Woman Dies After Riding "Mission: Space"

[Amphigorey]

Please, stop with the straw man arguments. This has nothing to do with auto accidents, eating chickens, or the space shuttle missions. Tell me about the other rides on property that have been linked to two deaths in this amount of time, and then you have an argument. The rest is, with all respect, meaningless.

The Tower of Terror has also been linked to deaths. All have been attributed to preexisting conditions.

 

[dbm20th]

The Tower of Terror has also been linked to deaths. All have been attributed to preexisting conditions.

Now we have a debate. The problem is timing. There was a person who dies in July of 2005 on ToT. That was over a decade after it opened. M:S does not have nearly the same history of success

Here is my experience. I have never finished the ToT, which I've been on a million times, and have seen people physically jarred. I have yet to come off M:S and NOT seen that. Perhaps I have just been unlucky.

Let me be clear, I like M:S. But this won't continue. Believe me. This is a very expensive ride, and it is getting quickly unpopular

 

[deedeetoo]

It's as simple as this for me - I don't want to find out that my apparently healthy dd7 has a undiagnosed pre-existing medical condition because of a ride on MS. We will be skipping this ride.

 

[PKS44]

To me it's simple

M:S is causing something in these people to kick the bucket. .

WRONG....THESE PEOPLE is 2 people...ONE of the deaths of these people is under investigation---the other was investigated and M:S did NOT cause anything in that person to kick the bucket..the little boy did not die from anything to do with M:S--so did M:S cause something in this most recent case of one person to kick the bucket?

If you do an experiment 12 million times and ONE time something different has happened....it is very difficult to make any conclusions from one outcome.

 

[KMovies]

"An autopsy determined Daudi Bamuwamye, of Sellersville, Pa., died of an irregular heartbeat linked to a natural causes. The boy's had an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle that can throw heart contractions out of coordination. People with the condition are at risk for sudden death throughout their lives, especially in physically or emotionally stressful situations, a medical examiner said."


While the parents really didn't have any idea that there son was in danger, it sounds as if Daudi would have been at risk regardless in other situations ... playing at school, other rides.

If you want to take the approach that your child may have an undisclosed medical issue, you may want to avoid other rides such as Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Test Track, Tower of Terror, Rockin' Rollercoaster, and Everest. Anything physically or emotionally stressful.

 

[FigNewton]

It's as simple as this for me - I don't want to find out that my apparently healthy dd7 has a undiagnosed pre-existing medical condition because of a ride on MS. We will be skipping this ride.

Are you going to prevent your daughter from participating in any strenuous activity?

It was not the RIDE that killed the boy. It was a convergence of conditions between his medical condition, and the conditions on the ride. Other rides and activities could potentially lead to the same result depending on different medical conditions.

I realize it's scary to not know, but kids have died from weird undiagnosed medical conditions from just running down the street or playing sports. Your solution to the fear of a MS related death is somewhat understandable... but ultimately could be carried out to any strenuous activity that the human race participates in.

Any number of other strenuous activities could trigger a previously undiagnosed condition in your daughter. Mission: Space is like any other.

 

[Another Voice]

While the parents really didn't have any idea that there son was in danger, it sounds as if Daudi would have been at risk regardless in other situations ... playing at school, other rides.

The child had his attack during the actual ride itself. 'Mission: Space' provided just enough extra stress to kill the child - a situation that playing at school, riding in a car, or other rides at WDW had not.

Millions of other people are in the exact same situation - they are simply waiting for that one circumstance that's too much for their body to handle.

The issue becomes, because of the huge number of people that visit WDW and the large number of childern, a number of people will be placed "at risk" without their knowledge. Disney needs to acknowldge that fact. They also need to decide the lengths they will go to prevent their attractions from being that "one stress too much" element for its at-risk guests.

so did M:S cause something in this most recent case of one person to kick the bucket?

It's bad enough you don't mind people being killed so you can continue to enjoy an amusement park ride, but to make a joke about this situation is beyond any level of taste.

 

[steve_rob]

I realize it's scary to not know, but kids have died from weird undiagnosed medical conditions from just running down the street or playing sports. Your solution to the fear of a MS related death is somewhat understandable... but ultimately could be carried out to any strenuous activity that the human race participates in.

Any number of other strenuous activities could trigger a previously undiagnosed condition in your daughter. Mission: Space is like any other.

I'll back this up. Recently in our local newspaper, they reported about a boy who had died suddenly and after the autopsy they revealed that he had the same abnormal thickening of the heart muscle that the kid who died on M:S did.

So what was the strenuous activity that caused this to be a fatal in his case? Shooting hoops in his back garden. If something as simple as that can kill you, then frankly you're going to go, ride or no ride.

Close M:S and someone with the same hidden condition will probably die on Test Track instead; close that, they'll die on Big Thunder etc. etc. You will NEVER make this world 100% safe.

 

[robinb]

I'll back this up. Recently in our local newspaper, they reported about a boy who had died suddenly and after the autopsy they revealed that he had the same abnormal thickening of the heart muscle that the kid who died on M:S did.

