Boy dies on Mission Space ride at Disneyworld

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

The title of this article is incorrect because of technical limitations. The correct title is Boy dies on Mission: SPACE ride at Disney World.

A 4-year-old-boy named Daudi Bamuwamye from Sellersville, Pennsylvania, died yesterday after collapsing on the Mission: SPACE ride in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort, Florida. His mother carried him off the ride, and after attempts to revive him at the theme park by paramedics, he was declared dead in hospital. The ride was closed after the death yesterday but, after an inspection by company engineers concluded that the ride was operating normally, re-opened. No changes were made to the ride or to the restrictions upon who may ride it.

A Disney official said in a statement that Disney officials were "providing support to the family and are doing everything we can to help them during this difficult time." Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said that "We believe the ride is safe in its current configuration."

Sheri Blanton of the medical examiner's office in Orlando said that the autopsy yesterday showed no trauma, that further tests will be done, and that the cause of death may not be known for several weeks. The sheriff's office in Orlando said that the boy met the minimum height requirement (44 inches) for the ride.

The ride features 2 Gs of acceleration. While this is not abnormal for rides, several people had complained of nausea from the ride and airsickness bags had been installed on the ride itself. Houston-based theme park consultant Randy King, a former safety director at Six Flags, said "Two Gs is not that big a deal."

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Sources

"Boy, 4, dies after riding Epcot attraction" — CNN.com, June 15, 2005
"Boy dies on Disney Mars ride" — London Free Press, June 15, 2005
Barbara and David P. Mikkelson. "Urban Legends Reference Pages: Disney: Declared Deaths" — Snopes, September 6, 2003
Associated Press. "4-year-old dies after riding Disney attraction" — MSNBC, June 14, 2005
Alex Armitage. "Child Dies After Riding Disney's `Mission: Space'" — Bloomberg, June 14, 2005
Associated Press. "Boy, 4, Dies After Spin on Disney Ride" — Forbes, June 14, 2005
"Boy dies after riding Disney space ride in Florida" — Reuters, June 14, 2005
"Boy, 4, Dies After Disney Ride" — CBS News, June 14, 2005
"Boy, 4, dies after Disney World ride" — CBC News, June 14, 2005

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