Disney World Ride Reopened
Disney World has reopened a thrill ride that was closed when a 16-year-old British girl almost died of cardiac arrest after riding it.
Leanne Deacon, of Kibworth, England, is listed in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest Tuesday minutes after exiting the attraction.
It's not yet known what caused her heart attack.
The ride she was on, the "Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," was reopened Wednesday. Tuesday night, Disney World allowed an official from Florida's state Bureau of Fair Rides and Exhibitions to monitor an inspection of the ride - which the park is not required to do - in an apparent effort to calm any public anxiety.
"I think they felt, in an abundance of caution, they wanted to help the public understand they're doing everything necessary to make sure the rides are safe," said Liz Compton, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Fair Rides and Exhibitions.
Florida's major theme parks are not directly regulated by the state, and instead have their own inspectors.
The incident at The Tower of Terror - which plunges over 100 feet and is one of the most popular attractions at the Disney-MGM studios - is Disney World's second medical emergency involving a child in a month.
In a written statement Wednesday, Disney officials said engineers deemed the ride safe and reiterated concern for the girl and her family.
The incident occurred just one month after a young Pennsylvania boy died after riding Epcot's "Mission: Space."
Last month 4-year-old Daudi Bamuwamye died after riding Mission: Space. That ride is so intense that it has motion sickness bags and several riders have been treated for chest pain. An elderly, diabetic woman also died in February after riding the Magic Kingdom's "Pirates of the Caribbean," but the medical examiner said her death "was not unexpected."
Officials aren't releasing precise details of what happened, and Deacon and her family have declined interview requests. But incident reports show she felt nauseous and dizzy after exiting the ride.
Deacon at first thought she'd quickly recover, but park workers nearby noticed her and called an emergency crew. Authorities say before she arrived at the hospital, her condition deteriorated so rapidly that her heart stopped beating and she had to be resuscitated.
Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons says deputies who initially responded to the emergency scene were "satisfied that everything seemed to function okay on the ride" and that no other patrons suffered injuries.
The Tower of Terror, opened in 1994, puts riders in an elevator that shoots up 13 stories and then plummets back twice. Disney warns riders they should be "in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure." Pregnant women are advised not to ride.
The state's major parks are not directly regulated; Florida law exempts large, permanent amusement parks that have their own safety inspectors from state oversight, but they agreed in 2001 to share safety information.
Liz Compton, of the Florida Bureau of Fair Rides and Exhibitions, says there have been three incidents on the Tower of Terror since the state began collecting reports - all requiring hospitalization but none involving serious injuries. In 2003, a 47-year-old woman had claustrophobia and an anxiety attack. A year later, a 45-year-old woman suffered chest pains. In 2004, a 62-year-old man was hospitalized with the same ailment.
According to Compton, those figures are particularly low for a high-use ride.
In much less time, "Mission: Space," which simulates a rocket trip to Mars, has had seven riders taken to the hospital for chest pains, fainting or nausea. The attraction, opened in 2003, has recorded the most hospital visits for a single ride since the state started compiling safety data. The most recent case before Daudi's death was last summer, when a 40-year-old woman was taken to a hospital after fainting.
Aaron Kwittken, CEO of the New York-based public relations firm Euro RSCG Magnet, said Disney needs to aggressively assure visitors the park is safe following the two recent incidents.
"They need to be way more communicative about what they've done to prevent it from happening again," he said.
He said inviting outside inspectors is "a good first step," but park officials also needed to blanket visitors with safety advice and instruction.
"In their line of business, you can't prevent accidents from happening, but you can educate park patrons to at least decrease the likelihood of accidents," he said.
By Travis Reed