This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various Disney-owned Theme Parks , Amusement Parks , or Water Parks . This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that have a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy.
The term ''incidents'' refers to major accidents, injuries, deaths, or significant crimes that occur at a Disney park. While these incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities for investigation, attraction-related incidents usually fall into one of the following categories:
- Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.
- The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.
- Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
- Act Of God or a generic accident (eg slipping and falling), that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.
See Also: Disneyland Paris
See Also: Disneyland Resort
As of December 2006, twelve guests and one employee have died inside the parks. A greater number of guests have been injured. While the California Department of Safety and Health (CDSH) has ruled that some incidents are Disney's fault, the majority of incidents were due to negligence on the guests' part.
Snopes article detailing Disneyland deaths
See Also: California Screamin'
See Also: America Sings
- On July 8 , 1974 , cast member Deborah Gail Stone, 18, of Santa Ana, California was crushed to death between a revolving wall and a stationary platform inside the ''America Sings'' attraction. She was in the wrong place during a ride intermission; it was unclear whether this was due to inadequate training or a misstep. The attraction was subsequently refitted with breakaway walls. 4
See Also: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Investigation reports and discovery by Torres' attorney confirmed Mr. Torres’s fatal injuries occurred when the first passenger car collided with the underside of the locomotive. The derailment was in part the result of a mechanical failure, which occurred as a result of, among other things, omissions during a maintenance procedure of at least two required actions, the left side upstop/guide wheel on the floating axle of the locomotive was not tightened in accordance with specifications; and a safety wire was not installed and/or completed the necessary maintenance required by said tagging system, all with knowledge of Disney management and personnel. {Link without Title}
See Also: Sailing Ship Columbia
See Also: Frontierland
See Also: Indiana Jones Adventure
See Also: Matterhorn Bobsleds
- In 1964, 15-year-old Mark Maples of Long Beach, California , was injured after he stood up in the Matterhorn Bobsleds and fell out. He died three days later as a result of these injuries.
- On January 3 , 1984 , Dolly Regina Young, 48, of Fremont, California was thrown from a Matterhorn Bobsleds car and struck by the next oncoming bobsled. Her seatbelt was unbuckled, but since she was riding in the back seat of the sled alone, it is unclear whether she had deliberately unfastened her belt, or if the seatbelt malfunctioned. Abstract of LA Times Archive article mentioning Dolly Young's death in 1984 (Abstract does not contain collaborating details, but full article may)
See Also: Disneyland Monorail System
- In 1966, Thomas Guy Cleveland, 19, of Northridge, California , was struck and killed by the monorail, dragging him 30 to 40 feet down the track. This occurred on Grad Nite while he was trying to sneak into the park by climbing onto the monorail track.
See Also: PeopleMover
- In August 1967, Ricky Lee Yama, 17, of Hawthorne, California , was killed while jumping between two moving PeopleMover cars as the ride was passing through a tunnel. Yama stumbled and fell onto the track, where an oncoming train of cars crushed him beneath its wheels and dragged his body a few hundred feet before being stopped by a ride operator. The attraction had only been open for one month at the time.
- On June 7 , 1980 , 18-year-old Gerrardo Gonzales of San Diego, California was also crushed and killed by the Peoplemover while jumping between moving cars. The accident occurred as the ride entered the SuperSpeed tunnel.
See Also: Rivers of America (Disney)
- In June 1973, Bogden Delaurot, 18, of Brooklyn, New York , drowned while attempting to swim across the "Rivers of America". Delaurot and his 10-year-old brother stayed on the island past closing time by hiding in an area that is off-limits to guests. When they wanted to leave the island, they decided to swim across the river. Bogden carried his younger brother on his back, as the younger brother was unsure how to swim, but Bogden drowned halfway through the swim. His body was found the next morning. The younger brother was able to stay afloat by "dog paddling" until a ride operator rescued him.
- On June 4 , 1983 , Philip Straughan, 18, of Albuquerque, New Mexico , drowned in the Rivers of America while trying to pilot a rubber emergency boat from Tom Sawyer's Island that he and a friend had stolen from a "cast members only" area of the island.
See Also: Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
See Also: Space Mountain (Disneyland, Anaheim)
- On '' for actual citation.
