Woman Dies After Riding "Mission: Space"

[pedro2112]

Many of the rides listed have been in operation for Decades. How many pre-existing condition deaths have occured on those rides?

The answer is very very low if not zero.
So if these people were ticking timebombs and these ticking timebombs are around all the time, then how has Disney managed to avoid a higher casualty rate?

In short, this argument holds no water. If those other rides presented as great a danger, then they'd have death counts that were equivelent.

I"m not sure we are talking about the same thing. I was just pointing out the fact that the two people who died had pre-existing medical conditions. The two people who died had very different medical conditions. These conditions can become fatal from stresses far less than those present on MS. All I was suggesting was that from a logical perspective, these particular deaths were not the result of MS being "too dangerous", unless you suscribe to the theory that the other rides I mentioned (which from a medical perspective could have caused death in indivduals with these two conditions) are also "too dangerous."

Did riding MS have any effect on the deaths of these two people? Probably. Does that mean that MS is "too dangerous"? No, unless one believes any thrill ride is too dangerous. However, in this particular case, Disney needs to examine the public perception of MS and determine if it is "worth it" to keep it open.

 

[Bstanley]

If someone has a heart attack on Big Thunder mountain (which has happened numerous times) there is no way you can rule out it being triggered by the ride.

Please provide Orlando 'Slantinel' articles - or any other form of evidence for this claim.

The only death on Big Thunder (California) was due to mechanical failure exacerbated by poor maintenance practices.

 

[DancingBear]

Did riding MS have any effect on the deaths of these two people? Probably. Does that mean that MS is "too dangerous"? No, unless one believes any thrill ride is too dangerous.

Here's where you make a jump in logic that I'm not prepared to make at this time. Your statement implies that all thrill rides are equally dangerous. Do we really know that M:S is not any more dangerous than Big Thunder, Space Mountain, etc.?

YoHo's point is that if these ticking time bombs could have died on any of those other rides, why haven't they?

 

[peter11435]

The only death on Big Thunder (California) was due to mechanical failure exacerbated by poor maintenance practices.

That is simply not true. There have been other deaths on Thunder Mountain (both Florida and California). I was actually there (Florida) one day when someone had a heart attack on Thunder Mountain.

 

[Bstanley]

Ok, what day was that? There will undoubtedly be records.

 

[tomerin]

Correct, so what if any additional responsibility does Disney have to notify folks. (They already reveal the workings during the preshow).

i honestly did not realize they did show the workings of the ride.

Deciding to go because you "felt safe" doesn't sound like rational thinking to me.

i felt safe because my health was good and i had ridden the ride previous to the first tragedy. my choice was based on many successful rides on MS. rational thought ...good ride no ill effects fun time go on again. seems logical to me. if you ride Space mountain or BTMRR a thousand times and have fun each time and someone suffers a mishap, do you stop riding SM? there have been incidents and accidents on many WDW attractions. have you personally stopped riding them because of whatever happened. you probabally still ride them because you know that whatever has happened was an isloated incident because if it wasnt WDW would close the ride.

Right. Disney should take this into account in determining whether folks will self-select out of the attraction.

agree wholeheartly with this statement. MS was a walk-on this past july 3rd for us.

Who suggested such a thing? It appears the questions is whether M:S is more dangerous than the list of other attractions (Space Mountain, Big Thunder, etc.) that nobody is trying to have closed.

where in my post did i say that sentence was in reply to someones suggestion. it was just my opinion that i formed because of the concern that poeple have shown the MS can worsen certain medical conditions. because of the previous tragedies MS is suddenly being deemed more dangerous. any thrill-type in any theme park will definitly come with possible side effects. you simply cant plan for every possibllity.

Just a note that "e-ride attraction" does not equal thrill ride.

i meant to say e-ticket

 

[YoHo]

Apparently Peter is now a Dr. and capable of deciding in absolutes that Heart attacks are equally likely to occur due to the stresses of a theme park ride.

