4-year-old boy dies on Disney World ride

[Brent]

Boy, 4, Dies After Disney Ride

Intense Ride Includes Motion Sickness Bags

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (June 14) - A 4-year-old boy died after passing out aboard Walt Disney World's ''Mission: Space,'' a ride so intense that it has motion sickness bags and several riders have been treated for chest pain.

Daudi Bamuwamye passed out Monday afternoon on the attraction, which simulates a rocket launch and trip to Mars. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said his mother carried him off the ride and employees helped her place him on a bench.

Paramedics tried to revive him, but he died at Celebration Hospital.

The sheriff's office said the boy did meet the minimum 44-inch height requirement for the ride at the Epcot theme park, which uses centrifugal force to simulate twice the normal force of gravity.

An autopsy was expected Tuesday to determine the cause of the boy's death.

Officials said the boy from Sellersville, Pa., was on the ride with his mother, Agnes, and a sister.

The $100 million ride, one of Disney World's most popular, was closed after the death but was reopened Tuesday after company engineers concluded that it was operating normally.

In 2003, Disney began placing motion sickness bags in the ride.

During an eight-month period in 2003-04, six people over age 55 were taken to hospitals for treatment of chest pain and nausea after riding ''Mission: Space,'' though none of them was found to have any serious problem.

At that time, it was the most hospital visits for a single ride since Florida's major theme parks agreed in 2001 to report such problems to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Updated figures were not immediately available.

One other death was reported at Disney World this year. A 77-year-old woman who was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes died in February after going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at the Magic Kingdom. A medical examiner's report said her death ''was not unexpected.''

Signs warn visitors about the intensity of the ''Mission: Space'' ride.

''For safety you should be in good health, and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness or other conditions that can be aggravated by this adventure,'' one sign on view last year said. Signs also warn pregnant women not to go on the ride.

Florida's major parks are not directly regulated by the Department of Agriculture; state law exempts large, permanent amusement parks that have their own inspectors from state oversight. But the parks agreed to share safety information in 2001.

Disney officials said in a statement after the boy's death that they were ''providing support to the family and are doing everything we can to help them during this difficult time.''

[GalvestonDuck]

So sad.

A young girl from Galveston also died at EPCOT a few years ago. http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/bodywars.htm

[Josephine96]

I just heard this story on the local news here.. What a shame

[feederband]

Autopsy showed nothing....Wonder if just scared to death......

[Guest]

Autopsy showed nothing....Wonder if just scared to death......

Could be.

I know this was not necessarily anything mechanical, but I have read websites of ride operators/maintenance/repair, and they sometimes mention the thrill seekers who actually operate the ride (taking risks) can be part of the problem. Either they are chatting with friends/other co-workers while a complex attraction runs, they want to do something cool, or perhaps they, get this, WANT SOMETHING TO MALFUNCTION SO THEY CAN GO ON BREAK!!!!

[Cookiely]

Autopsy showed nothing....Wonder if just scared to death......

Could be.

I know this was not necessarily anything mechanical, but I have read websites of ride operators/maintenance/repair, and they sometimes mention the thrill seekers who actually operate the ride (taking risks) can be part of the problem. Either they are chatting with friends/other co-workers while a complex attraction runs, they want to do something cool, or perhaps they, get this, WANT SOMETHING TO MALFUNCTION SO THEY CAN GO ON BREAK!!!!

I doubt the ride had anything to do with his death. The autopsy isn't complete yet. They think it might have been neurological.

[CFL]

Mission to Mars is pretty intense according to my husband. He got on it and got sick. I was smart enough to skip that one. Unfortunately I get motion sickness by just getting on a carousel!

[Guest]

I'm surprised a 4-year-old would be allowed on such an intense ride.

[Brent]

I'm surprised a 4-year-old would be allowed on such an intense ride.

Me too, but apparently he met the height requirement, so it's probably the parent's fault for letting him on there.

[gtalum]

Mission Space is a super-intense ride. I made sure to ride it within a few weeks of its opening, because I've been convinced from the first that they'll tame it down. They have barf bags right there in front of you in the ride in case you get il. I don't get motion sick, but I was on the verge of it both times I've ridden it.

I never would have taken a small child on the ride. It's too intense. I'm surprised Disney allows small kids to ride.

[Skywatch_NC]

Hopefully Disney will be re-thinking it's policies about rides such as this one and make a stricter age enforcement for riding such rides. Shouldn't always be a height issue...AGE, too, IMO.