Several people have died or been injured while riding attractions at Walt Disney World theme parks. Summary of some incidents from AP wire Prior to 2001, Disney was not required to report incidents to the state authorities, but they have made reports since. For example, from the first quarter of 2005 to the first quarter of 2006 , Disney reported four deaths and nineteen injuries at its Orlando parks. Report on 2005-2006 incidents
All of Florida's major parks -- which include the Disney parks, along with SeaWorld Orlando , Universal Orlando , and Busch Gardens Africa -- report quarterly details surrounding accidents and other incidents at their parks.
- In the first quarter of 2007, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, Wet ‘n Wild and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay reported no serious incidents on their rides. Disney reported four.
- In the second quarter of 2006, there were 12 reported cases of serious injuries or illnesses out of the millions of people who visited the various parks and resorts. Report on 2Q2006 incidents
- Disney reported nine cases. Among them were: two deaths (detailed below); a man who swallowed too much water at Typhoon Lagoon; three women who fell and broke their hips or suffered other injuries; two men with chest pains; and a boy who fainted at Blizzard Beach.
- During that same time period, Universal Orlando reported one case: a woman with chest pain, numbness in an arm, and other symptoms.
- SeaWorld and Busch Gardens reported no cases during the quarter.
- Busch Garden's Adventure Island water park reported two cases of people complaining of injuries.
See Also: Dinosaur (Disney's Animal Kingdom)
See Also: Kali River Rapids
See Also: Blizzard Beach
See Also: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
See Also: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
See Also: Body Wars
- On May 16 , 1995 , four-year-old Linda Elaine Baker passed out during a ride on the Body Wars attraction in the Wonders Of Life pavilion. The ride was stopped immediately, and paramedics were called to the scene. The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital. Some of Linda's relatives said that Linda was known to have had a heart condition, but the autopsy was inconclusive as to whether the ride aggravated it. SNOPES article on Body Wars death
See Also: Mission: Space
See Also: Soarin'
- On January 15 , 2007 , 67-year-old John Parietti of New York suffered from Slurred Speech and Right-side Weakness after riding Soarin'. He died two days later. The medical examiner ruled that Parietti had a stroke, but did not perform an autopsy.
See Also: Pirates of the Caribbean (theme park ride)
- 77-year-old Gloria Land of Minnesota lost consciousness and died after riding in February 2005. A medical examiner's report said Land was in poor health from diabetes and she previously had several ministrokes. The report concluded that her death "was not unexpected." Article mentioning PotC incident
See Also: Skyway (Disney)
See Also: Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom)
- On December 12 , 2006 , an unnamed 73-year-old man lost consciousness while riding Space Mountain. After being taken to the hospital, he died three days later. The medical examiner's report stated that the man died of natural causes due to a heart condition.
See Also: Splash Mountain
See Also: Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
- Of those injuries listed, 282 were related to costuming issues, such as costume weight affecting the head, neck, or shoulders.
- 49 injuries were specifically due to the costume head.
- 107 injuries were caused by park guests' interactions with the characters, where the guest hit, pushed, or otherwise hurt (intentionally or not) the costumed cast member.
- Other items in the report include skin rashes, bruises, sprains, or heat-related issues.
- One change that Disney made to assist character performers was to change rules limiting the overall costume weight to be no more than 25% of the performer's body weight.
- In 1976, a woman filed a lawsuit claiming one of the Three Little Pigs ran up to her at the "it's A Small World" attraction, grabbing at and Fondling her; it supposedly exclaimed "Mommy! Mommy!" As a result, she claimed to have gained 50 pounds, seeking $150,000 in damages for assault and battery, false imprisonment, and humiliation. The plaintiff dropped charges after Disney's lawyers presented her with a photo of the costume, which had only stubs, not operable arms.Koenig, David. ''Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland.'' Irvine, CA: Bonaventure Press, 1994. ISBN 0-9640605-5-8 (pp. 206-207).
- A 1981 case tried Robert Hill, who was playing Winnie the Pooh in 1978. It was alleged a slap resulted in a child's bruising, recurring headaches, and possible brain damage. Hill testified that the girl was tugging at his costume from behind. Turning to see who it was, he accidentally struck her ear. At one point, Hill entered the courtroom in the Pooh costume. Hill responded to questions while on the witness stand as Pooh would. For example, when Pooh was asked "What do you do at Disneyland?" Pooh danced down the courtroom aisle, causing the audience to burst into laughter. The judge stated, "Have the record show that he's doing a two-step." The comical procedure demonstrated the arms on the elaborate costume were too low to the ground to slap the girl at her then height. After 21 minutes, defendant Robert Hill was acquitted on all charges.
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