That's good to know, somebody should tell Disney since they don't bother making reference to any heart attack issues beyond potentially high blood pressure on any ride.

In short, it's ludicrous to make this statement:

If someone has a heart attack on Big Thunder mountain (which has happened numerous times) there is no way you can rule out it being triggered by the ride.

And in any case, It was widly reported that Disney had never had a death occur on any ride that wasn't due to guest error until Big Thunder.

 

[mark&sue]

I believe that high blood pressure is quite common. I would therefore assume a percentage of people would not realise they had high blood pressure.

This percentage of people may be "stupid" not to have their blood pressure checked out regularly, but again surely this is common and is this an acceptable risk?



Susan

 

[All Aboard]

I have heard (from a fairly reliable source) that by the end of next month, the intensity of Mission:Space will be markedly reduced in response to these events. And, it comes as no surprise that Hewlett Packard is demanding that something be done with the attraction that bears their name in many places.

The scuttlebutt is taht it will be a very quiet change. There will be no major announcement, but perhaps some statement (maybe even just a response the CMs have to questions such as "did something change?") to the effect that "Mission:Space has been enhanced so that more guests than ever before can enjoy this amazing flight to Mars." Or something like that.

Again, good source, but by no means absolutely factual.

 

[Tink's Tormentor]

I have heard (from a fairly reliable source) that by the end of next month, the intensity of Mission:Space will be markedly reduced in response to these events. And, it comes as no surprise that Hewlett Packard is demanding that something be done with the attraction that bears their name in many places.

The scuttlebutt is taht it will be a very quiet change. There will be no major announcement, but perhaps some statement (maybe even just a response the CMs have to questions such as "did something change?") to the effect that "Mission:Space has been enhanced so that more guests than ever before can enjoy this amazing flight to Mars." Or something like that.

Again, good source, but by no means absolutely factual.

I believe you, but I would also believe it when I see it... HP has been quiet on this subject matter... As a matter of fact, does anyone know who to contact at HP to express concern at a ride they sponsor??? I want to voice my opinion to them that I will be boycotting HP products if they continue to back such a dangerous ride...

 

[peter11435]

Apparently Peter is now a Dr. and capable of deciding in absolutes that Heart attacks are equally likely to occur due to the stresses of a theme park ride.

That's good to know, somebody should tell Disney since they don't bother making reference to any heart attack issues beyond potentially high blood pressure on any ride.

In short, it's ludicrous to make this statement

Thank you for completing misinterpreting my post and attacking me in yet another thread.

And my statement was in no way ludicrous.

 

[All Aboard]

HP has been quiet on this subject matter

Publicly, yes. But to Disney officials, quite the opposite.

 

[Moobooks]

I think Mission Space is uncharted territory when it comes the effect of a theme park ride on people riding it. The many facts in this thread prove it.
I've ridden Mission Space once--it wasn't "fun" and it wasn't the kind of ride where you walk out of the exit with a smile and get back in line, like Soarin or the Indy ride in Disneyland.
I didn't get naseous or dizzy, but it wasn't a pleasant sensation. I have a friend who works at WDI and he lamented at how much Disney reduced the G forces between the time the mock-up was in testing and its final installation in Orlando. But I won't miss the higher G force if they slow it down--in fact, I might even ride it again!

 

[Tink's Tormentor]

Publicly, yes. But to Disney officials, quite the opposite.

Do you know this for fact?? Cause is this is fact, I would be thrilled that HP would come down hard on disney for this mess....

 

[DancingBear]

i meant to say e-ticket

My response still stands. E-ticket does not equal thrill ride.

 

[raidermatt]

...Cause is this is fact, I would be thrilled that HP would come down hard on disney for this mess....

AA may know for a fact, not sure. But I can say that I would be shocked if HP had not at least made some serious inquiries, even after the first death. They paid a lot of money to have their name all over that ride, and corporations who value their brand will ALWAYS at least start asking questions in situations like this.


