Posted on 12/19/2007 11:37:36 AM PST by NormsRevenge
ORLANDO, Fla. - A 44-year-old man died after being pulled unresponsive from a Walt Disney World roller coaster Tuesday.
Jeffery Reed, of Navarre, Fla., showed no visible signs of trauma, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.
Inspectors found the ride, Animal Kingdom's Expedition Everest, was working properly, but Disney kept it closed pending further review.
Deputies said Reed appeared to be conscious 50 seconds before the ride ended, because his photograph was taken then. He was administered CPR by Reedy Creek Emergency Services and pronounced dead at Celebration Hospital.
"We offer the family our deepest sympathies and will provide assistance to them during this difficult time," Disney said in a written statement.
Everest debuted in 2006, simulating a runaway train ride through the Himalayas. Riders meet a giant animatronic yeti, traveling both forward and back to avoid the monster and the train tracks it mangled.
Everest has a 44-inch height requirement. Pregnant women and visitors with high blood pressure, heart, back and neck problems are warned not to ride.
It was Disney's first big-ticket ride since Epcot's Mission:Space, which had been the park's biggest source of trouble in this area. Two people died after riding Space, though both had pre-existing health conditions. Disney has since built a tamer version of the ride.
Everest was noticeably less thrilling from the start. Mission:Space is equipped with vomit bags, and puts riders through a force two times that of gravity on a simulated trip to Mars. Everest has an 80-foot drop, but doesn't turn riders upside down.
Prior to Thursday's death, at least 15 people had died at Disney's theme parks in Florida and California since 1989, some with previous health conditions.
Condolences to the family.
I wonder how many people have passed though the theme parks in that period of time? And I wonder how many people have died at the Grand Canyon in that time frame?
“equipped with vomit bags”
Now that’s quality entertainment.
At Six Flags in St. Louis, they test the new roller coasters with monkeys. If their heads don’t pop off, the ride is ok. (at least that’s what I told my kids.)
This guy, just like the majority (if not all) of the other 15, I’m sure will be found to have some kind of heart condition and shouldn’t have been on the ride in the first place.
Condolences for the family, but this is not Disney’s fault. I don’t think the family is blaming Disney, at least not yet, I’m just saying...
15 people out of several hundred million visitors. Seems that Disney is one of the safest places to be.
Good point.
Assuming "since 1989" means starting Jan 1, 1990 it would be interesting to see what the average number of people passing through the Disneyworld parks per day is, and how many deaths we would expect from a similar population over a 17 year period.
If the average per day is more than 38,990 people then being at Disneyworld is safer than being in the US in general.
I agree - I think all of the deaths have been a result of an undiagnosed condition.
However, there is obviously a lot of overlap - the same people going to multiple parks on one day.
If we assume that the average visitor goes to three parks per day (which seems high - my wife and I with kids never shoot for more than two), then the number of deaths falls squarely within the expected statistical average.
Here are the numbers for 2003, with change over 2002.
Magic Kingdon / 14 mil / flat
Epcot / 8.6 mil / +4%
MGM Studios / 7.8 mil / -2%
Animal Kingdom / 7.3 mil / flat
Thats 37.7 million total in 2003 alone. Granted there may be park hoppers in that total.
I'm am sure more people die in a bathtub than on Disney rides.
In posts 7 and 9 I use the 2006 average of 41.2M visitors per year to arrive at 114,000 per day.
More than people know. We witnessed a death (fall) there this summer...and it never made more than the Flagstaff news. Ranger says it happens more than one would think.
Sorry for the response to an old post- was looking for something else and found this story I had missed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.