Eric

[Guest]

Hopefully Disney will be re-thinking it's policies about rides such as this one and make a stricter age enforcement for riding such rides. Shouldn't always be a height issue...AGE, too, IMO.

Eric

And weight.

[SouthernWx]

Sometimes a parent has to utilize good judgement...

Even though this child met the height requirement, I would never allow a 4 yr old of mine on a ride where barf bags were standard for all passengers....I seriously doubt sis and Dave would either (and their three oldest kids are all tall for their age).

I can well remember a few times as a child when little sis and I wanted to ride something at a theme or amusement park that mom and dad refused to allow...out of concern it was too simply too much for a child our age. At the time, I thought they were being unfair...today I'm thankful they cared about my safety so much.

Just my 0.02¢ worth..

[Pebbles]

You know.. we allowed my daughter to go on this ride when she was 7... mind you a VERY tiny 7 year old (she's still very tiny) and for some reason I didn't think twice about this ride. We also took her on space mountain and that terror ride in MGM (the drop ride..forgot what it is called exactly). For some reason I just didn't think twice about any of the rides at Disney like I do the carnival rides. I'm a fairly protective Mom, but I guess I just assumed the rides were safe because it's Disney and thousands go on the rides every day. The only ride I regretted with her was the terror ride in MGM. That one she did not enjoy. Problem is unless you have been on the rides before you don't realize how intense they are.

Edit: on a side note we have had to come up with "excuses" of why we can not go to six flags great america the past couple of years with the 12 year old. I'm scared to death to allow her on any of the roller coasters even though she meets the height requirement. BUT she barely does... and is too tiny (thin) for me to feel comfortable. I don't have the heart to tell her the real reason though cause her small size for her age is a huge issue with her.

[GalvestonDuck]

Sometimes a parent has to utilize good judgement...

Even though this child met the height requirement, I would never allow a 4 yr old of mine on a ride where barf bags were standard for all passengers....I seriously doubt sis and Dave would either (and their three oldest kids are all tall for their age).

I can well remember a few times as a child when little sis and I wanted to ride something at a theme or amusement park that mom and dad refused to allow...out of concern it was too simply too much for a child our age. At the time, I thought they were being unfair...today I'm thankful they cared about my safety so much.

Just my 0.02¢ worth..

Barf bags are standard on commercial aircraft. If you had a 4-year old child, would you not take them on a plane either?

[Guest]

Barf bags are standard on commercial aircraft. If you had a 4-year old child, would you not take them on a plane either?

True, but airplanes (talking big airliners here) are not meant to be "thrilling'. The ride in question here was actually designed to give thrills.

The barfbags and other emergency apparatus' found on airplanes are there "just in case", similar to that of airbags in cars, phones in elevators, etc. On an amusement ride, the barfbags may come in handy should a rider have a weak stomach or ate too much food before boarding the ride.

[WXBUFFJIM]

Not only should they have a height requirement, but an age requirement for that too. There's no use being too underage for something like that. Just a suggestion. I was on there just last July and it was a total blast, I had a ball in there. Mission Space is one of the newer attractions at Epcot.

Jim

[Pebbles]

Oh am I mixing the ride up with the space one like Body wars? There were two rides like that.. the body wars one and one where you are like flying in space. This was in 1999 we went to Disney. You sit in this capsule like thing and get jerked around. And again... as a parent I can see many honestly thinking the rides are ok/safe at Disney. I mean many think "it's DISNEY" not six flags or other theme park. I just see many not thinking twice about ride safety there.

[Guest]

...

I know this was not necessarily anything mechanical, but I have read websites of ride operators/maintenance/repair, and they sometimes mention the thrill seekers who actually operate the ride (taking risks) can be part of the problem. Either they are chatting with friends/other co-workers while a complex attraction runs, they want to do something cool, or perhaps they, get this, WANT SOMETHING TO MALFUNCTION SO THEY CAN GO ON BREAK!!!!

[GalvestonDuck]

...

I know this was not necessarily anything mechanical, but I have read websites of ride operators/maintenance/repair, and they sometimes mention the thrill seekers who actually operate the ride (taking risks) can be part of the problem. Either they are chatting with friends/other co-workers while a complex attraction runs, they want to do something cool, or perhaps they, get this, WANT SOMETHING TO MALFUNCTION SO THEY CAN GO ON BREAK!!!!

I find that difficult to believe that a Disney Cast Member or ride operator would do that. It simply seems like a tighter ship being run there than most of your run-of-the-mill amusement parks.