What are your thoughts on this lawsuit??

[Bob O]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-asecride14021403feb14,0,5856974.story
Disney is being sued due to a accident on Space Mountain.

 

[Cricket2]

I have no feeling about the case itself, but I have always been scared to death of this happening to me.

Can you say "chicken wire"?

Wanna bet it shows up all over in SM in the near future?

 

[raidermatt]

Based on the article, unlike most other suits we read about, I at least think this one has some merit. Clearly its possible he was hit in the head by a falling object.

I don't know that netting is the answer, though... What if something caused the netting to fall on a car below? That could lead to all sorts of awful possibilities. Maybe chicken wire, but again, what if something heavy enough caused it to come loose?

 

[Cricket2]

Originally posted by raidermatt
what if something heavy enough caused it to come loose?

I guess to me I'd rather have there be a chance that something would prevent a camera battery from hitting me than not. Sure the "medium" could also do damage if it got loose, but i'd rather have it there anyway.

I have airbags in my car that could go off on their own, but I still feel safer having them than not.

JC

 

[raidermatt]

I understand what you are saying. I'm just wondering if, given the rarity of somebody being hit in the head, the tradeoff in risk is worth it... You know, what if the net/chcken wire fell on top of somebody's head and got caught on a coaster support...

I don't know the answer, though. Just saying that they'd need to address that question before making a decision. Maybe they already did, who knows?

 

[Cricket2]

Knowing if this sort of thing has happened before would make a big difference in how I felt about it.

People may get whacked with quarters and loose plush all the time, but since there is no dain bammage we never hear about it.

CM's may not say too much about the small things because they eventualy get to buy the stuff that isn't claimed if i'm not mistaken, which I very well could be. No insult to CM's, I'd be rifling through the stuff myself if I had the chance.

The more I think about your "loose net" scenario though, I think I'd rather be whacked with a camcorder than have my neck snapped by a tangled net. Eww!

If I have nightmares, expect a late night call matt!

JC

 

[minnie56]

This is not a new or rare occurrance. Many years ago a Disney employee told us that at night when the house lights are turned up inside Space Mountain there are all kinds of things on the floor from false teeth and toupees to batteries and actual camcorders/cameras/purchased 'smashed' china etc....

If it has been an ongoing issue...perhaps Disney should have done something about it? We all put a lot of trust into the powers that be at Disney and our safety should be assured. Perhaps there should also be some sort of sensor or motion devices that would raise an alarm if someone is 'standing up'. It could be a person falling out and they should know about that surely.

 

[eeyore74]

Helmets?

That's the only thing I can think of that isn't netting or chicken wire or a "roof" on the cars. My fear with netting is some idiot person reaching out to pull on it and getting hurt.

Unfortunately, I can't see much being done to stop people from carrying inappropriate items on rides.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Talk about being unlucky. How many millions & millions of riders have been on this ride since it opened and only now have an injury of any consequence.

The problem is with the crisscrossing of the tracks & cars. I'm wondering if the solution won't be to slow the departure times to the point where this can't happen. This maybe impossible to do without totally shutting down one track. Even if it is do-able, it's going to make the wait times even worse.

 

[Cricket2]

Solution #1) Convert SM into a "Coaster of Terror"

Solution #2) Convert SM into a gift shop

Solution #3) Convert SM into a greatly expanded "Carousel of Progress" that shows every year and lasts 6 1/2 hours

Solution #4) Fix the ride so "Possible brain damage could occur" isn't on that sign when you first walk in

I vote for #4 with #3 a close second

JC

 

[raidermatt]

Now that I think about it, couldn't they just add a disclaimer to the attraction that says: "SM is so realistic, you might get smacked by a meteor...so watch out!"

Maybe it was just a chocolate chip breaking off of one of the asteroids...

 

[Panthius]

Rather than chicken wire or any type of net under the upper tracks, how about a net or something similar on the back of each seat, or somewhere, to store any loose items that the guests may have. Something similar to Dinosaur for instance should be sufficient and there would be no danger of having the net or chicken wire fall. Also, the CM who checks the lap bar could check to be sure that all loose items are in the net for safety. Throw up some disclaimers (not that they would prevent any lawsuits should something happen) and they could be good to go.