So what was the strenuous activity that caused this to be a fatal in his case? Shooting hoops in his back garden. If something as simple as that can kill you, then frankly you're going to go, ride or no ride.

Close M:S and someone with the same hidden condition will probably die on Test Track instead; close that, they'll die on Big Thunder etc. etc. You will NEVER make this world 100% safe.

I agree. The kid who died on M:S died from myocardial hypertrophy. People who have that condition are warned against any strenuous activity, including competitive level sports. Unfortunately, the majority of the people who die from it are asymptomatic and noone knows they have the condition.

 

[raidermatt]

Yes, the quote in KMovies' post does not tell the whole story. Yes, he had a pre-existing condition that was undiagnosed. Unfortunately, its a condition whose first symptom is usually cardiac arrest.

Those with the condition are at greater risk when they are children. They are NOT at equal risk throughout their lives.

Stressful situations increase the risk.

So yes, its possible the boy would have died during some other stressful activity at some point in his young life. But its also possible he would not have.

Its estimated that .05 to .2% of the population has the same condition. On the one hand, this means lots of them are riding the attraction without incident. It also means many with this condition are not merely ticking time bombs. The vast majority will never have an incident, and never know they had the condition.

So we can't discount the condition as a "freak" occurence, because its likely people with the same undiagnosed condition ride M:S everyday. We also can't write it off as it was his time, because most with the condition live out their lives normally.

My position at the time was that the death should definitely give us pause, and that additional research should be performed, especially with respect to how the ride affected people, especially children, with this condition.

Now, we have a women who has died. We have indications that she may have had a pre-existing condition, but of course we don't know for sure.

I'm still not going to call for the ride to be shut down based on the two incidents. Its true that they COULD be statistical anomolies.

But enough with this "people die all the time" after riding other rides at WDW. They don't. If they become ill while on the ride, as both of these people did, Disney does not let them just walk away. And as we know, Disney is under tremendous scrutiny and deaths like this do not escape notice.

Yes, an elderly lady died on PotC, but that is a TRUE case of it being her time. The ride did not put her under any stresses she did not experience multiple times every day of her life.

That's not the case with thrill rides, and whatever one may think of the intensity of M:S, it clearly affects people differently than other thrill rides. We have countless stories of people who can't handle even the tamest roller coasters who ride M:S with no problem. Conversely, some who haven't met a coaster they didn't like swear they will never ride M:S again.

PKS is right. 2 deaths do not PROVE a cause-effect relationship. But it sure as heck should raise a lot of red flags. This just isn't happening on other WDW rides. 3 possibilities:

1- They truly are freak incidents, and M:S won't see another death for 20 years.
2- People with these pre-existing conditions (assuming the woman had a pre-existing condition) are riding M:S while they avoid other thrill rides. That's possible I guess, but with all the publicity, extra warning signs, protein spill bags, etc, it seems highly unlikely.
3- For whatever reason, M:S "aggrevates" these conditions more than other thrill rides at WDW. Again, I agree, this is not proven, but at the same time, how can we ignore what has happened? How many deaths would it take for each of us to at least call for more than just an investigation into whether the ride was operating as designed?

You may personally find the 1 in whatever million odds acceptable. That's only relevant to your personal choice about riding the ride. What's relevant to Disney is public perception, negative publicity, etc. And there's no way they can afford to have even one death per year on a given ride. When it was one in the first year and a half (along with the countless stories of dizzyness, disorientation, etc), I was told it was not significant.

Now its 2 in 2 1/2 years. I can guarantee Disney cannot accept that rate for a single ride. This is the company that made the Tea Cups in DL virtually unspinnable because a handicapped man fell out after the ride operated for years with no incident.

 

[YoHo]

The big issue with M:S is the lack of appropriate testing. The fact that Disney kicked out the centerfuge designers and did the testing themselves.

Due diligence wasn't done on this ride.

 

[BuffettFan]

I have a question for those of you who are defending M:S by attributing the deaths to the "wrong place, wrong time"--essentially saying that they would have died soon anyway---

If M:S were a Universal attraction , or a Six Flags attraction would you be defending it ? I really doubt it. I think that if M:S were at Six Flags over Georgia these boards would be full of posts calling for a shutdown. For some reason when it comes to Disney some people get so protective--- it couldn't possibly be Disney's fault !

I agree with the earlier post--I think if people were dying on the Jungle Cruise or Peter Pan, you would have a much better argument that it's just bad timing.

 

[raidermatt]

I should add that the problem, for Disney, is that they invested a lot in M:S as part of their attempt to "thrill-up" Epcot. Whether that was the right move or not is another discussion, but given where they are, they've got some tough choices to make and I hope they make the right ones, rather than simply hope all goes well for the next 5 years.

 

[BRERALEX]

I am naive, ignorant or just not bright but it seems really simple.

If someone were to tell Walt that if he were to build RIDE X and if people with undiagnosed heart conditions were to go on RIDE X then there would be Y amount of deaths, the ride would not be built.

