Walt Disney World Epcot Discussion Thread

Walt Disney World has been sued for wrongful death by the family of a four-year-old boy who died a year ago after riding the theme park's Mission:SPACE thrill ride.

The family's lawyer, Robert Samartin, said on Wednesday."The forces employed on the ride are dangerous. We think inviting four-year-olds on the ride is dangerous in itself," Samartin said. Daudi Bamuwamye of Pennsylvania was visiting the Walt Disney Co.-owned (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) park near Orlando, Florida, with his family in June of 2005 when he fell unconscious while riding the rocket simulator ride with his mother.

An autopsy by the Orange County medical examiner found that Bamuwamye suffered a cardiac arrhythmia due to an undiagnosed heart defect that placed him at risk for sudden death under stress. Samartin said the lawsuit also accuses Disney of negligence in the child's death.

He said Disney advertises itself as a leader in deployment of portable defibrillators to save people from heart arrhythmia, but failed to keep a defibrillator near Mission:SPACE, arguably the theme park's most intense ride.

Disney denied the allegations in the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday in Florida state court in Orange County."Daudi's death was a terrible loss to his loved ones and we sympathize with them.

However, we disagree with the assertions in the lawsuit," said Kim Prunty, a Disney spokeswoman. Prior to Bamuwamye's death, according to Samartin, the local Reedy Creek Fire Department paramedics had responded to 135 to 140 calls to assist Mission:SPACE riders and sent eight riders to the emergency room.

Ah, the legal system at it's finest. Look to the deep pockets, money will solve all your heartache....

Prior to Bamuwamye's death, according to Samartin, the local Reedy Creek Fire Department paramedics had responded to 135 to 140 calls to assist Mission:SPACE riders and sent eight riders to the emergency room.

Say what you will about the ride, as many of us did in an older thread on this subject, but without knowing the validity of those numbers, I'd guess that's still INCREDIBLY high for any ride. Ride ops of the world, help me out on this one. In a regular operating season, how many times are the paramedics called to your ride? If those numbers are even somewhat legit, I'd say a lawsuit is justified. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

This is rediculos. Why is disney getting blamed for these peoples stupidity.

First. Who would bring a 4 year old on mission space! this really pisses me off, It was being advertised as there most intense ride ever, so WHY bring a 4 year old on it!

Second. The person wtih heart problems. How many times do they warn you not to ride if you have heart problems, have cloaustrophobia, don't like spinning, have heart problems.

It's just stupidity to ignore the warnings.

Second. The person wtih heart problems. How many times do they warn you not to ride if you have heart problems, have cloaustrophobia, don't like spinning, have heart problems.

In America, you could get sued for insulting someone. Everyone sues over everything. You could sue McDonalds because someone had a heart attack and he just recently had a Big Mac. Its just so damn stupid. When will Americans try to get over a tragedy without sueing?

There are only two points that validate this:

Why not have a defibrillator there? It only makes sense, and looks to be an oversight on Disney's part.

Why allow a FOUR YEAR OLD on there in the first place? Mind, I know it falls to the parents to control their kids, and there is some negligence on the mother's part, but still...

I expect both will change regardless of the lawsuit's outcome.

However, there is some failure on the parent's part. Regular visits to a doctor probably could have found the heart defect.

Just my two cents...

-ACE

\Begin rant....

First off the child met the height requirement for the ride. His mother DID ride with him, he must have wanted to ride he got on.

Second of all check-ups have no validity. There are people with heart problems all their life and never have it diagnosed until something bad happens.

So, for all you teenagers, you should really watch what you post when it comes to younger children. You don't know what you are talking about.

My opinion, is the lawsuit is frivolous. The child rode the ride, he was safe and didn't know of his heart condition, otherwise, do you really think his mom would have let him ride? I don't think so.

The ride is safe, and has been deemed safe on the numerous inspections after each day and accident. The people that had died had underlying conditions. It wasn't the rides fault.

/end rant...

Well said, Katie!

