Tink's Tormentor
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Woman Dies After Riding "Mission: Space"
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ztbz
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Woman dies after ride at Disney
German tourist became ill after leaving the Mission: Space attraction
Amy C. Rippel and Henry Pierson Curtis | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted April 13, 2006
A 49-year-old woman from Germany died Wednesday after riding Walt Disney World's Mission: Space, the second person in less than a year to fall ill and die after going on the signature thrill ride.
The woman died at Florida Hospital Celebration Health, where she was taken Tuesday after becoming sick following the mock spaceflight at Epcot, according to a statement released late Wednesday by the theme park.
"We learned today that her condition had become very serious, and this evening we were notified she passed away," the statement said.
About midday Wednesday, Disney officials called the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection to report the woman's condition.
They said the woman got off the ride and was dizzy, nauseated and generally not feeling well, said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees the rides bureau.
Disney also told state inspectors that the woman may have suffered from high blood pressure and other health problems, McElroy said.
About 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Disney officials called the state agency again to say the woman's condition was grave, and the ride was going to be shut down immediately. It had been operating normally, Disney officials told the bureau.
A department field inspector was sent out about 7 p.m. Wednesday to observe Disney's routine checks of the ride, McElroy said.
Florida's largest amusement parks, including Walt Disney World, are exempt from state regulations that require mandatory reporting of injuries and give the state authority to shut down and inspect rides. Disney voluntarily submits to safety inspections.
A report on the status of the ride would not be available until at least today, McElroy said.
Disney did not release the German tourist's identity or other details about the incident.
"I don't have permission from the guests to release any information," Disney spokesman Bill Warren said Wednesday night.
Up to 160 customers at a time can ride the giant centrifuge, which spins them at 2 G-forces, or twice the force of Earth's gravity, on the fantasy flight to Mars. Numerous signs advise anyone suffering from heart problems and other illnesses not to board the ride.
Concerns about the safety of the 4-minute ride were first raised when it opened in August 2003 and some riders complained of dizziness and nausea.
In December that year, motion-sickness bags were added to the "capsules" to prevent cleanup-related delays.
The death last June of 4-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye renewed safety concerns when he collapsed while riding with his mother and sister.
An autopsy showed the child died from a rare, undiagnosed heart disease unrelated to the ride, according to Orange-Osceola Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia.
The boy's parents asked Disney to raise the ride's minimum height requirement from 44 to 51 inches to exclude young children, but Disney declined.
A review of ambulance records by the Orlando Sentinel showed medical attention was sought by only 143 of more than 8.6 million people who took the ride before the boy's death. Disney posts paramedics within a 2-minute golf-cart ride of Mission: Space.
In its written statement about Wednesday's death, Disney said: "First and foremost, our concern is for the guest's family. We offer them our deepest sympathies and assistance during this difficult time.
German tourist became ill after leaving the Mission: Space attraction
Amy C. Rippel and Henry Pierson Curtis | Sentinel Staff Writers
Posted April 13, 2006
A 49-year-old woman from Germany died Wednesday after riding Walt Disney World's Mission: Space, the second person in less than a year to fall ill and die after going on the signature thrill ride.
The woman died at Florida Hospital Celebration Health, where she was taken Tuesday after becoming sick following the mock spaceflight at Epcot, according to a statement released late Wednesday by the theme park.
"We learned today that her condition had become very serious, and this evening we were notified she passed away," the statement said.
About midday Wednesday, Disney officials called the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection to report the woman's condition.
They said the woman got off the ride and was dizzy, nauseated and generally not feeling well, said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees the rides bureau.
Disney also told state inspectors that the woman may have suffered from high blood pressure and other health problems, McElroy said.
About 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Disney officials called the state agency again to say the woman's condition was grave, and the ride was going to be shut down immediately. It had been operating normally, Disney officials told the bureau.
A department field inspector was sent out about 7 p.m. Wednesday to observe Disney's routine checks of the ride, McElroy said.
