact that I didn't know if it was true. My sister attended the wakes & funeral. The boy was basically dead at WDW. They kept him on life support for 2 days because the Mom was so bad she wouldn't agree to shut off the machines. (I can understand needing a few days to come to terms w/this horrific situation.) I'm sorry I won't point fingers at this poor woman and say its her fault for giving him a hot dog. She'll spend the rest of her life blaming herself. I do hold Disney partly responsible. The ambulance couldn't get through. They should be able to transport in minutes. In situations like this minutes count. When I wrote the post I just found out and was anxiuos to remind people not to be in such a hurry when at places like WDW that kids in an effort to get back to the magic will bolt their food & hot dogs area big choking hazard. Forwarned is forarmed.

 

[doombuggy]

If the Orlando paper did not pick up this story, that would really surprise me. When WDW allowed their males to grow mustashes, it was on the front page of the paper (I saw this when I was standing at the Coronado bus stop in 2000). I thought this was nutty, but apparently they jump all over this stuff.

I never thought much about feeding hot dogs to kids, though, probably b/c I don't have any. I will defiantely keep this in mind when i am out w/my godchildren! Thanks for that info!

 

[Figaro1]

I would like to share about the first rate treatment that my Brother, Sister-in-law and her family received while staying at WDW All Stars resort.

They were having a family reunion last June, a family member had a mild stroke. She was young and in her 30's. The hotel staff called an ambulance, with in minutes she was on her way to a hospital. They even took her to a hospital which was testing a stroke drug to disolve clots. Upon admission to the hospital, she was unresponsive and with in hours she was talking and in less than 2 days she was back at the parks!! She is strong and well today. Disney sent flowers to the room and provided a wheelchair for the rest of her stay to help her tour the parks! AND just after the first ambulance was called my sister-in-law had to call for a second ambulance!! Her 4 year old son was playing on a bed with cousins and fell off the side of the bed and cut his knee and needed stitches!!! A second ambulance took my nephew to a local care center. They even called around to area care centers to see who had the shortest wait time!! That is above and beyond quality service. And since they had no car the ambulance also took them to an area pharmancy to pick up meds for the little guy, then back to All-Stars.

This was also their first family trip to WDW. They were very impressed with the care that they received. It was a very eventful visit and they are very thankful for the top quality emergancy staff and service that they received at WDW.

Figaro

 

[TwingleMum]

The school they teach at is on Long Island the little boy was buried out of St Wlliam the Abbot in Seaford NY . I won't post names b/c I don't want the family exploited but call St Willams and ask.

 

[Talking Hands]

Twingle Mum. Sorry But I do not believe your statement that emergency personel could not get through. I was flipped from my power wheelchair at MK during Christmas when it was extremely crowded. I was alone at the time. Within seconds there was a castmember at my side and emergency personel were there within minutes. I was not allowed to move until the made sure I had not hurt my neck.
In March a lady tripped and hit her head in front of EPCOT. Agian castmember there within seconds and emergency personnel within minutes.

 

[Chuck S]

Originally posted by TwingleMum
The ambulance couldn't get through.

Again, this simple sentence makes me question the validity of this story....

Ambulances do NOT have easy access to the interior of a park...crowds would have NOTHING to do with it, as the child would have been quickly shuttled to a backstage entrance to a waiting ambulance - uninhibited by the crowds. Certainly an ambulance call to a park with a child in critical condition would have created a news story. The media have folks monitoring emergency channels all the time. If the mother truly believes Disney is wrong, a huge lawsuit would have been filed and been part of the public record. While the settlement would probably be private, there would still be record of an initial filing - and her lawyer certainly would have wanted the publicity to encourage Disney into a settlement.

Lisa, how scary for you to have been flipped out of your chair - glad everything turned out OK

 

[mitros]

It is totally tragic when a small child or anyone for that matter dies like that. However, I still say that if this did happen at WDW, we would have heard about it by now down her from one of the local news venues. True, people will die at theme parks of heart attacks and the like, but this is florida, it was at disney, and we would certainley have heard about it.

 

[Sandy51]

I was at WDW April 18-25. I heard nothing on the news about an emergency in MK. I was also there in November 2000 when a man was killed on Splash Mountain. It was all over the news then. Something about this story does not make sense.

Sandy

 

[Chuck S]

I may have missed it, but have any of the OPs posts actually mentioned which park? Just the generic WDW.

