Disneyland accident

I don't think I've ever heard of a death on a disney ride before. That said, I was almost killed on the Matterhorn ride in 1992 or so... my seatbelt wasn't actually buckled and I was flung halfway out of the car, but my friend yanked me back in. This is inexplicable though... a car actually leaving the tracks on the best maintained theme park in the world.

ANAHEIM, California (AP) -- A locomotive broke loose on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster Friday, killing a man and injuring 10 other people, officials said.

TV helicopters showed a triage unit set up near the ride and one person being taken on a stretcher to an ambulance.

The roller coaster takes amusement park visitors on a twisting, turning ride aboard what is supposed to be a runaway train in the Old West. Riders zoom through mine shafts and caverns, past falling rocks and tumbling waterfalls.

The ride opened in 1979, making it one of newer roller coasters at Disneyland. It is computer-operated, said Joe Aguirre, a park spokesman.

Pirates! Wenches! Cabin Boys!
http://pyracy.com

I have a book entitled MOUSE TALES: A Behind-the-ears Look at Disneyland. The chapter "Fatal Attractions" details no less than 9 deaths that occurred on Disneyland rides since the park opened: two of them on the Matterhorn, two on the People-Mover, two drownings swimming to/from Tom Sawyer's Island, one each on the Monorail, America Sings, and the Tram in the parking lot. The book was published in 1994, and I know there's been at least one more death since then (a guy got hit in the head with a mooring anchor that broke off when the ship/ride 'Columbia' was docking...). The chapter also details even more deaths at the park due to violence and illness - things not directly ride-related.

"Happiest Place on Earth" indeed!

[ Edited by: Doctor Z on 2003-09-05 19:04 ]

they should tear it out and put back the mine train thru nature's wonderland - it was based on all the fabulous true life adventure movies.
when they took out that ride - they took away the spirit of Walt himself.

When I was doing my internship, one of the other interns had a sister that died from cancer. In her will, she requested to be buried at Disneyland.

Disney was not supportive of her request. So instead, they had her cremated and numerous family members and friends each got a plastic bag with her remains. Shortly after, they planned a Disney vacation.

Needless to say... she got her wish. Rule of thumb: Becareful where you sit in Disneyland. You never know who may be fertilizing the lawn...

:tiki:

Oh man, I remember a girl who worked on "America Sings" got squished like a pancake as it was turning, she got caught between the walls....how gross,...........poor girl.

Well, I don't know about being "killed by" a ride, but I wanted to "kill myself" after a malfunction on the now defunct 'It's a small world' that forced me to ride it 4 times in a row...

(oddly enough, I lost my sense of taste for 18 days)

Dying in a place that is supposed to be magical and safe is utterly sad. People go to Disneyland to escape and enjoy themselves in a highly controlled environment. What a shame. I sincerely hope that this guy wasn't a father visiting the park with his kids.

Ever seen "Disney Central"? As you can imagine, this is quite the hot topic there: http://www.disneycentral.com/forum/showthread.php?s=2b3b84577fbb1838643387164ddd1fa0&threadid=6097

...That forum is administered like crazy. Rather Nazi-like. Back in april when I was having a pirates of the caribbean cast chat on my site, I put a notice on the relevant section of Disney Central and it disappeared... I didn't know if it went through, I reposted it and then checked to make sure it was there. Minutes later it was gone! Guess they don't like off-site events. The site has tons of apparently professional moderators who are travel agents & related... the various forums even have commercial sponsors. Disney Central is big business! I'm sorta surprised Disney allows it to exist.

[ Edited by: kahukini on 2003-09-05 22:38 ]

I heard that 10 people involved in the accident escaped with miner injuries. :P

All kidding aside, this is pretty spooky. I've been on that ride at least 50 times. I feel so bad for everyone involed.

~Hanford

Well, it is themed to be a runaway mine train...

Has anyone thought of the ratio of people in the park compared to injuries and deaths?
I bet it's the same as being hit by lightning or winning the Lottery.
Yet we continue to get on the greatest thrill ride of them all everyday and nobody says oh I'm so sad or don't do it it's dangerous. How many people here have been in or been affected by a car accident, injury, or death? Anyone affected by a disney accident?
Did anyone ever say "it was another death free day at Disney"?
Now when I stand in line I not only have to think "am I going to be scared" I have to think am I going to die?
See you, I am going skydiving.

There may have been more deaths at Disneyland than we have ever even heard of...
If you read the book Mouse Tails - an insiders guide to shennanigans at the park - the unofficial policy is to have bodies that no longer have life left in them quietly removed from the premises. Only then can the cornoner pronounce them dead. That way no one ever actually 'dies' in Disneyland.

