4 year old dies on Mission: Space (EPCOT)

[Bling]

-Year-Old Boy Dies After Riding Epcot's 'Mission: Space'
Intensity Of Ride Has Caused Previous Concerns


LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A 4-year-old boy died after passing out while aboard Walt Disney World's

"Mission: Space" attraction -- an Epcot ride that has caused previous hospitalizations because of its

intensity.





Daudi Bamuwamye passed out Monday afternoon while on the attraction, which simulates a rocket launch and

trip to Mars. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said his mother, who was on the ride with Daudi and his

sister, carried him off the ride and employees helped her place him on a bench.

Images: Boy Dies After Riding 'Mission: Space'

Paramedics tried to revive him, but he died about 5 p.m. at Celebration Hospital.

The sheriff's office said the boy did meet the ride's minimum 44-inch height limit.

Officials said the boy was from Pennsylvania, but his hometown was not immediately available. A cause of

death could not be immediately determined and an autopsy was expected Tuesday.

Disney officials in a statement said that they are providing support to the family and "are doing

everything we can to help them during this difficult time." The ride was closed after the death but

reopened Tuesday after Disney World engineers determined that the ride was operating normally.

"The safety of our guests and cast remains our top priority," the statement said.

During an eight-month period that ended last year, six people over age 55 were taken to the hospital for

chest pain and nausea after riding Mission: Space, a $100 million attraction that is one of Disney

World's most popular. During that period, it was the most hospital visits for a single ride since

Florida's major theme parks agreed in 2001 to report any serious injuries to the state Department of

Agriculture and Consumer Services.

One other death was reported at Disney World this year. Gloria Land, 77, of St. Paul, Minn., who was in

poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes, lost consciousness in February after going on the

Pirates of the Caribbean ride at the Magic Kingdom. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.

"The death was not unexpected," the medical examiner's report said.

Although the 2004 reports showed no major injuries or illnesses from Mission: Space, the hospital visits

came up in discussions with state officials who consult annually with park officials about safety.

The centrifuge ride recreates the experience of a rocket blasting off. A clock counts down and the

engines roar to life with a blast of noise and smoke and flame. Lift off G-forces -- just over twice the

normal force of gravity -- cause short-lived facial distortions.

Warning signs advise pregnant women not to go on the ride, caution about motion sickness and ban children

shorter than 44 inches. An audio recording and a video also warn riders of the risks.

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

The state's major parks are not directly regulated by the Department of Agriculture; Florida law exempts

large, permanent amusement parks that have their own safety inspectors from state oversight. But the

parks agreed to share safety information in 2001.

Other states, such as California, home to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, are regulated by

the state.

[Diabolique]

wtf were they doing letting a FOUR year old on that ride?!?!? tsk, tsk...

[Bling]

they may need age limitations now not just height requirements.
i havent been on this ride yet. havent been to epcot in so long. will prolly go very soon though...

[JMT]

i have never been on that ride but it sounds cool. i hope they dont close it and reopened it as a watered-down wuss version. even though the kid was tall enough, the family will probably sue for millions. the death is a shame, but all the park wants to do it make people happy. people should assume all risks.

[barstar diana]

they warn you everytime you ride a ride, you ride at your own risk

[LdySphynx]

Ok, just for the record I would not let my 7 year old on there!!!

So let alone a 4 year old, the thing that people don't understand is that even though some kids meet height requirements that does not mean that physically they are ready to go on these rides. Like I mention I know for a fact that my 7 year old is not ready for it and I dont think he will be ready for it for a few more years, so in a way the mother should have used a little more common sense.

[Bling]

Autopsy: No Sign Of Trauma In Boy Who Died On Disney Ride

POSTED: 8:45 am EDT June 15, 2005

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Agnes Bamuwamye knew something was wrong after she and her 4-year-old son, Daudi, strapped into the "Mission: Space" ride at Walt Disney World. The boy's body was rigid and his legs stretched out, so she took his hand to reassure him as the rocket-ship ride spun them around.





When the ride ended, the boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, of Sellersville, Pa., was limp and unresponsive. She carried him off the ride, and paramedics and a theme park worker tried to revive him, but he died at a hospital.



An autopsy Tuesday showed no trauma so further tests will be conducted and a cause of death may not be known for several weeks, said Sheri Blanton, a spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner's Office in Orlando.

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

"Mission: Space" spins riders in a giant centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity, and it is so intense that some riders have been taken to the hospital with chest pain.

The ride recreates a rocket launch and a trip to Mars. A clock counts down before a simulated blastoff that includes smoke and flame and the sound of roaring rocket engines. The G-forces twist and distort riders' faces.

An audio recording and a video warn of the risks. Signs advise pregnant women not to go on the ride. Motion sickness bags are offered to riders. One warning sign posted last year read: "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."

Since the attraction opened in 2003, seven people have been taken to the hospital for chest pains, fainting or nausea. That is the most hospital visits for a single ride since Florida's major theme parks agreed in 2001 to report any serious incidents to the state. The most recent case was last summer, when a 40-year-old woman was taken to a hospital after fainting.

"Two Gs is not that big a deal," said Houston-based theme park consultant Randy King, a former safety director at Six Flags, which operates 30 amusement parks.

Disney officials said in a statement that they were "providing support to the family and are doing everything we can to help them during this difficult time." No changes were made to the ride or in who is permitted to ride it.

"We believe the ride is safe in its current configuration," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said.

More than 8.6 million visitors have gone on "Mission: Space" since 2003, Polak said.

The sheriff's office said the boy, from Sellersville, Pa., met the minimum 44-inch height requirement for the ride.

The boy's father is Moses Bamuwamye, a finance officer at the United Nations, authorities said.

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. A medical examiner's report said her death "was not unexpected."

Florida's major theme parks not directly regulated by the state, and instead have their own inspectors