Death in the Happiest Place on Earth

[Guest Boo_Bradley]

One killed, 10 hurt on 'Thunder Mountain' ride at Disneyland

 

By CHELSEA J. CARTER

Associated Press Writer

 

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- A 22-year-old man was killed and 10 other riders were injured Friday in an accident on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster.

 

The ride's locomotive separated from its train inside a tunnel and was slightly derailed, but officials did not know whether that caused the accident or was the result of it.

 

"Our hearts and prayers go out to those injured and to the family of the deceased," said Michael Eisner, chairman and chief executive of the Walt Disney Co., who came to the park and told reporters that the organization was committed to guest safety.

 

"We are working very closely with local and state authorities to gather the facts and determine the cause of this accident as quickly as possible," Eisner said.

 

The fatality occurred in the first car behind the locomotive. The man died inside the ride and was extricated by paramedics, city spokesman John Nicoletti said. The victim was identified Friday night as Marcello Torres, a resident of Gardena.

 

One of the other victims had moderate injuries and the other cases were considered minor. Six were taken to the University of California Irvine Medical Center, two were taken to Western Medical Center and two were treated at the scene and released.

 

The injured included two boys ages 9 and 15, two men ages 20 and 47, and four women ages 19, 21, 37 and 47. The ages of the two people treated at the scene were not available.

 

Some passengers were able to evacuate the ride on their own, so the total number of riders was not immediately known, Nicoletti said.

 

Nicoletti said it was not known how the locomotive became disconnected. The train cars behind the locomotive remained on the track.

 

Jay Rasulo, president of Disney's theme parks and resorts division, said that scene was secured by the Anaheim police and fire departments and state and local authorities were investigating. He said Disney's own technical staff had not yet been in to examine the ride.

 

"We don't know exactly what's happened yet," Rasulo said. He stressed that every ride is inspected every morning before Disneyland opens. He did not detail what.

 

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. Rasulo said he believed the top speed of the ride was 28 mph.

 

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

 

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.

 

In 1999, Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill to allow the state's division of Occupational Safety and Health to inspect park rides, after a series of accidents at California amusement parks.

 

In 2002, state officials investigated 219 accidents at amusement parks in Southern California, said Dean Fryer, of the California Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the division.

 

The department made 99 inspections of various Disneyland rides last year, said Dean Fryer, a spokesman for the state agency said.

 

"Keep in mind that a lot of accident reports are minor, such as patrons who complained of sore backs after a specific ride or patrons who stumbled after getting on or off a ride," Fryer 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.

 

Other recent accidents at Disneyland:

Early 1998: David Fackler, 5, of San Diego lost part of his left foot in an accident on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

 

Dec. 24, 1998: Luan Phi Dawson 33, of Duvall, Wash., was killed when a chunk of metal ripped from the dock used by the sailing ship Columbia. His wife's face was shattered by the 9-pound cleat and employee Christine Carpenter was injured.

 

July 31, 2000: Nine people were injured on the Space Mountain roller coaster when a wheel assembly broke on one of the cars, causing it to derail.

 

Sept. 22, 2000: Brandon Zucker, 4, of Santa Clarita, was critically injured when he was trapped underneath a car in the Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin.

 

Jan. 21, 2001: A 6-year-old girl had part of a left finger pulled off when it caught in a toy rifle on Tom Sawyer Island. The toy guns since have been removed.

 

Jan 30, 2001: Aboard the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, a 33-year-old mother and her 16-month-old daughter fell backward, injuring the woman's head and neck. Operator error caused the ride to stop, then lurch forward abruptly.

 

May 4, 2001: A giant tree toppled in Frontierland, injuring 27 visitors and two workers.

 

December 2001: An Arizona teen broke his foot and leg on the Alice in Wonderland ride when the 15-year-old's foot was caught between a guard rail and car.

 

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

"Our hearts and prayers go out to those injured and to the family of the deceased," said Michael Eisner, chairman and chief executive of the Walt Disney Co.

He forgot to add the word "checkbook" to the "hearts and prayers" list...

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Wow how have they managed to stay open with that horrible of a safety record.

[Guest Anglesault]

If you look in to the ten deaths, I bet 2 or 3 are heart attacks or something along those lines.

 

And never in my life could I have fathomed someone getting hurt on Pirates of the Caribbean. It isn't exactly a roaring ride. The baby makes it easier to undestand

[Tawren 0]

http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/deaths.htm That is a record of all the previous deaths. Obviously not all have been Disney's fault.

[Guest Anglesault]

http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/deaths.htm That is a record of all the previous deaths. Obviously not all have been Disney's fault.

That does alot to prove my theory that God weeds out the stupid people.

[Guest Random Hero]

And people call me a pussy for being scared of rides. I'm just being safe dammit.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Casey Junior's jumping off the track!

Time for heart attacks!

Time to break a back!

 

Hopefully this will be a wake-up call for Disney like the Columbia disaster was for Nasa, and Disney will realize they can't keep maintaining 25+ year old rides on the cheap.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I'm kind of suprised no one's been injured at the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse.

[Tawren 0]

I'm kind of suprised no one's been injured at the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse.

Tarzan Treehouse, too.

[Ced 0]

Up until 5 years ago, all the deaths and been related to visitor stupidity. The two deaths in the last five years can both be attribruted to lack of park maintenance. It's a wake up call indeed.