Three years ago, when my daughter played softball, one of the kids on the team died on homeplate. Just keeled over and died. Massive heart attack. She had gotten a full physical just three weeks before that game which said: Healthy.

she was 12 yrs old.

Did they sue the DR.? You bet they did. Was it malpractice? who knows?

I'm still waiting to hear from some ride ops out there. Any ride op from any thrill ride....I'm curious about the average number of times the paramedics are called to your ride in any given season. Help a brother out on this one, please.

Actually, when you think about it, why aren't there defibrillators at all major thrill rides? I've seen 'em all over the airport before, so why not where it may easily come into play?

\Begin rant....

 

First off the child met the height requirement for the ride. His mother DID ride with him, he must have wanted to ride he got on.

 

Second of all check-ups have no validity. There are people with heart problems all their life and never have it diagnosed until something bad happens.

 

So, for all you teenagers, you should really watch what you post when it comes to younger children. You don't know what you are talking about.

 

 

My opinion, is the lawsuit is frivolous. The child rode the ride, he was safe and didn't know of his heart condition, otherwise, do you really think his mom would have let him ride? I don't think so.

 

The ride is safe, and has been deemed safe on the numerous inspections after each day and accident. The people that had died had underlying conditions. It wasn't the rides fault.

 

/end rant...

Touche.

I shall refrain from posting about something I don't know much about, then.

The point still remains about the difibrillator, though. If Disney has them elsewhere, and the ride is known to place stress on the heart, it's not to much of a logical leap to expect there to be a difibrillator at the ride.

Don't think I'm blaming Disney for this. Honestly, I think it's just a bad set of circumstances that no one can really take the blame for.

-ACE

^^ The number of calls vs. the riders that have been on it makes that number seem incredibly small. Mission: Space soft opened in August 10, 2003, and has been operating ever since, other than the two death investigation days.

I did some math, and here's what I came up with. This assumes that Mission: Space has 10,000 riders per day and has been open 1050 days.

For every 1,050,000 riders, about 14.55 need paramedics/emergency room.

When you look at it in perspective, that is not very many. The article just makes it sound that way.

I'm still waiting to hear from some ride ops out there. Any ride op from any thrill ride....I'm curious about the average number of times the paramedics are called to your ride in any given season. Help a brother out on this one, please.

 

Actually, when you think about it, why aren't there defibrillators at all major thrill rides? I've seen 'em all over the airport before, so why not where it may easily come into play?

Hmmm, been doing attractions for 3 years now and I, myself have only had to call for paramedics once. Altogether, I've been there when paramedics have been called 2 times.

and both times, it had NOTHING to do with the rides at all.

135 to 140 calls is an insanely high number for one attraction.

and about defibrilators... Paramedics should bring one with them. Say there was one in all attractions, who would be certified to actually use it on a guest? Ceeertainly not a ride op.

Edit: do they make portable defribilators? I think so. I don't know. I know nothing of medical technology, haha

I'm still waiting to hear from some ride ops out there. Any ride op from any thrill ride....I'm curious about the average number of times the paramedics are called to your ride in any given season. Help a brother out on this one, please.

 

Actually, when you think about it, why aren't there defibrillators at all major thrill rides? I've seen 'em all over the airport before, so why not where it may easily come into play?

 

Hmmm, been doing attractions for 3 years now and I, myself have only had to call for paramedics once. Altogether, I've been there when paramedics have been called 2 times.

and both times, it had NOTHING to do with the rides at all.

 

135 to 140 calls is an insanely high number for one attraction.

 

and about defibrilators... Paramedics should bring one with them. Say there was one in all attractions, who would be certified to actually use it on a guest? Ceeertainly not a ride op.

 

Edit: do they make portable defribilators? I think so. I don't know. I know nothing of medical technology, haha

If I'm about to die, I'd hope they aren't picky about certification...

Besides, you stick the pads to their chest and the machine walks you through it. Idiot-proof, really.

-ACE

and about defibrilators... Paramedics should bring one with them. Say there was one in all attractions, who would be certified to actually use it on a guest? Ceeertainly not a ride op.