Maybe rather than netting to hold the loose items, they could also use some futuristic type of container within each seat of the car. Either way, this would seem much more plausible than putting up netting or chicken wire under the upper tracks.

Panthius

 

[Cricket2]

Originally posted by Panthius
Rather than chicken wire or any type of net under the upper tracks, how about a net or something similar on the back of each seat, or somewhere, to store any loose items that the guests may have.

This sounds great except it doesn't account for the "punk kid throwing loose change" factor.

That's more of a realistic fear of mine than the flying $800 camcorder.

JC

 

[mrsbigglesworth]

the news stories when it first happened. To my recollection there was quite a bit of print/airtime devoted to the fact that it is likely that he attempted to stand up. They also said that they make announcements in several different languages about keeping hands/arms, etc, inside the car, etc,; in order to insure that everyone understands. Does anyone else from this area remember the news stories??? And wasn't there a recent injury in the news about someone on Splash mountain attempting to exit the ride during the middle of it???

 

[Luv2Roam]

Sometime in the late 70's, while Epcot was still being built, DH & I rode Space M.
From what I recall from our experience then, we were not allowed anything to be carried on. But as it was *only* MK/Disney to visit there was not a massive undertaking that it is today. Then, guests may have had a camera. Now guests take about everything but an overnight case. (And some do that. )
Then, DH & I wore glasses and had to remove our glasses in the que area. I don't recall what we did with our glasses. Guessing we had to put them securely in our pockets.
I wore a loose peasant style top. Each time a CM specifically asked me in the que if I was pregnant.
So it seems to me they took more precautions then than now.
Now they have too many guests and generally move them through as fast as they can.
I always wondered why they didn't have a mesh area, like the Dinosaur ride at least.
One of the times we rode Space last month, my sunglasses fell out of my shirt pocket. I usually put them in my fanny pack, that I loop around my leg. I forgot this time.
Although they were fairly secure, the glasses flew out and landed by my feet. Knowing where they were, I gently secured them with my foot.
But look at the kids that ride that ride. They easily could lose something. (Just as an adult can.)
I would say that him being unconscious at the ride's end is a strong case against Disney.

We went on the Keys to the Kingdom tour a few years ago. One of the areas guests are taken is behind Splash Mountain. The tour guide described all the many objects they find daily in the tanks in the back of Splash. And Splash is a mild ride compared to Space. So I can only imagine what they find at Space on the floor daily. How many guests do you see daily in the parks carrying cell phones, walkie talkies, cam corders, cameras, water bottles, etc? EVERYONE.

 

[seashoreCM]

If somebody dropped an object out of a moving Space Mountain (or any other) vehicle, the object would not fall straight down. In addition, if the object was not simply dropped but bounced out at an angle, where it would fall is even more unpredictable. Therefore whatever netting or shield must cover a much wider area than just above the track and vehicles. If the netting was under the track as opposed to above it, objects would be caught before they could pick up speed falling.

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[Bob O]

I dont know what the answer is but is a far more legit case then most of the ones ive seen against disney which are usually people trying to make a quick buck.
But i have always thought that disney was lax compared to most parks when it comes to allowing carry on items on rides like these. No other park allowed me to bring my camcorder on the ride with me. I guess one anwser is to not allow big items on rides and provide lockers or bins to put them in, hopefully for free like IOA and not make you pay like SF.

 

[SeaDog]

It's that simple... he was directly and soley responsible for the injury he suffered. I hope Mr. Mouse stands firm on this one... it's a shame people aren't held responsible for their indescretions.

Anything else you have heard on this particular incident is not factual. Had he not raised up out of his seat he would not have been injured.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by SeaDog
It's that simple... he was directly and soley responsible for the injury he suffered. I hope Mr. Mouse stands firm on this one... it's a shame people aren't held responsible for their indescretions.

Anything else you have heard on this particular incident is not factual. Had he not raised up out of his seat he would not have been injured.

--------------------------------------------

Just curious, but how do you know that he stood up and the info in the article isn't factual?

 

[All Aboard]

Last month, as we moved up to the front of the loading platform, I noticed the man seated in the car that just loaded was readying his video camera for the ride. When the CM came down to check the restraints, he hid the camera from her view. He then raised it as the shuttle left.