You never will make this world safe. But how many people died in all those years passing all those turnstiles pre M:S?

 

[raidermatt]

If someone were to tell Walt that if he were to build RIDE X and if people with undiagnosed heart conditions were to go on RIDE X then there would be Y amount of deaths, the ride would not be built.

I hate to pick nits, because I essentially agree with you. But it is possible that the deaths really are just freak occurences and M:S could operate without incident for the next 5, 10, or even 20 years.

Its just that at the same time, ignoring available data is the only thing worse than over-reacting to it.

YoHo's point about testing is a good one, though I'm sure Disney disagrees. At best, kicking out the designers is bad for PR given what's happened. And at worst, its possible the testing wasn't what if could have or should have been.

 

[BRERALEX]

Matt if we were on the other board I'd say no @!#$ anything is possible.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060413...8QQmZKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-

Disney Ride Reopens Day After Woman Dies
By TRAVIS REED, Associated Press Writer
35 minutes ago



LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Walt Disney World reopened its "Mission: Space" attraction Thursday because engineers found it was operating properly, a day after a woman who became ill when she got off the ride died at a hospital.

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The 49-year-old woman, who was not identified, reported dizziness and nausea after her ride Tuesday, Disney officials said. She was taken to Celebration Hospital, where she died Wednesday. Disney told state officials she may have suffered from high blood pressure and other unspecified health problems.

It was the second death in less than a year related to the Epcot attraction, which has motion sickness bags and signs warning people with heart, back and neck problems not to ride. The popular attraction spins riders in a centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity, and is so intense that some riders have been taken to hospitals with chest pain.

But the theme park said Thursday that "Walt Disney World engineers and ride system experts completed a thorough inspection of the attraction overnight and found it to be operating properly."

A worker from the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection monitored the testing and the ride didn't appear "to be acting abnormal in any way," said Terence McElroy, a spokesman for Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees the bureau.

Disney officials called state inspectors when the woman became ill, McElroy said.

Disney also closed the ride in June after the death of a 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy who passed out while aboard the attraction. It was also reopened then when company engineers concluded it was operating normally.

An autopsy determined Daudi Bamuwamye, of Sellersville, Pa., died of an irregular heartbeat linked to a natural causes. The boy's had an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle that can throw heart contractions out of coordination. People with the condition are at risk for sudden death throughout their lives, especially in physically or emotionally stressful situations, a medical examiner said.

 

[dbm20th]

But enough with this "people die all the time" after riding other rides at WDW. They don't. If they become ill while on the ride, as both of these people did, Disney does not let them just walk away. And as we know, Disney is under tremendous scrutiny and deaths like this do not escape notice.

Yes, an elderly lady died on PotC, but that is a TRUE case of it being her time. The ride did not put her under any stresses she did not experience multiple times every day of her life.

Absolutely correct. There have been people who have died on other rides, like Big Thunder and ToT, but those were one in decades. This is averaging to about one a year. That is unacceptable.

And the comparison with PotC is simply silly. Is there anyone that thinks that the physical strain caused by PotC was the catalyst for her death! Let's debate this honestly.

The big issue with M:S is the lack of appropriate testing. The fact that Disney kicked out the centerfuge designers and did the testing themselves.

Due diligence wasn't done on this ride.

Please explain this and offer some reference

 

[raidermatt]

I don't have the links so I'm going from memory, but the company that makes the centerfuge sued or is sueing Disney over various things. Its possible that all they are trying to accomplish is ensuring they get a cut of any future "clones" WDW builds. But in their claim, they say testing was not adequately done because Disney did not allow them to conduct/participate in the testing.

A worker from the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection monitored the testing and the ride didn't appear "to be acting abnormal in any way," said Terence McElroy, a spokesman for Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees the bureau.

And this of course is where the rub lies. I'm sure its operating as it was expected. The question is whether there is an issue when its in "normal" operation.

 

[MJMcBride]

It just seems to me that these deaths are at least related to the fact that this is a stressful ride and people with undiagnosed condition can suffer a fatal injury. I don't think any other ride causes fatal injuries at WDW.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Okay, here I go...
The fact that the boy and this woman both died within one year of each other doesn't give reason to close the ride. I just saw on I think it was 20/20 last week about a medical condition that caused a young girl to die when her alarm clock went off one morning, no one knew she had this condition and she could have died at any time the alarm just set it off. If M:S killed two people that both had a clean bill of health I would agree close it or tone it way down. The last thing that Disney wants is people dying on their rides, especialy their most popular ones. There is a thing called coincidence, I think that is the only coralation between M:S and these two deaths. I would ride again but I would not let small children ride it but not because of the deaths but because it is too intense. There was a mother with a young child on SM behind us last time and the final drop was too scary for the little girl, she stared crying before the drop and continued untill they walked (the girl was carried) off the ride.
More importantly than this debate though I want to say that this is such a tragedy for this woman and her family, my thoughts and prayers go out to them.