Worst Accident ever seen at park

[Pirate Mickey]

It's funny how "common sense" is not so common these days!

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

This happened many years ago (8-10 yrs??)-- a local family had been on vacation at WDW and were staying at the CR. They were walking back from the MK when the 9 yo son stepped out in front of a WDW truck (or something) which was not speeding or anything ... he didn't make it. There was some sort of a quiet settlement.

Disney has since changed that area so you do not have to cross traffic to get to the resort.

This was very unfortunate for all involved. I can still remember hearing about it like it was yesterday. The grandmother worked in our building and I know she took it very hard.

Any time you have that number of people together, accidents are going to happen. With all the excitement, it is important for children as well as adults to be alert and aware of usual safety precautions.

 

[Bill3]

I opened this to see how iilogical people can become. Your right I shouldn't have opened it because I knew I'd see alot of stupid stuff. I don't understand how people can dwell on the negative, and how many people have this love/hate relationship with WDW. People complain like crazy and still return, so how bad can it really be. It could save a life- give me a break, You read this and now you know better than to stand up on the Matterhorn at DL. Some of these threads serve no purpose except to whine. I never can understand how someplace as great to be as WDW can bring out so many negative feelings. We have some elderly aquaintences who have AP and go to WDW about three days a week, they always complain about things like crazy, but without that they don't have much of a life, there not happy unless they are honked about something, Oh- now I get it.

 

[AKASnowWhite]

Originally posted by RESINDUDE
The worst accident I ever witnessed at DW? My 6 year old had diahrea in his shorts at test track. Had to throw everything out and bought new clothes at the gift shop.

The poor kid Although for the *worst* accident - that's not so bad!

 

[shakespear]

What is this "book" people keep talking about?

 

[wendy_uk]

I have never heard of any of these accidents at WDW. But the worst thing which happened to us was when my DS 9 got his arm stuck between the railings and the wall at thunder mountain, it was our first ride of the day and our first visit to WDW luckily my DH managed to pull him free, I was so annoyed with my DS for being so stupid in the first place. Never to say he didnt do it again. (I was worried what would happen tho if we didnt get his arm out).

 

[Horizons16]

He he he he.... thats a funny one...

they would have sawed off the rail i bet... it would only be a small part im sure Thunder Mountain could take it.

 

[JLSM97]

My experience is certainly not in the "worst accident" category, but it did give me an interesting perspective into how Disney handles accidents that occur on its properties.

I broke a tooth while eating a burger in DL's Tomorrowland Terrace. I knew as soon as I bit down that there was something in my food that didn't belong there, but I didn't immediately realize it had broken my tooth. I swallowed the mouthful of food and THEN put my tongue against my tooth to find a large chunk of it come off. I spit the tooth fragment into my hand.

I went back to the counter right away and told them what happened. They had the operations manager there within two minutes. He escorted me to the first aid center. I was really not in much pain at the time--I was at the happiest place on earth, after all!--so I was chit-chatting with the guy on the way there. He wasn't unfriendly, but he clearly wasn't interested in making small talk.

The nurse looked at my tooth fragment and my mouth. She offered me Tylenol. They took down some info, and I don't remember having to fill out a form but I must have at some point. It took quite a while for me to get back to my party.

I really was not angry. The only thing that concerned me was having to pay for a crown, on which insurance coverage is usually half. I was young and didn't earn much $$.

In the next six months or so, I dealt with insurance companies of the bun bakers, beef supplier, patty makers, and god knows who else. Because I had swallowed whatever had broken my tooth, there was no way of telling what part of the burger it had come from. To make a long story short, the operations manager finally called to tell me this: "We have no way to determine what it was that broke your tooth. We do not feel responsible for what happened. We are very sorry, though, and in a move of good faith, we will pay your out of pocket expenses to fix your tooth."

They sent me a check for $300-some and that was that.

What I learned, though (besides to spit out anything I bite into that I think might have hurt my insides!), is that Disney was willing to spend a little to potentially save a lot (both $$ and bad publicity). I would NEVER have even attempted to sue them for this, but not knowing my non-litigious nature, this was a smart move on their part. They handled every part of this matter professionally, quietly, and satisfactorily.

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

The book I think some of you have mentioned is "Mouse Tales: A Behind-The-Ears Look at Disneyland," by David Koenig. I read it after my broken tooth experience and learned a lot about the company. Whether it's all true, I don't know, but if nothing else, the history of lawsuits against the Disney company proves that Disney has some very powerful attorneys--they have seldom lost a case brought against them. I would guess that, as in my case, they try to settle most everything in an effort to keep reality out of the public eye.

--Jennifer

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by Bill3
I don't understand how people can dwell on the negative, and how many people have this love/hate relationship with WDW. People complain like crazy and still return, so how bad can it really be.

Some of these threads serve no purpose except to whine. I never can understand how someplace as great to be as WDW can bring out so many negative feelings

I honestly don't think that anyone is complaining or whining here. They are merely relaying stories they have heard, been witness to or have happened to them. I seriously don't think it has anything to do with a love/hate relationship. I don't recall readiny any responses saying they hate WDW because of these things.

Posters have said they will be more careful & they wonder how some people fail to heed percaution, (sp) but complaining, whining, love/hate - am I missing something.

Maybe you posted your response on the wrong thread.

