http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-614missionspace,0,2989835.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
-year-old dies after riding Disney's Mission: Space ride
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press
June 14, 2005, 9:14 AM EDT
LAKE BUENA VISTA -- A 4-year-old boy died after passing out while aboard Walt Disney World's ``Mission: Space'' attraction _ an Epcot ride that has caused previous hospitalizations because of its intensity.
Daudi Bamuwamye, of Sellersville, Pa., passed out Monday afternoon while on the attraction, which simulates a rocket launch and trip to Mars. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said his mother, Agnes, who was on the ride with Daudi and his sister, carried him off the ride and employees helped her place him on a bench.
Paramedics tried to revive him, but he died about 5 p.m. at Celebration Hospital.
The sheriff's office said the boy did meet the ride's minimum 44-inch height limit.
The boy's family had an unlisted telephone number in Pennsylvania. A cause of death could not be immediately determined and an autopsy was expected Tuesday.
Disney officials in a statement said that they are providing support to the family and ``are doing everything we can to help them during this difficult time.'' The ride was closed after the death but reopened Tuesday after Disney World engineers determined that the ride was operating normally.
``The safety of our guests and cast remains our top priority,'' the statement said.
During an eight-month period that ended last year, six people over age 55 were taken to the hospital for chest pain and nausea after riding Mission: Space, a $100 million attraction that is one of Disney World's most popular. During that period, that was the most hospital visits for a single ride since Florida's major theme parks agreed in 2001 to report any serious injuries to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
One other death was reported at Disney World this year. Gloria Land, 77, of St. Paul, Minn., who was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes, lost consciousness in February after going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at the Magic Kingdom. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
``The death was not unexpected,'' the medical examiner's report said.
Although the 2004 reports showed no major injuries or illnesses from Mission: Space, the hospital visits came up in discussions with state officials who consult annually with park officials about safety.
The centrifuge ride recreates the experience of a rocket blasting off. A clock counts down and the engines roar to life with a blast of noise and smoke and flame. Lift off G-forces _ just over twice the normal force of gravity _ cause short-lived facial distortions.
Warning signs advise pregnant women not to go on the ride, caution about motion sickness and ban children shorter than 44 inches. An audio recording and a video also warn riders of the risks.
In 2003, Disney began placing motion sickness bags in the ride.
The state's major parks are not directly regulated by the Department of Agriculture; Florida law exempts large, permanent amusement parks that have their own safety inspectors from state oversight. But the parks agreed to share safety information in 2001.
Other states, such as California, home to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, are regulated by the state.
Copyright © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
-year-old dies after riding Disney's Mission: Space ride
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press
June 14, 2005, 9:14 AM EDT
LAKE BUENA VISTA -- A 4-year-old boy died after passing out while aboard Walt Disney World's ``Mission: Space'' attraction _ an Epcot ride that has caused previous hospitalizations because of its intensity.
Daudi Bamuwamye, of Sellersville, Pa., passed out Monday afternoon while on the attraction, which simulates a rocket launch and trip to Mars. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said his mother, Agnes, who was on the ride with Daudi and his sister, carried him off the ride and employees helped her place him on a bench.
Paramedics tried to revive him, but he died about 5 p.m. at Celebration Hospital.
The sheriff's office said the boy did meet the ride's minimum 44-inch height limit.
The boy's family had an unlisted telephone number in Pennsylvania. A cause of death could not be immediately determined and an autopsy was expected Tuesday.
Disney officials in a statement said that they are providing support to the family and ``are doing everything we can to help them during this difficult time.'' The ride was closed after the death but reopened Tuesday after Disney World engineers determined that the ride was operating normally.
``The safety of our guests and cast remains our top priority,'' the statement said.
During an eight-month period that ended last year, six people over age 55 were taken to the hospital for chest pain and nausea after riding Mission: Space, a $100 million attraction that is one of Disney World's most popular. During that period, that was the most hospital visits for a single ride since Florida's major theme parks agreed in 2001 to report any serious injuries to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
One other death was reported at Disney World this year. Gloria Land, 77, of St. Paul, Minn., who was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes, lost consciousness in February after going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at the Magic Kingdom. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.
``The death was not unexpected,'' the medical examiner's report said.
Although the 2004 reports showed no major injuries or illnesses from Mission: Space, the hospital visits came up in discussions with state officials who consult annually with park officials about safety.
The centrifuge ride recreates the experience of a rocket blasting off. A clock counts down and the engines roar to life with a blast of noise and smoke and flame. Lift off G-forces _ just over twice the normal force of gravity _ cause short-lived facial distortions.
Warning signs advise pregnant women not to go on the ride, caution about motion sickness and ban children shorter than 44 inches. An audio recording and a video also warn riders of the risks.
In 2003, Disney began placing motion sickness bags in the ride.
The state's major parks are not directly regulated by the Department of Agriculture; Florida law exempts large, permanent amusement parks that have their own safety inspectors from state oversight. But the parks agreed to share safety information in 2001.
Other states, such as California, home to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, are regulated by the state.
Copyright © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
I can't imagine that..
