Child Dies On Epcot Ride

Local10.com ^ | June 14, 2005 | none named

[texas_mrs]

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A 4-year-old boy on a family vacation died Monday afternoon after he passed out on an Epcot Center ride.

Officials said the accident happened on the Mission: SPACE ride.

The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on the Mission: SPACE ride, according to Disney officials. The ride simulates a launch into space by exerting g-forces on occupants.

The child reportedly passed out on the ride and paramedics responded. Witnesses reported seeing the child's mother carry him outside to a nearby bench, where paramedics were able to briefly revive him. But the child died on the way to the hospital, according to officials.

Officials shut down the ride for the rest of the day. It's not certain whether it will reopen today. Mission: SPACE opened in October 2003.

The ride has a minimum height requirement of 44 inches. The local sheriff's department said the boy met the height restriction.

The boy was on vacation from Pennsylvania with his family.

Disney released a statement saying, "We are providing support to the family and doing everything we can help them at this time."

[killjoy]

This ride is a VR ride IIRC. There are no real G forges anymore than there is weightlessness (another one of the special effects) it is real a ride that tricks the senses with slight motions and visual effects.

Not true. There are very real G forces involved. I have been on this ride quite a few times and love it. It uses a type of centrifuge to create the force.

[Woodman]

Sorry, I just followed that other person's link and it appears I was wrong about which ride this is. This is a real spinning ride and not the VR ride I thought it was.

[oh8eleven]

Chalk this one up to the stupidity of the parents.

And just how were these "stupid" parents supposed to know ahead of time? Does the ride have a history? Prior deaths?
If you're so smart why didn't you warn them?

[NautiNurse]

44 inches for a 4 year old? That seems a little tall for 4, or am I still asleep.

You aren't groggy at all. 44" is the 90th percentile for a 4½ year old. 42" is the 50th percentile for the same age.

[Woodman]

Just realized my mistake, I thought it was the VR ride I had been on a few years ago,. This one is different and does actually create these forces.

[Aggie Mama]

But how would a parent know if they've never been before? The last time I was at Disney World, I was 5 (this was 30 years ago). If your child meets the height requirement, how would you know it's not safe for them?

[cyborg]

I would not take a four year old child on such a ride.

[Mr. Quarterpanel]

I have been on that ride. It is VERY intense experience, and a great ride.

Aside from 83 warnings about it, they give you about a dozen chances to bail out up to and including right as you enter the car.

I would not have recommended it for a 4 year old, even if he met the height requirement.

Truly sad. Prayers.

[ARCADIA]

It looks like Disney may have to up the realism by adding cast members to perform semi-real pre-flight physicals. At 3 Gs, I am surprised that this ride hasn't wiped out bus loads of seniors.

[LonePalm]

You got the right ride. In terms of g-force stress on the body it is less than other rides. It lasts longer but is fewer g's.

Last time I did the "Rockin' Rollercoaster" over at MGM, I did a rough mental calculation that it was about 1/2 of a catapult shot off a carrier.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[tdewey10]

Prayers to the parents. From what I can read I agree with the other posters that it was likely an undiagnosed pre-exsiting condition. Still very sad.

[Lazamataz]

Tragic, but not Disney's fault.

I blame Bush.

[cry4justice]

The ride is intense and there are dozens of warnings and chances to bail out. What else can they do?

[ryan71]

I'm sure Disney will raise the size requirement for this. I wonder how many millions have ridden it.

[killjoy]

Just realized my mistake, I thought it was the VR ride I had been on a few years ago,. This one is different and does actually create these forces.

You are probably thinking of Body Wars.

[rampage8]

My 4 year old daughter is 39" and is in the 35% for her age. She's one of the shortest in her preschool class as well. I'd say 44" isn't that tall for a boy.

Very sad story though, no matter what really caused his death.

[Dick Vomer]

Tragic, but not Disney's fault. I blame Bush.

1 child has died at Epcot since President Bush declared an end of hostilities in Iraq on May 1st.

[Dallas59]

I rode that thing.......NEVER AGAIN. It's too damn much.

[SamAdams76]

While the media makes a big fuss over amusement ride deaths, they actually have quite a decent safety record considering the sheer number of people who ride them year after year.

Like flying an airplane, amusement park rides are statistically safer than driving down the interstate in a motor vehicle. Just this weekend, I saw a horrific car crash involving a mini-van full of kids.

Still, amusement park rides aren't for me. I don't like being made dizzy or having my heart in my throat. Anything faster or higher than a merry-go-round, forget about it.

[Republican Red]

Three years ago, when my son was 4 we took him on the Spider-man ride at Universal. Being the first time at Universal, before we went on the ride we read many "guide" books about all the rides.

Every guide book, including "family themed" books, pegged Spider-man as a perfect ride for little boys.

My son fit all the requirements for the ride so we enthusiastically went on it as soon as we got to Universal.

That ride was so traumatic for him that he refused to go on another ride that trip. We could not even get him on any Dr. Seuss rides. It has taken three years to get him to go back on rides.

We went back to Universal a few weeks ago, he went on Spider-man 15 times. He was just ready now and could understand what was going on.

On this trip, I met a family who was having a problem getting their little boy to go on "The Cat in The Hat". The mom told me they just left Spider-man and he wouldn't go on another ride.