 

[Eeyore2U]

I echo the sentiments of those on this board. The CB is buying lock, stock and barrel. I'm not buying it. I saw a older woman fall in the ESPN Club last Feb. There were MANY CMs there. Then an EMT, then the manager. There are so many "eyes in the sky" that little goes unnoticed. It seems that when there are deaths, word gets out.

 

[sha_lyn]

Someone on the other thread actually knows about this too. While it seems very likely that the 3yr old son of a teacher died wile they were on vaction at WDW, that is all we really know. we do not even know where the child was, how long the OP is considering too long for emergency services to respond etc(as a trained EMT the OP should know that brain death could occur very quickly in a choking victum). The OP makes very broad statements like "I thought there were aid stations in the parks", "Don't rely on disney in a crisis" etc. it seems apparent that all the OP's info is 2nd and 3rd hand, yet they are very eager to blame WDW and flat out stated they do not blame the parents for giving the child a hot dog.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Since the OP is reporting this 2nd or 3rd hand . . .things might have been assumed and/or elaborated on . . .I also find it strange that there have been no reports on this, especially since the Orlando Sentinel is pretty good at picking up stories like these. They had immediately reported the CM death from the fall at CR and the husband who drowned in Seven Seas Lagoon . . .

I'm not in any way stating that the OP is lying . . .but 2nd or 3rd hand stories have a way of picking up bits and pieces of unfactual events. For instance . . .A 2nd grade student at my DS school recently died . . .when that story got out all kinds of things were being said . . ."she choked on food" "she collapsed out of the booth at the restaurant" "she had a heart defect" "she had cystic fibrosis" The truth is nobody knows how she died yet, but that's how rumours and stories start.

 

[funhouse8]

Puffy2- I knew about the hotdogs but I can't believe you listed this as #2
2. marshmellows (these lodge and then SWELL in the thoat and become almost impossible to dislodge - do not give marshmellows to small children and instruct the older ones to bit off small pieces of them)
While we were at River country for their Great American Beach Party the cast members played "How many marshmellows can you stuff into your mouth with the kids" I thought this seemed like a bad idea. I thank God noone choked.

 

[MELSMICE]

My heart goes out to that family. I can't imagine what they must be going through.

We were there for 2 weeks during the Easter break & didn't hear anything about this. Twinglemum - what park did it happen in?

I was reading my local paper the other day & scanning the obituarites & happened to see that a woman who lives near me passed away while vacationing at WDW during the time we were there. (April 22) It didn't say anything about how - just that she died at the hospital in Celebration. I hadn't heard anything about this either.

 

[Tjkane28]

Originally posted by TwingleMum
The boy was basically dead at WDW. They kept him on life support for 2 days because the Mom was so bad she wouldn't agree to shut off the machines.

So shouldn't your thread heading read "Three Year Old Boy "Basically" Dies at WDW?"

I saw your later post regarding the fact that the child was buried in Seaford, NY. What day did he "really" die, not "basically" die, so I can look up his obituary in Newsday? Or didn't they print one?

Perhaps the trouble with our believing this story immediately is that NOW the boy did not die at WDW, but at the hospital, no? So the thread's heading smacks of an anti-Disney sentiment, yes?

I will be the first to support you when support your story with details that are consistent and verifiable
.

 

[MontyMontyMOnty]

Sorry if I am not allowed to mention other discussion boards here, but I did want to point out that the OP has left ithis message, verbatim, on other disney discussion boards. I am just curious as to the point of the multiple posting?

If this situation happened, then it is a tragedy, but the OP seems more focused on bashing Disney in multiple locations than providing a PSA or helpful advice.

I am making no judgement on the veracity of the OP's story, though I hope for the sake of the family and child involved, it is untrue.

Unfortunatly, tragedies happen every day--if being in WDW would prevent accidents,illness, and death, then every day in the parks would be as crowded as Chrismas or the 4th of July.

 

[DebbieB]

I think the fact that the boy did not actually die in the park and it wasn't the result of a ride or transportation accident is why it did not show up in the news. With so many people in the parks, there are probably medical emergencies all the time, some fatal. I think if the family files suit it may show up on the news unless it is settled privately. In a choking situation, time is critical, I think the time it takes to get an ambulance it would be too late.

Why is this topic going on 2 boards at the same time?