Florida's largest amusement parks, including Walt Disney World, are exempt from state regulations that require mandatory reporting of injuries and give the state authority to shut down and inspect rides. Disney voluntarily submits to safety inspections.
A report on the status of the ride would not be available until at least today, McElroy said.
Disney did not release the German tourist's identity or other details about the incident.
"I don't have permission from the guests to release any information," Disney spokesman Bill Warren said Wednesday night.
Up to 160 customers at a time can ride the giant centrifuge, which spins them at 2 G-forces, or twice the force of Earth's gravity, on the fantasy flight to Mars. Numerous signs advise anyone suffering from heart problems and other illnesses not to board the ride.
Concerns about the safety of the 4-minute ride were first raised when it opened in August 2003 and some riders complained of dizziness and nausea.
In December that year, motion-sickness bags were added to the "capsules" to prevent cleanup-related delays.
The death last June of 4-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye renewed safety concerns when he collapsed while riding with his mother and sister.
An autopsy showed the child died from a rare, undiagnosed heart disease unrelated to the ride, according to Orange-Osceola Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia.
The boy's parents asked Disney to raise the ride's minimum height requirement from 44 to 51 inches to exclude young children, but Disney declined.
A review of ambulance records by the Orlando Sentinel showed medical attention was sought by only 143 of more than 8.6 million people who took the ride before the boy's death. Disney posts paramedics within a 2-minute golf-cart ride of Mission: Space.
In its written statement about Wednesday's death, Disney said: "First and foremost, our concern is for the guest's family. We offer them our deepest sympathies and assistance during this difficult time.
BRERALEX
That's a wrap.
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I think this should be the end for Mission:Space.
We all talk about philosophy and WWWD blah blah blah.
This ride should be closed down or changed dramatically.
Or she may have suffered from nothing. Or she may have suffered from everything. She may have whatever.
I'm sure ever since the parks opened people have been going there with undiagnosed conditions.
M:S is a problem.
We all talk about philosophy and WWWD blah blah blah.
This ride should be closed down or changed dramatically.
Or she may have suffered from nothing. Or she may have suffered from everything. She may have whatever.
I'm sure ever since the parks opened people have been going there with undiagnosed conditions.
M:S is a problem.
dbm20th
Mickey's Uncle
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BRERALEX said:
100% Correct. This ride is a problem. Whether you like the ride or not, there are other rides that have similar warnings, and people don't die on them! Enough is enough. Close the ride or begin immediate rennovations to change the experience
Shawn
Oregon DVC Member of VWL
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We're all Disney fanatics here, but my gut feeling is this ride has to go. The end diagnosis may also be that this woman had a pre-existing condition, but that doesn't matter. Disney doesn't want to be the one to cause fatal stress on those with conditions like these.
They can quote the 143 out of 8.6 million all they want, but it's not the percentage of those who seek medical attention after the ride, it's not about the odds, it's the fact that it happens at all.
A corollary example is the space shuttle. After flying over 100 missions, we only lost two shuttles. We had over a 98% shuttle mission success rate. I view that as an amazing success rate. Putting men into space for real is an extremely dangerous endeavor. Yet, the 2% failure rate that I view as acceptable, is enough to put an end to the shuttle missions. Politically and in the court of public opinion, those two losses were too much. The fact that they happened at all trumped all else.
-Shaw
They can quote the 143 out of 8.6 million all they want, but it's not the percentage of those who seek medical attention after the ride, it's not about the odds, it's the fact that it happens at all.
A corollary example is the space shuttle. After flying over 100 missions, we only lost two shuttles. We had over a 98% shuttle mission success rate. I view that as an amazing success rate. Putting men into space for real is an extremely dangerous endeavor. Yet, the 2% failure rate that I view as acceptable, is enough to put an end to the shuttle missions. Politically and in the court of public opinion, those two losses were too much. The fact that they happened at all trumped all else.