 

[dansyr]

Not a horrible accident but something that could have been avoided.
I took my girls (dance team) to wdw to perform in a competition. This year they chose to use both stages in Tomorrowland. One is a covered stage. One is completely open. The girls perorming right before my girls were to go on were doing there routine barefoot. One at a time they started running off the stage crying. I didn't know what was happening at first. Apparently, the stage had gotten so hot from not having a covering in the sun, the girls burned their feet. Poor things were in wheelchairs because their feet were blistered on the soles. Unfortunately my girls had to perform after them. Alot of what they had to do was floor moves and their costumes had their back and arms exposed. I told them not to do any of the floor moves which screwed up their routine and they did not place.

I know as a dance teacher you tell your dancers not to stop no matter what, whether a part of their costume falls off or your shoe comes untied, but these girls were ridiculous. They were older , in their mid-teens. They should've known better than to keep performing if they were injuring themselves. I do not blame them, but I just thought they should've known better.

Disney should also have removed the remainder of the competition from that stage.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

Well I must say, that as long as this is a thread of true disney accidents, there is nothing wrong with it. However, if people go by what they have heard, I have probably heard at least twenty bad things that have happened at Disney, but doubt that more than five are true, so I wouldn't repeat them. As long as you know what you are saying is a true story, nothing wrong with discussing it. And I don't feel it is bashing Disney either. I love Disney and from what I read none of these accidenst were their fault. And it surely wouldn't stop me from going on any ride.

I sure can agree that accidents do happen. My son who was five on our last trip decided to unbuckle his seatbelt on the Kali River Rapids before the boat stopped. Luckily my DH grabbed him right before it hit the boat in front of us or we could have been one story to add to the topic. Because guaranteed he would have been thrown into the water. So being aware of safety issues and letting people know they exist can't hurt.

 

[carene]

Originally posted by Bill3;

I don't understand how people can dwell on the negative, and how many people have this love/hate relationship with WDW. People complain like crazy and still return, so how bad can it really be.

Some of these threads serve no purpose except to whine. I never can understand how someplace as great to be as WDW can bring out so many negative feelings.

I do not have a love / hate relationship with WDW. Never have, and never will do .

But it's just a fact of life that accidents DO, and WILL occur at WDW.
I think that WDW is one of the most magical places on earth, but real events do happen, since visting WDW cannot make reality turn into fantasy.


I just had to say that, as some people have clearly been disturbed by this thread.

Carene

 

[Safari Steve]

The accident at the MK Skyway was a result of a combination of the CM being in an area he was not supposed to be in in the first place, and the operations CMs not properly clearing the area before starting the ride. That event did not cause the Skyway's demise. The accident occurred in 1998 and the Skyway continued running at MK until early 2000. The saddest part of the whole ordeal is that if the guy had only been knocked off of the platform by the gondola, he would've fallen about 4 feet. Instead, his "self-preservation" instincts kicked in (I think I would have done the same thing) and he grabbed onto the gondola as it rose higher and higher into the sky.

Just to set the record straight (and I think snopes.com has this noted as well), the Skyway closed for ADA/operational difficulty reasons as well as safety concerns, but not for almost 2 years after said accident. A similar incident at DL in CA (where a guest jumped out of his gondola into a tree) is mentioned in the same area of snopes.com (SNOPES RULES!)

 

[lbosua]

I was attending a christmas cast party at WDW with a close friend ( at the time )who was a cast member.We were on the monrail, and up ahead we could see something lying in the middle of what looked like a service road.Two men( I assume police or security) were kneeling beside the man in the street and were covering his body ( including his head) with a blanket.We all were sure that he was obviously dead, but the odd thing was that there was no there cars or vehichles besides the police or security car there..So we all wondered if it had been a hit and run ,, but on a service road???
Never did find out what happened..but it was a little eerie..

leslie

 

[lbosua]

The other story I have is only distantly related to WDW..My future in laws were visiting WDW( from Australia) and were staying at Shoneys Inn .They went in to have dinner in the on property restaurant .While they were eating they heard some commotion outside..next thing they knew a guy was in the restuarant with a gun and shot one of the waitresses and a cook..
turns out they had been having an affair and the husband was not too impressed to say the least..

Lets just say their first impression of the US was off to a shakey start..

Leslie

 

[Poohbear123]

I learn a LOT about HOW stupid some People can be!

 

[Raysplus1]

This didn't happen at the park but on The Disney Wonder last May. I was playing basketball on the ship and it was in the upper 90's and after I finished playing, my DW came to watch and I already went to our room. She heard on the way that a man had collapsed from playing BB. Thinking it was me she ran down and they were perfoming CPR on a gentleman. Unfortunately he did not make it.

 

[eclipseSD]

I recommend to everyone interested in darker side of Disney's history (including the deaths) to read "Mouse Tales" by David Koening. A very interesting read.

There is a sequel, "More Mouse Tales", but I haven't read it yet.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Ted and Holly
I once read in a book written to bash Disney that a woman in a watermouse was struck and killed by one of the giant boats that take passengers back and forth from TTC to MK. The captain of the boat put the reverse thrusters on and sucked her into the propellers. The woman's body was found by divers at the bottom of 7 seas lagoon, but WDW officials refused to bring the body up until dark!

That story really disturbed me!
Holly

This one I have never heard before. All I can say is WOW!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by Pirate Mickey
It's funny how "common sense" is not so common these days!

I could not agree with this comment more.