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A woman died after riding Mission: Space

bousozoku

bousozoku

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Jun 25, 2002
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It's all over the local news. Yesterday, a 49 y.o. woman was sick after riding the ride at Epcot Center and died today, not that the ride had anything to do with it. She is the second one who died after riding Mission: Space.

A 49-year-old woman from Germany died Wednesday after riding Walt Disney World's Mission:Space ride, the second death in less than a year associated with the signature thrill ride.

The woman died at Florida Hospital Celebration Health, where she was taken Tuesday after becoming sick following the mock space flight at Epot, according to a statement released late Wednesday by the theme park.

"We learned today that her condition had become very serious, and this evening we were notified she passed away," the statement said in part.

About midday Wednesday, Disney officials called the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection to report the woman's condition.

They said the woman got off the ride and was dizzy, nauseated and generally not feeling well, said Terence McElroy , spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees the fair rides bureau.

Disney also told state inspectors that the woman may have suffered from high blood pressure and other health problems, McElroy said.

About 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Disney officials called the state agency again to say the woman's condition was grave, and the ride was going to be shut down immediately. It had been operating normally, Disney officials told the fair bureau.

A department field inspector was sent out about 7 p.m. Wednesday to observe Disney's routine checks of the ride, McElroy said.

Florida's largest amusement parks, including Walt Disney World, are exempt from state regulations that require mandatory reporting of injuries and give the state authority to shut down and inspect rides. Disney voluntarily submits to safety inspections.

A report on the status of the ride would not be available until at least Thursday McElroy said.

Disney did not release the German tourist's identity or other details about the incident.

"I don't have permission from the guests to release any information," Disney spokesman Bill Warren said Wednesday night.

Up to 160 customers at a time can ride the giant centrifuge which spins them at 2 G-forces, or twice the force of Earth's gravity, on the fantasy flight to Mars. Numerous signs advise anyone suffering from heart disease and other illnesses not to board the ride.

Concerns about the safety of the 4-minute ride were first raised when it opened in August 2003 and some riders complained of dizziness and nausea.

In December that year, motion-sickness bags were added to the "capsules" to prevent cleanup-related delays.

The death in June 2005 of 4-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye renewed safety concerns when he collapsed while riding with his mother and sister.

An autopsy showed the child died from a rare, undiagnosed heart disease unrelated to the ride, according to Orange-Osceola Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia.

Bamuwamye's parents asked Disney to raise the ride's minimum height requirement from 44 to 51 inches to exclude young children, but Disney declined.

A review of ambulance records by the Orlando Sentinel showed medical attention was sought by only 143 of more than 8.6 million people who took the ride before Bamuwamye's death. Disney posts paramedics within a 2-minute golf cart ride of Mission: Space.

In its written statement about Wednesday's death, Disney stated, "First and foremost, our concern is for the guest's family. We offer them our deepest sympathies and assistance during this difficult time."
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I went on that ride, and remember feeling a bit nauseated afterwards, although I still alive. I think.
 
The ride is nice, but the forces are so light--only 2.0 Gs at maximum. It doesn't take any extra real effort to reach the controls you're supposed to use.

I think that they're going to find a lot of hidden problems. There was an earlier death this year because the person had an enlarged heart but no one knew.

If anything positive comes from it, it might be better medical technology and diagnosis.
 
They DO warn you. If you have heart problems or are ill, rollar coasters are a no-no. It isn't Disney's fault and I think they should keep the ride open. I've never rode on it, though. Is it really THAT bad?
 
It'll probably boost it's popularity. ;)

I remember when a kid lost his ear on 'Thunder River' at Thorpe Park in the '80's, everyone wanted to go on it then. ;)

Same thing with rollercoasters, the Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure had a nasty accident shortly after it opened in '93/'94, up until that point it didn't really appeal to me, of course, then there's the possibility that it might be flung off the tracks and you could die... so I had to go on it then. :D
 
I don't think it matters to anyone whether anyone's been hurt or not. It's popularity doesn't matter, either. It's at DisneyWorld and people are just going to ride. At Epcot Center, where there are more cultural attractions and fewer rides, any ride gets attention from the 16 and under crowd forced to join their family there.

However, the ride is tame. They mentioned on the news that it works like a centrifuge, spinning everyone round the centre. That would explain the queasiness. However, I don't really think it's much worse than the tea cups ride they took out of Magic Kingdom or as bad as some of the carnival rides available.

It will probably be open today since it's had an inspection by the state.
 
Its just a friggen carnival

GrAvItRoN

remember....from county fairs and whatnot?

you dont ride a friggen spinny machine if you get sick from things like that.