-Shaw
I know I won't be riding it again, and I won't be letting my kids on it either. The risk of anything happening is minute, and it was probably due to an undiagnosed condition, but why take the chance? I always end up feeling slightly nauseous on it anyway, and who wants to feel that way on vacation? I feel horrible for that poor family. 
I don't want to discount for one second the loss of life here but people screaming to shut the ride down and pointing fingers at the ride need to just slow down and actually consider some facts and logic....Proximity and Correlation do NOT equal cause and effect...I am not talking about the possibility that there is a small chance that the ride causes death --I am talking about the fact that there may be NO RELATION to the ride whatsoever...we DO NOT know.
Almost 9 million people rode this ride before that little boy died--and obviously many more have ridden it since--so we have two people who have died and what? 12 million who have not?--I cannot look at that and point a finger at the ride and say it definitely is the cause and should be shut down. YOu can't say there is a 1 in 6 million chance that the ride causes death---all you can say is that two people have died and the last thing they did was Mission:Space. The relation between the two remains unclear.
Instantly assuming cause and effect is a mistake. Using such logic one could stop a lot of things.... I can be fairly certain that yesterday two people died who also ate chicken as their last meal---Should we stop serving chicken? Could it be that chicken is TOO DANGEROUS--
the numbers argue that either the SPACE ride has a small chance of causing death...or NOTHING at all to do with these deaths. If it turns out that there is a small chance--of course there is no reason that any ride needs to run with that kind of risk...shut it down--but let's get the facts
If anyone thinks that the ride HAS to be the cause I would just counter that I would be shocked if the ride is the cause--it just is not that big of a deal...I like the ride but it is not that intense or different. My best guess will be that she had a brain aneurysm or heart condition.
Almost 9 million people rode this ride before that little boy died--and obviously many more have ridden it since--so we have two people who have died and what? 12 million who have not?--I cannot look at that and point a finger at the ride and say it definitely is the cause and should be shut down. YOu can't say there is a 1 in 6 million chance that the ride causes death---all you can say is that two people have died and the last thing they did was Mission:Space. The relation between the two remains unclear.
Instantly assuming cause and effect is a mistake. Using such logic one could stop a lot of things.... I can be fairly certain that yesterday two people died who also ate chicken as their last meal---Should we stop serving chicken? Could it be that chicken is TOO DANGEROUS--
the numbers argue that either the SPACE ride has a small chance of causing death...or NOTHING at all to do with these deaths. If it turns out that there is a small chance--of course there is no reason that any ride needs to run with that kind of risk...shut it down--but let's get the facts
If anyone thinks that the ride HAS to be the cause I would just counter that I would be shocked if the ride is the cause--it just is not that big of a deal...I like the ride but it is not that intense or different. My best guess will be that she had a brain aneurysm or heart condition.
2Xited4Disney
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If I was in front of someones house and a passerby old me "1 in 6 million people who knock on that door get shot in the face with a shot gun".... Guess what... There is NO WAY I'm knocking on that door
NJBlackBerry
DIS Veteran
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So how long will it take to hear about this person's preexisting medical conditions that contributed to her sad and untimely death?
People scream that Disney does not have thrill rides, and then they scream that M:S is too intense, or they scream that they KNOW that Disney made M:S less intense and they don't like the new way.
M:S is intense. M:S does not kill people. How many perfectly healthy looking people die playing basketball (Hank Gathers) because of pre existing conditions? But we don't talk about shutting down basketball, do we?
Sorry - I feel badly for the family, but the ride does not need to go.
People scream that Disney does not have thrill rides, and then they scream that M:S is too intense, or they scream that they KNOW that Disney made M:S less intense and they don't like the new way.
M:S is intense. M:S does not kill people. How many perfectly healthy looking people die playing basketball (Hank Gathers) because of pre existing conditions? But we don't talk about shutting down basketball, do we?
Sorry - I feel badly for the family, but the ride does not need to go.
BRERALEX
That's a wrap.
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To me it's simple
How many people have died on "It's a Small World."
