Although Walt Disney World Resort may be billed as both The Most Magical Place on Earth and The Place Where Dreams Come True, the experience isn’t always pixie-dusted for some Guests at the Orlando Disney Resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The Orlando Sentinel has reported on recent injuries elderly Guests have allegedly sustained while visiting Walt Disney World:
…at Disney, an 86-year-old woman fell as she left Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, “injuring her head, arm and leg” in late October, according to a state report released Friday.
The article also noted that:
A 60-year-old woman “felt ill” after riding Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain coaster Nov. 21.
It is important to note that details of these injuries were not provided in the Sentinel’s article, so it is unknown if either of the women is experiencing long-term health problems as a result of their respective Walt Disney World Resort incidents. The newspaper did, however, note that:
Every three months, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services publicly updates a report that is supposed to detail the most serious injuries at the theme parks. Universal Orlando, Disney World, Legoland, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens self-disclose when their visitors are hurt or sick on rides that required at least 24 hours of hospitalization.
credit: Disney
The Walt Disney Company prides itself on having top-notch safety measures in place on all of its rides. According to a Birket Engineering report:
“At Disney in particular, safety is the No. 1 thing they pay attention to,” said [Steve] Baker, a former Disney World executive. “There are four things they preach to everyone that works there, and that’s safety, courtesy, cleanliness and capacity, in that order.” Capacity refers to operating the rides and shows efficiently, he said.
A well-maintained park ride can last indefinitely, Baker said, because everything is eventually replaced over time, from tracks and brake systems to the ride vehicles themselves. According to [Jeff] Vahle, the Disney engineering vice president [Jeff Vahle is now President of Walt Disney World Resort], the Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain roller coaster, for example, is practically a new ride, even though it was first built in the 1970s, because of the replacement work that occurs each year.
Keeping Guests is a priority for Walt Disney World officials and they will undoubtedly continue to do everything in their power to reduce instances like those outlined in the FDACS’s recent theme park injury report. You can read more about safety at Walt Disney World Resort on the theme park’s official website here.
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Credit: ITM Rebekah Barton