Disney just gets the brunt of all things negative like this because they are Disney who says nothing ever goes wrong, so people like to point out that things do go wrong.

big deal, its not news really, people die from complications suffered in a fall, or a car crash or riding a roller coaster.

Did they shut down the ride for inspection when Fabio got smashed in the face with a bird? No because Fabio is a man's man.

fabioinface.jpg

to quote the parks operator "It was an act of nature"....I think the same applies here.
 
Sdashiki said:
Did they shut down the ride for inspection when Fabio got smashed in the face with a bird? No because Fabio is a man's man.

to quote the parks operator "It was an act of nature"....I think the same applies here.
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I remember seeing that... hilarious. :p :p :p
 
BigFrank said:
What the hell's a 49-year-old doing on a heart attack ride anyway???

Darwin award territory...
:rolleyes:
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Oh, give me a break...

[EDITED]

Darwin award territory? It's called "living life" and it could have happened to me...at 25 years old. Plenty of 25 year olds have died of heart conditions, which weren't diagnosed prior. Should everyone sit on the sidelines of life?
 
Sdashiki said:
Did they shut down the ride for inspection when Fabio got smashed in the face with a bird? No because Fabio is a man's man.
Click to expand...

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that a man who does extremely cheesy and over the top "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" commercials is a man's man, but to each his own....
 
tobefirst said:
Darwin award territory? It's called "living life" and it could have happened to me...at 25 years old. Plenty of 25 year olds have died of heart conditions, which weren't diagnosed prior. Should everyone sit on the sidelines of life?
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I can't tell if Disney reported to the inspectors that she had high blood pressure based on what their studies indicated would be a cause of those symptoms or if they were reporting what the family told them. I would guess the second (only because it is more likely). That does make her a Darwin Award candidate.

I can see well enough without my glasses to be ok if driving in an area I know well (I did it once to pick up a glasses repair when I was 17) on small back roads. But, I don't get on the highway and drive 70+. People should know their limits, especially when they are told "do not do this - it can be deadly for people with your condition." I see four possible results (and my order of probability):

1) If she had a known condition, and she ignored it, shame on her.
2) If it was undiagnosed and something happened, life happens.
3) If there was nothing wrong with her and something happened that Disney couldn't have prevented (like Fabio), then life happens.
4) If there was nothing wrong with her and something happened that Disney could have prevented, then shame on Disney.
 
BigFrank said:
What the hell's a 49-year-old doing on a heart attack ride anyway???

Darwin award territory...
:rolleyes:
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What's 49 years old got to do with anything? Are you a cardiologist?

I suppose you'd even think that a 46 year old shouldn't ride it.
 
BigFrank said:
What the hell's a 49-year-old doing on a heart attack ride anyway???

Darwin award territory...
:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
This is about the most ridiculous post I have seen on these forums.
 
I can't stand those G-force rides or tea cup rides. They make me ill for the rest of the day after going on them so I've just learned to avoid them. I, for that reason, will most likely never be an astronaut. You've just got to find your limits, and hopefully, you won't cross them unintentionally and have disasterous effects. I'm giving the woman the benefit of the doubt, and saying that either she knew she had some kind of condition, but didn't realize the seriousness of it, or that she didn't know about it. Either way, I feel bad for her and her family. What a way to ruin a supposedly harmless vacation. I hope the family gets the support they need.
 
Never be on it, but my 30-year-old, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen brother loved it and it made my 60-year-old, healthy father sick. Go figure...

Disney has had an interesting history with "thrill rides" as they try to build in more rides for the teen audience.

I worked there right after Ailen Encounter opened (1995, before they "Stiched" it). The signs said that this ride might frighten young children. But the parents look at those signs and say, "Hey, it's Disney. How bad can it be?" And standing around the exit are a cluster of parents trying to calm down screaming six and seven-year-olds.

I think it is the same case with Mission: Space. Hey, it's Disney. How bad can it be. Even the rollercoasters they have there are tame by most standards... So people get on rides that they probably shouldn't.
 
Very very unfortunate...I would say that was a freak accident but what do I know, I'm not a doctor.

I wouldn't be suprised if the ride was modified to tame it down...
 
skipskop24 said:
I LOVE THAT RIDE! Its kinda scary the first time you ride it, however.
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It is?

I'd think the Body wars and Star Wars rides with flight simulator technology or the Tower of Ho Hum (Terror) would be more scary to most people.

One of the news channels took a G monitor into the ride with them and it scored 2.1 Gs while the Hulk roller coaster across town at Universal Islands of Adventure scored 4.1 Gs, although it wasn't sustained for very long.
 
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