Tower of Terror accident

[Texan Mouseketeer]

I know this is a stupid question -but with all these kids that are having unknown or undiagnosed heart ailments that they knew nothing about - not just this girl, don't know if she knew or not, but thinking of the high school football players, etc...is there something that parents should be checking for? Like going to a pediatrician each year for a well check up is not enough? One should also be doing...what?

 

[PixieDust32]

Poor Girl! I hope she gets better!

And i don't think it was just the ride, many kids (teens) have heart problems, due to overweight, diabetes etc.

 

[epcotfan]

It could also have been a blood clot that caused the heart attack. No one will know until she is diagnosed. I highly doubt the ride itself caused her to have a heart attack. Heatstroke or any other countless number of undiagnosed health factors may have contributed to her condition. I don't think age restrictions would do anything. Sudden illness can occur in anyone whether they are on a theme park ride or walking down the street.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It's common for people to use the term heart attack in this scenario (and others) but more than likely what she had was an arrythmia - a problem with the electrical conduction of the heart muscle which causes a rapid, irregular heartbeat and loss of cardiac output. These arrythmias are responsible for most of the deaths of young athletes. Sometimes they can be detected and sometimes they cannot. There are treatments available for known cases such as medications and implantible defibrillators.

I hope she makes it.

http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/9/1675_57832.htm

 

[bicker]

I wonder to what extent the declining health of Western youth has on the number of these incidents that are occurring.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Hospital spokesman last night said that she did NOT code meaning she didn't have a heart attack. She was unresponsive...but a heart attack was not the cause. She had surgery that required a neurosurgeon.

I know this is a stupid question -but with all these kids that are having unknown or undiagnosed heart ailments that they knew nothing about - not just this girl, don't know if she knew or not, but thinking of the high school football players, etc...is there something that parents should be checking for? Like going to a pediatrician each year for a well check up is not enough? One should also be doing...what?

Not really--there have been many cases of silent killers.

There's no heart murmur--there's nothing that a standard check up could catch unless a cardiologist was a part of that exam.

I've heard sad stories of a teen going to sleep and never waking up b/c of a similar condition (not necessarily a heart attack...but an undetected heart ailment that caused their heart to stop).

I wonder to what extent the declining health of Western youth has on the number of these incidents that are occurring.

Well--"heart attacks" happening to visually healthy teens are usually unrelated to diet...and happen during a workout.

Not to force a stereotype--but had these been obese sedentary teens, I'd be more inclined to believe that.

As far as heart--we knew a family who's baby's doctor figured out somehow that the baby had a heart defect that when surgically corrected as a newborn--no problems later in life. But once the window of opportunity to correct the problem, there is no fixing it. Not sure if it is a related heart condition to the teens...but now repaired--it won't be.

 

[MELSMICE]

I've heard sad stories of a teen going to sleep and never waking up b/c of a similar condition (not necessarily a heart attack...but an undetected heart ailment that caused their heart to stop).

I lived one of those stories. A 19 year old high school friend went to bed one night never to wake up the next morning. As a teenager his parents didn't think much of it, but as afternoon approached his father thought he should be waking up. He went in to find his son had passed away during the night.

God bless that family, as there was no explanation at the time so they donated his body for research so they could try to determine what had happened & hopefully others wouldn't have to go through the same thing.

It was horrible.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I know this is a stupid question -but with all these kids that are having unknown or undiagnosed heart ailments that they knew nothing about - not just this girl, don't know if she knew or not, but thinking of the high school football players, etc...is there something that parents should be checking for? Like going to a pediatrician each year for a well check up is not enough? One should also be doing...what?

I don't think anyone is saying that "they should of known". I think we all agree that if it was an unknown condition, then it is unfortunate.

People are defending the ride when they are saying she probably had an unknown condition.

Some people hear of these accidents, and it is an almost immediate reaction to say the ride is too dangerous. One poster here wants some rides to be for adults only! This girls was 16, how many 15 16 year olds would love the idea of not being able to go on ToT or RnRC? I'm sure they would be all for it!

My sister tried to start a debate with me at a family party a few weeks ago. This is how she opened the conversation: "So marie, did I not tell you that Mission Space was going to kill someone?"

So I said, "Um, no you never said that, you told me you were sick for a day and a half. The ride did not kill him, he had something wrong with him when he got on the ride" (pre-exsisting condition, dehydration, something.)

She says "They have not proven he had a pre-exsisting condition"

This was when I turned and started talking to my other sisters about a future family trip to Disney. I was not going to argue with her. if she wants to believe that Mission Space, the ride itself killed the boy, I will go crazy debating it with her.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

This was when I turned and started talking to my other sisters about a future family trip to Disney. I was not going to argue with her. if she wants to believe that Mission Space, the ride itself killed the boy, I will go crazy debating it with her.

You should tell her that people have heart attacks while driving cars and she should stop driving immediately so as not to endanger herself in any potentially life threatening situation that might happen when she's driving down the interstate at 70mph.

B/c we all know--driving a car caused it.



Geesh--motion sickness does not equate to dangerous ride. They would have shut down the gravitron and all those crazy spinning rides at Carnivals that I avoid like the plague.

