Two news stories:
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2/16/99
With the Disney Skyway cable car coming at him, Raymond Barlow had two choices: Jump 10 feet to the ground, or grab the outside railing of the oncoming cable car and hang on.
Barlow, 65, a part-time Disney custodian since September, was cleaning a section of the Fantasyland boarding platform closest to the path of the cable car when the ride started up unexpectedly Sunday morning. Barlow grabbed the metal rail and tried to hang on to the empty four-person car, investigators said Monday.
``He decided to try to pull himself into the bucket,'' said Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Robert Larson. The Skyway car started to climb. By the time Barlow let go, it was 40 feet in the air. He plunged through the trees, breaking off several limbs, and landed in a flower bed. He died later at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Larson said Barlow called to co-workers that he was to be working on the outer platform. How and why the car began to move has yet to be determined, he said.
Why Barlow jumped for the car instead of jumping down is ``a mystery to all of us,'' Larson said.
Barlow's death was ruled accidental, Larson said.
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11/11/99
Walt Disney World is closing one of its oldest rides, the Magic Kingdom Skyway, which has given visitors a bird's-eye view of the park since it opened in 1971.
The Skyway will be replaced by another attraction, but Disney officials wouldn't say what it is. The ride connected guests from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland.
Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., closed its Skyway ride in 1994.
``It's part of our ongoing efforts to phase out some of the older attractions and introduce new things to keep our parks exciting for our new and repeat visitors,'' Disney spokeswoman Diane Ledder said Tuesday. ``It's just something whose time has come.''
In February, a part-time employee who had been working in the loading area of the ride fell to his death. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration later fined Walt Disney World $4,500 for what it called a ``serious'' violation of safety standards.
Two days later, Disney installed safety signs and enhanced safety procedures around the Skyway.
Ledder said the ride's closing is not a result of any concerns about its safety.
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