Originally Posted By gadzuux <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/18/national/a142100S56.DTL&tsp=1" target="_blank">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/12/18/national/a142100S56.DTL&tsp=1</a> A 44-year-old man died Tuesday after riding a roller coaster at Walt Disney World that simulates a runaway train ride through the Himalayas, authorities said. Jeffery Reed, of Navarre, Fla., was pulled unresponsive from the ride, given CPR and pronounced dead at a hospital. He had no visible signs of injury, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities are investigating whether Reed had a previous medical condition, said Jim Solomons, sheriff's spokesman. An autopsy is planned. Inspectors found that the ride, Animal Kingdom's Expedition Everest, was working properly, but Disney kept it closed during further review.
Originally Posted By EdisYoda And, of course, MSNBC (joint venture between Microsoft and Universal owned NBC) makes a point of saying that "at least 15 people had died at Disney's theme parks in Florida and California since 1989, some with previous health conditions." <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22316563/" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22 316563/</a>
Originally Posted By cmash95 oh no here we go again. I have never ridden everest but watching it, it doesn't seem stressful at all. I mean does it pull any "Gs" I really don't know. and of course because it's at disney it makes news. I hope it all comes out ok and my prayers are with this man's family.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy Everest seemed extremely tame when I rode it. I actually thought BTMRR was more thrilling. It's a very smooth ride, very few Gs.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Everest is lame. I can't imagine how someone could have died on this ride. You are more apt to die on the tea cups.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 But , because it is a Disney ride, the media is going to make a big deal about it. As opposed if someone died on a ride at SFMM or a lesser theme park. Unfortunately deaths do happen, and sometimes they happen coincidently right after they exit a Disney ride. I am not saying all rides at Disney parks are coincidental, but sometimes the person would have passed away riding the bus that day, it was just a coincidence they passed away right after going on a ride.
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn I bet if they put up a bunch of signs that read "WARNING: There is a good chance that you might die riding this ride!" People would show up in flocks to ride it.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I hope this will take the heat off of Mission Space for a while. The bottom line is that these folks die because they had health problems, not because there is anything wrong with the ride. It is inevitable with the huge number of people that visit Disney parks that a person is going to die once and again. People die every year on aircraft when they are doing nothing more strenuous than trying to open their bag of pretzels.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd >>>People die every year on aircraft when they are doing nothing more strenuous than trying to open their bag of pretzels.<<< Hey! Don't underestimate the danger of pretzels. Just ask President Bush.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Inspectors found that the ride, Animal Kingdom's Expedition Everest, was working properly, but Disney kept it closed during further review.<< Which seems the prudent thing to do. Yes, most likely, it will turn out he had heart trouble or something prior to getting on the ride. But personally, I'm glad it isn't right back to "business as usual" when a person dies on a ride, regardless of how strenuous or tame the ride is perceived to be. No harm in checking things out just be extra sure.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 WDW is a city with over 100,000 people on property on any given day. Heck, at the holidays it may be closer to twice that. People are going to get sick. People are going to die. I just think it's awful when it happens to anyone that young, Disney or not.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<But personally, I'm glad it isn't right back to "business as usual" when a person dies on a ride, regardless of how strenuous or tame the ride is perceived to be. No harm in checking things out just be extra sure.>> People die during church services, too. I wonder how one would certify a sanctuary to be in safe operating condition.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 Post 12, as run through the "English/Sarcasm" translating dictionary: It does make sense to err on the side of caution. But it seems to me that a tame ride bears an unfairly heavy burden of proving it was not causal when all other venues get a pass.
Originally Posted By gadzuux There's a story from 'magic mountain' about a fatality on one of their monster coasters. No immediate cause of death, but the guy was alive when the ride started, and he wasn't when it pulled back into the station. Once they determined that the ride was operating properly, they pulled him off and loaded the next rider in line and kept running the coaster for the remainder of the day. Insensitive? Not really - they've got a line of hundreds of people waiting to ride. As cutler beckett might say - "it's just good business".
Originally Posted By DAR <<Once they determined that the ride was operating properly, they pulled him off and loaded the next rider in line and kept running the coaster for the remainder of the day. >> But the patrons waiting in line if they're smart had to have noticed something was up, right?
Originally Posted By danyoung >Everest seemed extremely tame when I rode it. I actually thought BTMRR was more thrilling. It's a very smooth ride, very few Gs.< SG, buddy, I know it completely unusual for us to disagree on something (!), but for me EE is MUCH more intense than BTMRR, especially the backwards section. And on the main drop you are definitely pulling some G's! Are there more intense coasters out there? Sure. But EE is about as intense as I want to take. I rode it 6 times last week, and so far I've lived to tell about it!
Originally Posted By DAR EE is more intense than BTMRR. EE is also my favorite ride in all the parks.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy ^^ I just never felt that weird feeling in my stomach on any of the EE drops. I thought that was going to be the big difference between this coaster and all the other Disney coasters at WDW. I like the feeling of a big drop and your stomach going up into your chest. None of the WDW coasters really have that. I never got that on any of the parts of EE.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy ^^ And for perspective, I've only ridden once. It was in the very front car. I'm not sure if the experience varies based on position in the train.
Originally Posted By DAR I've never gotten the drop in the stomach feeling either. I just think the overall experience is more intense.
