Walt Disney World has reported the deaths of two guests in the past few months after riding on a couple of the tamer attractions in their theme parks. A Florida state report released on Wednesday reported that a woman died after riding on It’s A Small World in Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day, and another woman passed away after riding Toy Story Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the first incident happened back in October when a 54-year-old woman lost consciousness after riding Toy Story Mania. The attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios takes guests through a 3D ride in which they shoot targets to earn points.
The second incident began with a ride on It’s A Small World at Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day. A 22-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition lost consciousness after riding the attraction.
She later passed away, but a report from Florida’s Bureau of Fair Rides did not indicate when she died.
Jerry Aldrich, an Orlando-based theme park consultant had worked with Disney in the past. He said he dealt with safety issues then.
“There’s just where they happened to be at the time. In a Small World, I wouldn’t think that would cause you a spike in blood pressure or anything like that.”
With his comments and the rather slow speeds of the Disney World attractions, it appears unlikely that either one contributed directly to the deaths of the guests.
There was no comment from Disney or Reedy Creek Emergency Services at this time.
Each quarter, the Florida Bureau of Fair Rides issues reports of injuries and major incidents with rides at the major theme parks. Each of the reports are voluntary, per an agreement between the parks and the state of Florida.
Any injuries occurring on rides and attractions must be reported and include an immediate hospital stay of more than 24 hours. There have not been two deaths in one quarter since early in 2007.
Back in July of 2014, a guest lost the tips of a couple fingers on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Magic Kingdom. A later report stated that a young boy had experienced the same injury earlier, in the second quarter of 2014.
Nine other incidents were reported by Disney, along with the two deaths, for the fourth quarter of 2014. Some of those included:
- 64-year-old woman fell and fractured her leg stepping off Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel
- 64-year-old woman lost consciousness on Big Thunder Mountain – pre-existing condition
- 49-year-old man tripped and fractured his shoulder at Mad tea Party
- 54-year-old man felt ill after Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – pre-existing conditions
- 72-year-old man felt nauseous/lethargic after Space Mountain
Universal Orlando and SeaWorld also reported incidents in the fourth quarter.
As stated, the two Disney World attractions don’t appear to have necessarily contributed to the deaths, but they did need to be reported.
[Image via Disney]