M:S is causing something in these people to kick the bucket. How many people rode It's a Small World before it's first death.
How many people died on Splash Mountain or BTMMR. BTMMR was a ride mechanism failure. SM I believe the death was caused by the individual trying to evacuate the ride prematurely.
M:S seems, in an ignorant way, to have killed those people. It caused or triggered their death. I think M:S is dangerous. I don't think Space Mountain is or hell even Scream Machine in Great Adventure. But M:S? You will be happy to know I will not be in line taking up room.
How many people have died on "It's a Small World."
M:S is causing something in these people to kick the bucket. How many people rode It's a Small World before it's first death.
How many people died on Splash Mountain or BTMMR. BTMMR was a ride mechanism failure. SM I believe the death was caused by the individual trying to evacuate the ride prematurely.
M:S seems, in an ignorant way, to have killed those people. It caused or triggered their death. I think M:S is dangerous. I don't think Space Mountain is or hell even Scream Machine in Great Adventure. But M:S? You will be happy to know I will not be in line taking up room.
Depends on the chicken. Was it Mcdonald's Chicken? Then you knew that death was coming.
2Xited4Disney said:
..and you have missed the point....Getting shot is a deadly horrible thing to happen and certainly the CAUSE of death....there is NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE to say that MISSION SPACE caused any of these deaths....to use your logic you would not only not knock on that door you would never ever knock on ANY DOOR! YOu would have to conclude that KNOCKING on DOORS causes people to shoot you. and you would be wrong.
It is difficult, and Disney will have to think hard what to do.
There was a person that had a heart attack on POC and BTM. Now did the ride cause those? Did the small drop on POC cause it. Likely not, it was probably that person's time and would have happened no matter where. Did the ride bring it on a few minutes earlier? Maybe. Same with BTM.
Maybe she was a few days away from dying ... and the ride caused the death a couple of days early. We don't know.
Same for the boy. Maybe he was a few days from dying, and the ride caused it early. We don't know.
Is there a way to make the ride a bit less stressful - that would probably be the best solution. We just don't know the answers.
There was a person that had a heart attack on POC and BTM. Now did the ride cause those? Did the small drop on POC cause it. Likely not, it was probably that person's time and would have happened no matter where. Did the ride bring it on a few minutes earlier? Maybe. Same with BTM.
Maybe she was a few days away from dying ... and the ride caused the death a couple of days early. We don't know.
Same for the boy. Maybe he was a few days from dying, and the ride caused it early. We don't know.
Is there a way to make the ride a bit less stressful - that would probably be the best solution. We just don't know the answers.
2Xited4Disney
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PKS44 said:
touche
Cricket2
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2Xited4Disney said:
That "statistic" is not a valid comparison to what is happening.
However:
- Statistically speaking, every driver will be involved in 1 automobile accident in his/her lifetime
- According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there were approximately 6,570,000 automobile accidents in 2002 (I had to find a number close to your 6 mil number)
- These automobile accidents resulted in 42,815 fatalities
So, over the period of 1 year, 42,815 deaths occurred per 6,570,000 accidents (rides).
Statistically, I'll take MS any day
dbm20th
Mickey's Uncle
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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 fact remains that it is a theme park ride. MS may or may not be attributable to two people's deaths. For me and my family, it's just not worth the risk, no matter how small, for a 5 minute ride. I know I stand a MUCH higher chance of dying every day when I get in my car, but unless I want to remain a recluse, I have to drive. I could also choke on my food when I eat my dinner, or get hit by a bus when I cross the street. There are inherent risks in everything we do, but it's up to us to choose which risks are worth it. MS to me, is not.
robinb
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dbm20th said:
I am sure there are many heart attacks and other medical problems with subsequent deaths on Disney property that we do not hear about. For instance, a frequent DIS poster's husband died at WDW and there was NO MENTION of it in the press. Another DIS poster's teenager was recently touch-and-go at Celebration hospital.
Maybe this poor woman's death was related to M:S and maybe it wasn't. We just don't know.
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