This never would have happened on “It’s a Small World!”
Okay, a four year old boy died on a ride at Disney World the other day. The coroner is still not quite sure why.
The ride in question was Mission: Space at Epcot. Disney’s website has a clip of the ride and some cautionary information here, excluding from the ride those with high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, and expectant mothers, to name a few. It’s also a ride “suggestion” for “big kids” (I presume they mean kids-at-heart, or something Disney-esque like that), teens, and “active fun” (read: thrill rides).
Looking at that clip, I dare ask, What the hell was a four year old doing on such a ride? Apparently, he fit the height requirement, but that does not mean he was completely fit for a ride that, apparently, goes to 4Gs.
I feel sorry for his family, but they really should have exercised better judgement. My parents would certainly not have let me on Mission: Space, had it been around when I was a young’un.
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June 16th, 2005 @ 12:22 am
First of all, Mission: Space only goes to about 2.5G, max. Most rollercoasters (even the kiddie ones) do more than that—but it’s not sustained. Mission: Space has sustained force.
It’s not the Gs that would bother most people, though… it’s the fact that the entire ride is, at its heart, a centrifuge. If you skipped the preshow, you wouldn’t know it, but the ride continually spins. The video screen lies to your brain, telling it that you’re not spinning.
I don’t understand how someone could have died from this, but it seemed relevant. I will agree that it’s not an appropriate ride for a four-year-old; to keep from getting sick you have to exercise some self-control and always watch the screen (they warn you to keep your head back and your eyes open and forward). Even so, Disney put barf bags in each pod… apparently the nickname “Mission: Spew” was a little bit too accurate for their liking.
April 14th, 2006 @ 8:55 pm
Im still wondering how he died on it and i road it b4 and im only 14. How can someone die on it??? U really cant tell ur spinning like the person said b4 me but ya the screen or w/e u wanna call it does lie to your brain its pretty cool but try the ride b4 u acuse it AND I AGREE THE PARENTS SHOULDNT HAD LET HIM GO ON IT!!!!!
August 8th, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
I don’t think he died at all. You guys overlooked something