 

[wdwgirl03]

That's too bad, but seriously, if she wasn't in good condition, then why did she go on it???

 

[MELISAZACK]

Exactly - it appears from the one article I read that she said she felt weird but told her mom she would feel better after the ride.....why then did her mom let her go on?? There are some underlying issues with her health I am sure.....Sad that it happen though

 

[Tigger&Belle]

She very likely had a health condition that she didn't even know about. Hopefully she makes it.

Are people going to now start saying the ride isn't safe for teenagers? Afterall, that was the comment made over and over again ofter the 4yo died on M:S.

The ride itself most likely did not cause the problems with either of these people. Just happened to be where they were when something terrible happened. Sad, of course, no matter what the cause.

T&B

 

[shelby_36]

I'm not saying that these rides are toally to blame for these deaths and illnesses..But what would it hurt Disney (other than a little money they have plenty of) to restrct these bigger rides a bit. I was shocked at the ages of some kids on Space mountain! Isn't the tower of terror ride of similar design to the one that that little boy got thrown off of a few years ago? you can defend Disney till your blue in the face but the industry CAN help the situation if they want to and they chose to continue to put the total blame on others. Yes you could walk out in the parking lot and get hit by a car, yes you could be scared to death by a balloon (maybe) yes a parent could have a full health screening and 1000 of tests done before entering Disney but Disney COULD help. I cannot remember "reading" ONE of the warning signs in line at Disney. They are not placed where you would typically read them..off to the side for example. If you are standing in line for an hour they should have these signs every once in a while that says in bold print "Flashing lights, may cause seizures" "Jolting action may cause whiplash" etc. I am not referring to the cases where someone is walkking through the park and happens to have a heart attack or stroke. I am talking about seemingly healthy young people dropping dead, or close to it, after a specific ride. I can't believe the nonchalentness around here when some of you visit Disney every year. Are you not concerned that YOUR child could be the next with an undiagnosed predisposition to one of these problems? Are you not goingt to curb your childs participation in some of these attractions?

 

[dcentity2000]

Any news?



Rich::

 

[disboy21086]

I just read the following on WESH's website.

"A medical examiner's report said she was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes and her death "was not unexpected." The cause of the boy's death remains under investigation."

 

[dcentity2000]

I just read the following on WESH's website.

"A medical examiner's report said she was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes and her death "was not unexpected." The cause of the boy's death remains under investigation."

She died?

Oh.



Rich::

 

[Serena]

You cannot live your life in fear that something might happen. You'd never cross a road, never get in a car, never go outside and never cook in your home.
Things do happen, all we can do is try to avoid the most dangerous, like walking in a bad neighborhood at night. Watching other traffic while driving, making sure no cars are coming when you cross the road, etc.
If something is undiagnosed, then they could have a problem anywhere. Yes, it happens sometimes at disney, but it also happens at home, at the grocery store and at the gym, and while watching tv.
We just have to use common sense and then just enjoy life, including disney.

 

[Serena]

I just read the following on WESH's website.

"A medical examiner's report said she was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes and her death "was not unexpected." The cause of the boy's death remains under investigation."

 

[MELSMICE]

I was shocked at the ages of some kids on Space mountain

Restrictions to the rides are done by height, not by age. My niece was 8 1/2 last year & could finally ride RnRC. I'm sure there were kids younger than her on it, but because of her size she was unable to ride until she was tall enough.

Isn't the tower of terror ride of similar design to the one that that little boy got thrown off of a few years ago?

I don't recall this incident. Was it at Disney? What happened?

I cannot remember "reading" ONE of the warning signs in line at Disney. They are not placed where you would typically read them..off to the side for example. If you are standing in line for an hour they should have these signs every once in a while that says in bold print

There are signs & warnings everywhere on all the thrill rides. I have been at Disney numerous times & I still notice all the signs & warnings.

I can't believe the nonchalentness around here when some of you visit Disney every year.

I don't see it being nonchalant. If I thought Disney was unsafe I would not return. If I feel something is unsafe I don't do it. I have never felt that way at Disney. We don't attend small carnivals or lawn fetes because I'm not comfortable putting my kids on those types of rides. Just not safe enough for me, but there are millions of kids that ride those rides every year.

Are you not concerned that YOUR child could be the next with an undiagnosed predisposition to one of these problems?

God forbid something happened to my child (or anyone else's) because of an undiagnosed condition. However, I wouldn't blame a Disney ride because of it. I would question the Drs. as to why it was never diagnosed first.

Are you not goingt to curb your childs participation in some of these attractions?

Absolutely not!

 

[damo]

I just read the following on WESH's website.

"A medical examiner's report said she was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes and her death "was not unexpected." The cause of the boy's death remains under investigation."

You missed this part of the quote:
Two people have died after riding other attractions at Disney World this year. A 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy died June 13 after riding Epcot's "Mission: Space." A 77-year-old Minnesota woman died in February after riding the Magic Kingdom's "Pirates of the Caribbean."

A medical examiner's report said she was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes and her death "was not unexpected." The cause of the boy's death remains under investigation.



The teen that was on Tower of Terror is in critical condition but is not dead.