Disney theme-park ride sends some to hospital

By Sean Mussenden
The Orlando Sentinel

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most e-mailed articles

The second clue came yesterday, when state theme-park safety records revealed that six "Mission: Space" riders have been hospitalized with chest pains or nausea since the rocket simulator opened last summer.

Only one other theme-park ride has caused more than two hospital visits since Florida's largest theme-park companies began voluntarily reporting injuries to the state in 2001 — Universal's "Ripsaw Falls," with three.

"Part of the thrill of 'Mission: Space' is that it is an intense attraction. ... Clearly it's not an attraction for everyone," Walt Disney World spokeswoman Rena Langley said.

All six hospitalized riders were older than 55. According to state records, three were hospitalized with "chest pain," two with "nausea" and one who "didn't feel well."

Disney said yesterday that four of the six had pre-existing medical conditions — one with diabetes and three who had undergone heart surgery — though the company declined to provide supporting medical records.

The $100 million ride simulates the weightlessness of a rocket launch by spinning guests seated inside small "ships" at high speeds.

A total of 13 signs warn guests of high g-forces — double normal gravity — advising those prone to motion sickness, high blood pressure, heart and other medical problems to skip the ride.

"Not everybody's made for that kind of ride," said Dr. Santiago Mesorana, an emergency-medicine physician in Osceola County. "Not everybody is an astronaut — an athlete. The results are what we see, people coming in with a lot of complaints: chest pains, vomiting, dizziness and headaches."

It's unclear how many people have needed the barf bags Disney installed in each "ship" on "Mission: Space" last year after long cleanup times caused ride delays.

Bill Avery, a veteran Orlando-based ride-safety consultant, said the level of hospitalization does not mean the ride is necessarily unsafe. But, he said, it shows "Mission: Space" is "taking the human body right up to the edge, and maybe a touch farther, than it wants to go."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More nation & world headlines...