 Lethal attractions cause deaths at Disneyland
Added: 02/21/2006 |
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Sometimes life is not all pixie dust and happy, fairly tale endings. You're just as likely to die en route to Disneyland amusement park as tractor pulls or Bon Jovi concerts. Behind the mouse's perpetual grin, there is more than a trace of the death's grimace. The hazards await the unwary inside Disneyland.
From the Disneyland entrance on "Main Street USA", recreating turn of the century small town America at 5/8 scale, to the top of the faux Matterhorn, complete with imitation bobsled runs, Disneyland evokes images and fantasies of life in happier, more pleasant, and more exciting worlds. But, beneath this glittering facade lurks something malicious, something lethal. Over the half century that Disneyland Park has been in operation, nine guests and one cast member have met their deaths at Disneyland. A greater number of guests have been injured. Seven of the deaths at Disneyland were the result of negligence on the guests' part rather than the park's. In 1964, 15-year-old Mark Maples Cleveland, 19, was crushed by the Monorail during a Grad Nite celebration while trying to sneak into the park by climbing its track. In 1967, Ricky Lee Yama, 17, was crushed while jumping between two moving PeopleMover cars. In 1973, Bogden Delaurot, 18, drowned while trying to carry his little brother swimming across the Rivers of America. In 1980, Gerrardo Gonzales, 18, was killed by the PeopleMover while jumping between moving cars. In 1983, Philip Straughan, 18, of Albuquerque, New Mexico drowned in the Rivers of America while trying to pilot a rubber emergency boat from Tom Sawyer's Island. In 1984, Dolly Regene Young, 48, unbuckled her seatbelt and was thrown from a Matterhorn Bobsleds and struck by the next oncoming bobsled. Two of the deaths at Disneyland were the result of negligence on the park's part. On December 24, 1998, a heavy metal cleat fastened to the hull of the sailing ship "Columbia" tore loose, striking one cast member and two park guests. Luan Phi Dawson, 33, died of a head injury. The Cast Member in charge of the ship at the time was a novice. The park received much criticism for this incident due to its policy of restricting outside medical personnel in the park to avoid frightening visitors. On September 5, 2003, 22-year-old Marcelo Torres died after suffering injuries in a derailment of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster. The cause of the accident was improper maintenance. Other instances of deaths at Disneyland include the 1974 death of a Cast Member Deborah Gail Stone, 19, who was crushed to between a revolving wall and a stationary platform inside the now-closed "America Sings" attraction. It was unclear whether this was due to inadequate training or a misstep. The attraction was subsequently refitted with breakaway walls. In 1979, Sherrill Anne Hoffman ignored the sign saying that the guests with any medical conditions should bypass the ride and boarded Space Mountain ride. During the ride, she got sick and then, due to misunderstanding, Hoffman's vehicle was sent on another three-minute go-round. At the end of the second trip she was almost unconscious. Later on she was taken to the hospital where she remained in a coma for a week and then passed away. It was later revealed that she had a tumor in her heart. The fines that incurred due to injuries and deaths at Disneyland are pocket change for Disney, who finds it cheaper to risk a possible injury or death down the line than lose money by shutting down a ride and spending the money to correct the violations.
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