The central Florida theme parks have turned in their quarterly injury reports and in them, Walt Disney World reported two deaths after guests went on rides.
One of the deaths was a 22-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition who rode it’s a small world on Christmas Day. She lost consciousness and later died, but it’s not clear when she actually passed away.
The second death was a 54-year-old woman who rode Toy Story Mania in October and lost consciousness.
Jerry Aldrich, a theme park consultant who previously worked with safety issues at Disney, spoke to the Orlando Sentinel and said that it would seem strange that the people died because of the attraction. “That’s just where they happened to be at the time. In a Small World, I wouldn’t think that would cause you a spike in blood pressure or anything like that.”
No comments were available from Disney or the Reedy Creek Emergency Services.
Nine other incidents were reported from Disney. A 64-year-old woman fell at the Magic Kingdom, breaking her leg while exiting the Prince Charming Regal Carousel. A 49-year-old man fell and broke his shoulder while exiting the Mad Tea Party. A 63-year-old woman who had a pre-existing condition rode Big Thunder Mountain and had a headache and lost consciousness. It turned out that she had an aneurysm, which was treated with surgery. A 54-year-old man with a pre-existing condition didn’t feel well after riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. After riding Space Mountain, a 72-year-old complained of nausea and lethargy.
A 74-year-old woman tripped on another guest’s bag at Soarin’ in Epcot and broke her shoulder.
Two guests felt ill on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: a 51-year-old woman had memory loss and dizziness, then lost consciousness and a 55-year-old woman felt motion sick.
A guest with a pre-existing condition suffered from a seizure at Animal Kingdom’s Kali River Rapids.
There were five injuries reported from Universal Orlando. A 22-year-old man was nauseous on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey; he suffers from a pre-existing condition. A 49-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition had a seizure while riding Dudley Do Right’s Ripsaw Falls. A 36-year-old woman had neck pain while riding Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. An 82-year-old woman experienced shoulder pain on Poseidon’s Fury. On the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, a 45-year-old man experienced a “change in mental status.”
SeaWorld Orlando only had two incidents to report. A 70-year-old woman was injured on Journey to Atlantis and was found to have a collapsed lung. Also on Journey to Atlantic, a 43-year-old man had “a personal medical condition.”
The Florida theme parks voluntarily report their injuries as part of an agreement with the state. The injuries on the list occurred on a ride and resulted in a hospital stay that lasted for more than 24 hours.
News source: Orlando Sentinel