First off, yes there are portable ones. Also, its not much harder to certify someone to use a defibrilator than it would be to train them for a roller coaster or as a lifeguard!

I'll tell you why they aren't at every attraction - money, they are expensive! I really think the only reason schools and airports and other places like that have them is because of govermnet grants.

After working at Body Wars and Universe of Energy for a total of about a year and a half, I only remember one call for paramedics, and that was for an employee having a hemmoraging nose bleed...completely not ride related.

I do think it would behoove Disney to put a defibrilator somewhere in the ride since it does put a lot of stress on the body. And AEDs are very simple to use, like Joe said...it tells you exactly where to put the shock pads, and will only shock if the heart has a certain rythm that would be helped by the shock. Anyone who sees one (ok, I guess you need to speak English too) can use one.

It'll be quite interesting to watch how the case turns out. I wonder if it will look like admitting fault since Disney has added the "mild" option to the ride.

-Julie

Lol! Disney deserves it. They should've known they'd be getting into something like this with a "rocket simulation" (even though it's an awesome ride). Ha that makes me laugh.

Okay...so the kid died. Call me heartless all you want, but I hope the family loses this case and gets humiliated. First off, money doesn't help you get over a loss. They are just greedy to want money out of this. The attorney says 4 year olds shouldn't be allowed on the ride...last I checked, he was never forced on the ride. On top of that, I guarantee you the sign says do not ride if you have heart problems. That already should be enough to get Disney out of it...but with the way the world is now, that family will probably win. Makes me mad, but Americans need to suck it up.

^^^ Agreed Doug!!! lol

I wonder if it will look like admitting fault since Disney has added the "mild" option to the ride.

Bingo.

I'll call it now: Disney will settle out of court to minimize legal fees.

^ Yep. You're both right. The reason this case exists, and will probably be won by the family, or settled as Joe suggested, is basically due to the history of the ride. That's the reason I brought up the fact of the high number of incidents that have occured over a 3 year period (and thanks to the ops that replied). I know many of you (heartless Doug, so heartless ) have suggested this case is frivolous and the family is just greedy, but someone also said Disney deserves it, or had it coming......I'd agree more with that.

When you break things down to simplest terms, here's what surfaces:

Disney's Imagineers (usually brilliant) + highly trained Air Force pilots and NASA astronauts as "technical advisors" + $100,000,000 = a ride that does a good job of simulating liftoff from a launching pad, but doesn't take into account that the constant forces applied won't work for a broad group of theme park patrons, most of whom don't really know what they're stepping into..which results in 135-140 paramedic calls over a 3 year span....and two unfortunate deaths.

Say what you will, but like I said, there's a TON of very forceful rides around the world. I'd venture to bet that a very small percentage, if any can match the incident record that this one has amassed in such a short period. Therefore, a lawsuit is inevitable, and IMHO, deserved.

Sorry Disney, although many enthusiasts will miss my point, the fact remains....one death not due to rider stupidity (i.e. undoing safety restraints, standing up, etc.) is one death too many in the "happiest place on earth." Two? Well now you're really pushing it.

Okay, so the number of incidents requiring paramedics at Mission Space is higher than most any other attraction... Several reasons for this. One, Disney attracts a much higher crowd and wider audience than any other group, and many of these people, despite the warnings, WILL ride Mission Space even if it isn't suitable for them, simply because it's Disney, most famous for its more low-key thrills. As somebody posted earlier, out of the however many million visitors the attraction has had, that really isn't that bad a record.

I agree with Jow, that Disney will settle out of court, to avoid horrific legal fees and prolonged bad publicity. The boy dying was a horrible tragedy, and I felt terrible for the family at the time, although I'll admit my sympathy has lessened slightly now I know they're suing... Yes, in some ways, adding the milder option does make it look like Disney is admitting some form of guilt, and I'm sure, should the case get to caught, that's what the prosecuting attorney will make it look like, but if it may avoid further such incidents in the future, then maybe it's worth it.