On the idea of whether or not M:S poses any more risk healthwise to certain guests than Disney's other thrill rides... Until there is some evidence of these multiple heart attacks occuring on Big Thunder during its 50 some odd years of combined operation, the numbers are still going to raise red flags in M:S's direction.

2 deaths in less than three years. Even a few heart attacks over the years wouldn't give BT that kind of ratio, though as Bstanley stated, certainly any deaths that occured on the ride in recent years would be reported somewhere.

Once again, though, its not that those numbers PROVE anything. They only INDICATE that there MAY be a problem.

And yes, despite that fact that both of the victims apparently had pre-existing conditions, their deaths are still a problem for Disney. They can't afford to take those kinds of hits to their reputation, and the sponser isn't going to like it either. Its not about the "logic" of how safe a one to kajillion ratio is. Morality aside, the point comes down to reputation risk vs. cost/investment.

Those are the factors Disney will consider when deciding what to do, if anything. And based on that, dismissing these as just "things that happen on thrill rides" is a mistake.

 

[All Aboard]

AA may know for a fact, not sure.

The person who told me this 1) would know for sure and 2) doesn't lie to me. So, there you have it. But, no, it is not first hand knowledge. Btw, the toning down of the attraction and the HP comments are from two different sources.

 

[pedro2112]

And yes, despite that fact that both of the victims apparently had pre-existing conditions, their deaths are still a problem for Disney. They can't afford to take those kinds of hits to their reputation, and the sponser isn't going to like it either. Its not about the "logic" of how safe a one to kajillion ratio is. Morality aside, the point comes down to reputation risk vs. cost/investment.

Those are the factors Disney will consider when deciding what to do, if anything. And based on that, dismissing these as just "things that happen on thrill rides" is a mistake.

I agree. Regardless of the actual facts as to whether MS is too dangerous, if that is the perception, Disney will have to do something.

 

[MasterShake]

Wow, I've been reading a lot of these posts and I have to say that YOHO, Raider, and AV have really opened my eyes to the evil that is Disney. I used to think Disneyworld was a fun place for families to enjoy themselves, but I guess I was wrong. I guess Disney is now an evil corporation out to destroy everything good in the world. I think we can all agree that M:S plays a major role in Disney's plan to inflict pain and suffering on the people that spend money in their parks.

We should all get together and open our own theme park. We will call it Anti-Disneyworld. We will have extra safe rides for everyone like Stationary Bikes and Escalators. I elect YOHO to do the shows. They can be full of anger and sarcasm about how great Disney used to be. Best of all our park will have no goals of turning a profit. It will be all about preserving the magic of another era and avoiding any technological achievements that might enhance the magic for others.

Also, we won’t hire anyone with the first name Michael.

 

[Tink's Tormentor]

Wow, I've been reading a lot of these posts and I have to say that YOHO, Raider, and AV have really opened my eyes to the evil that is Disney. I used to think Disneyworld was a fun place for families to enjoy themselves, but I guess I was wrong. I guess Disney is now an evil corporation out to destroy everything good in the world. I think we can all agree that M:S plays a major role in Disney's plan to inflict pain and suffering on the people that spend money in their parks.

We should all get together and open our own theme park. We will call it Anti-Disneyworld. We will have extra safe rides for everyone like Stationary Bikes and Escalators. I elect YOHO to do the shows. They can be full of anger and sarcasm about how great Disney used to be. Best of all our park will have no goals of turning a profit. It will be all about preserving the magic of another era and avoiding any technological achievements that might enhance the magic for others.

Also, we won’t hire anyone with the first name Michael.

a little confused about this statement
Disney an evil corporation out to hurt people?? I hate M:S but even I don't think Disney planned on killing people LOL statements like this make me mad...

OK enough sarcasm... Welcome to Disboards....