Tower of Terror accident

[MELISAZACK]

Appears another person in critical condition after riding tot today...
A british girl came of and wasn't in good condition - sat down with her mom and got worse to the point where her heart stop beating - she is in critical condition at celebration hosp.......appears from the news story on local6.com
that she had something going on before she got on the ride but it isn't completely clear.

 

[MELISAZACK]

sorry missed the previous thread....ooops...

 

[HayGan]

I don't think it is fair to call it an accident as it appears that it had nothing to do with a problem with the ride rather an individual with a condition (whether it be known or unknown) having a reaction to the environment that the ride creates.

People have heart attacks on rides pretty regularly!!!

 

[klofan]

I'm not sure it had anything to do with the ride. But is it that common for a 16 year old to have a heart attack?

 

[Danthesand]

I'm not sure it had anything to do with the ride. But is it that common for a 16 year old to have a heart attack?

It's rare but not unheard of (a healthy high school classmate of mine dropped dead four days after graduation after a massive sudden heart attack). From the rather fragmentary news reports we have at this time, it isn't clear what form of cardiovascular failure she experienced.

 

[poohandwendy]

Very sad, I am praying for her recovery. I can only imagine how the family feels.

But is it that common for a 16 year old to have a heart attack?

Not really, but it is common for a teenager with some types of heart problems to not know about it.

 

[CAD3655]

Here is the latest from the Orlando Sentinel.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...71205,0,6479007.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

 

[RadioNate]

I knew 2 boys in HS that died of undiagonosed heart conditions. One in gym class, the other a basketball player who was out running track.

 

[shelby_36]

True that it wasn't apparently a problem with the technical aspect of the ride but if the ride is enough to cause even a less than perfectly healthly child to have a heart attack or to be "scared to death" then there should be an age restriction.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

True that it wasn't apparently a problem with the technical aspect of the ride but if the ride is enough to cause even a less than perfectly healthly child to have a heart attack or to be "scared to death" then there should be an age restriction.

Wasn't the girl 16?

Are we suggesting adult-only rides at Disney?

 

[shelby_36]

The ones that can cause you to be tossed that violently or killed or sent into cardiac arrest you need to be able to make an adult decision. Maybe these "big thrill" type rides should be for 18 and older. In the case of the little boy at Epcot..it is general knowledge that certain strobe lights and flashings can cause seizures. is it necessary for the rides to have aspects like that, or violent head whipping action to make them fun?

 

[Laurajean1014]

Sounds unrelated from the ride, per the Orlando Sentinel.

I hope she will be well soon.

 

[Bayshore Bandit]

I really hope the girl recovers, and I really hope people don't jump
to conclusions that somehow the ride is at fault. Tens of thousands
of people of all ages ride TOT every year, without incident.

Personally, I feel safer riding TOT than I do driving down the road to
the grocery store with all the wacko's nowadays.

People 16 years of age are perfectly capable of making decisions about
whether or not to ride a theme park attraction.

Parental responsibility, height restrictions, health warnings........short of
Disney doctors giving everyone a physical before riding, it is clearly posted
what the ride is about and the risks involved.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The ones that can cause you to be tossed that violently or killed or sent into cardiac arrest you need to be able to make an adult decision. Maybe these "big thrill" type rides should be for 18 and older. In the case of the little boy at Epcot..it is general knowledge that certain strobe lights and flashings can cause seizures. is it necessary for the rides to have aspects like that, or violent head whipping action to make them fun?

I disagree COMPLETELY.

The warnings are there.

And you don't get "whipped" around on Tower of Terror. I have neck problems--my only contraindication is Space Mountain. I can ride everything else.

I think it is premature to change the entire industry of incidents that have a high liklihood of not being caused by the actual ride.

 

[mcnuss]

I knew there was a reason I stayed off that ride. My luck, I would be the one having the heart attack.

Prayers for that poor girl and her family. I wonder if heat excacerbated the problem? I hear it's been awful down there.

 

[Lil_Tink]

I'm not sure it had anything to do with the ride. But is it that common for a 16 year old to have a heart attack?

There are many things other than a heart attack that could cause this/

 

[MELSMICE]

True that it wasn't apparently a problem with the technical aspect of the ride but if the ride is enough to cause even a less than perfectly healthly child to have a heart attack or to be "scared to death" then there should be an age restriction.

I think 16 is old enough to decide if she could go on the ride. Not to mention, the articles states that her mom was with her & took her back inside to sit down in air conditioning.

Anything can "scare you to death". A balloon popping, some other loud noise or someone jumping out in front of you when you don't expect it.

 

[Lil_Tink]

I think 16 is old enough to decide if she could go on the ride. Not to mention, the articles states that her mom was with her & took her back inside to sit down in air conditioning.

Anything can "scare you to death". A balloon popping, some other loud noise or someone jumping out in front of you when you don't expect it.

You can cleary research the ride so if you knew it was falling and were gonna be scared to death then why ride it. .She was 16 and if she was "scared to death" she would know it... I totally agree ^

 

[Disney1fan2002]

The ones that can cause you to be tossed that violently or killed or sent into cardiac arrest you need to be able to make an adult decision. Maybe these "big thrill" type rides should be for 18 and older. In the case of the little boy at Epcot..it is general knowledge that certain strobe lights and flashings can cause seizures. is it necessary for the rides to have aspects like that, or violent head whipping action to make them fun?

I disagree. This is my son's 2nd favorite ride. 2nd only to Rock-N-RollerCoaster ( a ride I thought I was having a heart attack on!)

My son is 9 years old. ToT has the a low height restriction. 40 inches. that means, the ride has been proven to be safe for kids as young as 3 years old.

I am sorry that there are people in the world who have medical conditions that make it unsafe to go on these rides. Apparantly, this girl must of had an unknown ailment, and if she did have a known medical condition, shame on her for ignoring the warning signs.

I am going to make a confession. You know the warning signs that say ' if you suffer from back or neck problems, please do not ride." Well, I do have back problems. I IGNORE the warning signs. I think the sign means for anyone like 2 of my friends, who have had back surgery, that kind of back problems. but, my back hurts me alot. I am sure it would be considered a problem. I will say, I do not go on Space Mountain anymore. That ride is painful for me. the way you get knocked around, I almost came off with whiplash the last time I rode.

I take full responsibilty when I decided to go on these rides, after reading the warning signs throughout the line queue. So, if i decide to go on Space Mountain, and come off the ride, unable to move, because I slipped a disc in my back, should the ride shut down?

My FIL had super high blood pressure when we were there last November. I was having a heart attack when he went on RnRC. I kept telling my MIL he was going to stroke out. I half expected him to be slumped over in the seat when the ride ended. (we did not ride, we waited at the exit).

Guess what? A month later he was in Boston having heart surgery!!! He had 4 clogged valves. He damn near could of dropped dead on us at Disney. NONE of it would of been the rides fault. He went on the rides even though he had high blood pressure.

 

[GeorgeG]

While I am not one for thrill rides, I'm sure the folks at Disney put a lot of thought and research into everything they do. People who go on these rides with known medical problems in spite of the warnings are asking for trouble. Of course, if the medical condition is not known, it's a tragic way to find out.

Even relatively healthy people will sometimes toss their lunch if they don't give it chance to settle before going on thrill rides. Hey, different people have different ideas of what fun is. For me, it's Pirates or Spaceship Earth. I guess I'm boring.