I highly recommend Mouse Tails. It's out of print, but grab it if you ever find a copy. It's bascially one Cast Member story after another and it's one of the funniest books I've ever read.

kahukini - try using the laughingplace.com message board - not as moderated and a ton of traffic. You'll find our very own Tangaroa posts there regularly.

On 2003-09-06 09:33, thebaxdog wrote:
Has anyone thought of the ratio of people in the park compared to injuries and deaths?
I bet it's the same as being hit by lightning or winning the Lottery.

The chances of being killed in an auto accident on the way to and from Disneyland are much higher than your chances of being killed in the park. When people get killed in amusement parks, it's usually their own fault (i.e. standing up on rollercoasters while drunk or sneaking around after hours).

More about deaths at Disneyland (and other urban legends about the park) can be found at http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/parks.asp.

I want my ashes secretly scattered at Disneyland too, as long as the family doesn't unload the entire urn in the waters of It's A Small World. :)

--cindy

According to the AP: The death was the 10th at the park since it opened in 1955, said police Sgt. Rick Martinez. Not all the deaths have been ride-related.

There's going to be a major lawsuit, no doubt.

C.B. and I have agreed to be re-incarnated as birds and meet regularly at the floral display in front of the Casey Junior train. There we will live our lives out peacefully in bird heaven eating as many french fries as the tourists at Village Haus Restaurant will throw our way. :)

The thought of possibly getting seriously killed within the confines of Disneyland excites me in ways I can't discuss right now...

(my analysts said I'll be able to discuss these deep-rooted anxieties in about 7 years - he's a strict Freudian)

On 2003-09-06 16:38, Futura Girl wrote:
the unofficial policy is to have bodies that no longer have life left in them quietly removed from the premises. Only then can the cornoner pronounce them dead. That way no one ever actually 'dies' in Disneyland.

I had heard that part before. I couldn't remember the name of the book, I have always wanted to read it. Is that the book that says Disney has a porn video distribution as well.

don't remember reading that part? but there are some pornographic type park escapades discussed in one chapter.

Updated: 10:21 PM EST
Workers blamed for fatal Disneyland coaster crash
By Peter Henderson, Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California safety officials Wednesday ruled that Disneyland workers failed to maintain a roller coaster that crashed and killed a man in September, a verdict that raised new questions about Disney's liability in the mishap.

A lawyer for the victim's family said he saw a pattern of safety lapses at the Walt Disney Co. theme park, but California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, which issued the report, blamed workers for not following established procedures rather than systematic problems at the park in Anaheim, California.

Disney Wednesday agreed that incorrectly performed maintenance led to the accident on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which runs on a track like a runaway train. The ride partially derailed on Sept. 5, killing 22-year-old rider Marcelo Torres.

The OSHA report said that the coaster's locomotive crashed after a wheel gripping the rail from underneath fell off, allowing the locomotive to jump the track.

The first passenger car slammed into the back of the derailed locomotive, fatally injuring Torres, the report said. Bolts holding the safety wheel in place were not tightened correctly and a wire to hold the bolts was missing, it said.

"A failure to follow procedures resulted in grave consequences, which we deeply regret," Disney spokeswoman Leslie Goodman said.

But Burbank, California-based Disney, the world's largest theme park company stressed that the ride design was sound and that Disney was committed to safety.

Safety regulators found that some mechanics had signed off for others' work, and they required Disney to make changes in maintenance procedures and retrain workers extensively.

"This is a serious, serious issue when certain things are taken for granted in the maintenance procedures," said OSHA spokesman Dean Fryer.

He said the design of the ride was safe and added: "We don't have evidence that there are problems beyond this ride."

OSHA said that some Disney workers heard strange noises on the coaster before it crashed and had intended to take it out of service after the ride which ended in the accident. OSHA required Disney write guidelines in case of unusual sounds.

Torres family lawyer Wylie Aitken, who challenged Disney in the previous fatal accident at Disneyland in 1998 said he would continue his own investigation.

"This seems to me to be a consistent pattern rather than a single incident," he said.

Goodman said Disney was following safety regulators' corrective actions and retraining workers.

"At no time have we ever done anything which we believe would compromise the level of safety required for the safe operation of our attractions," she said.

"Our long-standing commitment to safety remains the same. Anyone who suggests otherwise is simply wrong," she said.

Reuters/VNU

11/26/03 22:20 ET