Despite appearances, whatever anybody says, Disney were NOT guilty of negligence in any way relating to the attraction itself. The boy's condition was undiagnosed, his mother, as his legal guardian, made the decision to allow him to ride, and he met the height requirement. No problem. End of story. The defibrillator thing is a different matter though... If they have them at other, milder attractions, surely they should prioritise and have one at Mission Space? I know they're expensive, but Disney's hardly short of funds, especially when it comes to customer care, that's one of the things they're best known for. Has it been officially said that there wasn't a defibrillator there though, or is this lawyer-produced bull?

Okay, so the number of incidents requiring paramedics at Mission Space is higher than most any other attraction... Several reasons for this. One, Disney attracts a much higher crowd and wider audience than any other group, and many of these people, despite the warnings, WILL ride Mission Space even if it isn't suitable for them, simply because it's Disney, most famous for its more low-key thrills. As somebody posted earlier, out of the however many million visitors the attraction has had, that really isn't that bad a record.

 

I agree with Jow, that Disney will settle out of court, to avoid horrific legal fees and prolonged bad publicity. The boy dying was a horrible tragedy, and I felt terrible for the family at the time, although I'll admit my sympathy has lessened slightly now I know they're suing... Yes, in some ways, adding the milder option does make it look like Disney is admitting some form of guilt, and I'm sure, should the case get to caught, that's what the prosecuting attorney will make it look like, but if it may avoid further such incidents in the future, then maybe it's worth it.

 

Despite appearances, whatever anybody says, Disney were NOT guilty of negligence in any way relating to the attraction itself. The boy's condition was undiagnosed, his mother, as his legal guardian, made the decision to allow him to ride, and he met the height requirement. No problem. End of story. The defibrillator thing is a different matter though... If they have them at other, milder attractions, surely they should prioritise and have one at Mission Space? I know they're expensive, but Disney's hardly short of funds, especially when it comes to customer care, that's one of the things they're best known for. Has it been officially said that there wasn't a defibrillator there though, or is this lawyer-produced bull?

Lou, I'd be very surprised if there was no access to an AED within 5 minutes of the incident. They might not have necessarily had one at Mission Space (bad move in general) but considering access to AED's has only recently started to become any sort a requirement at public buildings (airports, schools, government offices), I don't see how they could hold that against Disney.

The fact of the matter is that people with certain heart defects are prone to dire consequences when under stress. You see it happening quite routinely in both professional and amateur sports: Some young athlete's heart will give out during a game due to an undiagnosed condition. Is it Disney's fault the boy had such a condition? No. Is it the parents? No, unless he was symptomatic before this and was never properly examined by a pediatric cardiologist. All Disney provided was the stress needed to overwhelm his heart. If it weren't this it would be a game of soccer or dodgeball.

It's very sad, but I think the trend (of suits) will continue until Disney et al. have you sign a medical waver for every single ride.

We Americans are the embodiment of the victim mentality.

Matt

Okay, so the number of incidents requiring paramedics at Mission Space is higher than most any other attraction... Several reasons for this. One, Disney attracts a much higher crowd and wider audience than any other group, and many of these people, despite the warnings, WILL ride Mission Space even if it isn't suitable for them, simply because it's Disney, most famous for its more low-key thrills. As somebody posted earlier, out of the however many million visitors the attraction has had, that really isn't that bad a record.

Well, I can't really argue your points on higher numbers of visitors, visitors ignoring signs, etc., but I just feel that the underlying point is that there's something "odd" or "just not right" about this ride when you consider the number of riders that go through the turnstiles each year relating to the number of incidents. I mean, if just spinning in a centrifugal manner was so potentially deadly, then RoundUps and Gravitrons would never have exisited as long as they have, right? I don't know, just a thought?

Has it been officially said that there wasn't a defibrillator there though, or is this lawyer-produced bull?

I'm not sure on this one, but I'd be willing to bet that this suit was well thought out before they attempted to challenge Disney's legal team.

^ You'd be surprised at how LITTLE is thought out when suits are filed. Almost little to no investigation takes place al ot of the time. It really depends on the counsel they hired. I'm guessing it's probably not some high end plaintiff counsel and, they probably got the case by calling the parents.