One Dead in Disneyland Coaster Crash (Update!)

NW Cable News ^ | 09/05/03 | Staff Writer

[bedolido]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (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 mineshafts 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.

Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[dead]

That really sucks. Poor guy was probably on vacation with his kids.

[yankeedame]

And, lo, in the distance can be heard the faint sound of stampeding lawyers...

[midwestmidnight]

I'll reserve judgement until there is a cause found. Who knows? There have been several amusement park deaths this year where the rider was at fault.

[smith288]

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

Cedar Point, it is not.

[dead]

The first sentence of the article leads me to believe that the locomotive broke loose.

[Political Junkie Too]

And, lo, in the distance can be heard the faint sound of stampeding lawyers...

That sound would be the parade from Litigationland.

-PJ

[truthkeeper]

I know I'm in the distinct minority, but I never saw the appeal in these kind of rides. Probably because I am prone to motion sickness.

I feel so sorry for this guy, though.

[adam_az]

Death at Disneyland is more common than you might think...
http://www.urbanlegends.com/death/disney_deaths.html

[midwestmidnight]

What made it come loose? Some moron dive onto the track or mechanical failure? I know that a roller coaster in Japan recently came off it's track due to mechanical failure.

[Newbomb Turk]

Thats why you should never visit after GAY days.

All joking aside prayers to the mans family.

[stainlessbanner]

[expatpat]

Me too. As an engineer and scientist, I know too well what can go wrong. (Of course, I fly, though).

[truthkeeper]

I don't, if I can avoid it. :-)

[LS]

My favorite ride at Disney. What a way to go. You get to heaven and St. Peter says, "How did you die?" "er, well, I was run over by a train on a closed track at Disneyland."

[socal_parrot]

I believe the last death was a few years ago when a boat cleat from the Mark Twain Steamship gave way and hit some pour soul in the head. The rope attached to the cleat also tore a worker's foot off. Ouch.

[RightWhale]

one of newer roller coasters at Disneyland

What are they up to now? 20 billion patrons? Disneyland was built out in the middle of nowhere. Little 2-lane country road. Land was cheap.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

From another source:

Man Killed on Disneyland Roller Coaster

ANAHEIM, Calif. — A locomotive broke loose from a train on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (search) roller coaster attraction Friday, killing a man and injuring 10 other riders, officials said.

The man died inside the ride and his body remained there for the investigation, said city spokesman John Nicoletti. No information about his identity was immediately released.

The injured ranged in age from 9 to 47, he said. One had moderate injuries and the other cases were considered minor. Six were taken to the University of California Irvine Medical Center (search), two were taken to Westerm Medical Center and two were treated at the scene and released.

"On behalf of the entire cast of the Disneyland Resort (search) we are shocked and saddend," said Cynthia Harris, president of Disneyland Resort.

The accident occurred inside a tunnel section of the ride, said police Sgt. Rick Martinez. What exactly happened was not known.

"At this point it appears to be a tragic accident," Martinez said.

The ride is designed to look like an old fashioned locomotive pulling cars, which can hold as many as 32 people. The ride operator is not aboard the train.

The accident was reported at 11:22 a.m. and firefighters arrived in two minutes, officials said.

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 mineshafts and caverns, past falling rocks and tumbling waterfalls.

The ride is computer operated, said Joe Aguirre, a park spokesman. It opened in 1979 and is newer than the Space Mountain attraction, which opened in 1977, and Matterhorn Bobsleds, which debuted in 1959.

[So Cal Rocket]

It's not in the middle of nowhere anymore:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?size=big&mapdata=jZ2g%2b%2fXW8V9XsR8eznkYTcRtoYlJWj%2bDesDJwVy2DQkOB9UQ7%2b%2fMm3C3Ag8u4F5HVDAy00PiOq5YCw5U%2fd2MmEPK0I7RMkcp4YucKIZafZKBDHeY%2fkKRhd5npT%2fJxRWkmqD4JMPmMCcONfinmTotaB75sCCPF0NRsRRgRPcenrMBZvYNUmqoTc1%2f5bM1jRFxHJLbpalq6qSs744sEKjTGGYxgdppXQTkia5rbj8XZN4uj%2bOKvB0bLeKm2wgUrfFx%2bjGhX2HrEy1VJt%2b0ILALVsiY%2bgis9aEV%2frwcy93imKlBHnvq70jeFRsmDpqYEzK16k5DKE4wXYGeymxSvoXJoLAxkKZmJlF7l3PrpjkaXELQQwuoiuLdQM1yOq%2bAadm39J7BLkwqPDfEIREanZATACH7rNtqb8xd%2bI%2fuGxk0TI3Al77yLaSNUInUmwyo3kK3ETBL7Kfg7RE%3d

[Timesink]

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

1979, eh? This must be the computer: