ufcrusher
07-12-2005, 04:53 PM
Teen suffers cardiac arrest while riding Disney's Tower of Terror
ORLANDO -- A 16-year-old British girl suffered cardiac arrest Tuesday after stepping off a Disney World thrill ride, one month after a young boy died after going on another attraction.
Leanne Deacon, of Kibworth, Leicestershire, felt strange but told her mother she'd quickly recover after exiting Disney World-MGM Studios' ``The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror,'' which depicts a haunted elevator ride, said Jim Solomons, an Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman. However, Solomons said the girl's condition deteriorated so rapidly that her heart stopped beating and she had to be resuscitated by emergency workers.
Solomons said he wasn't certain of the girl's condition, but she was being seen by a neurosurgeon at a nearby hospital to determine what caused her injuries. Solomons said no other passengers had complained of injuries, and ``we're satisfied that everything seemed to function OK on the ride.''
Disney said in a written statement that the ride was closed until more information was available.
``Our concern is for the family and we are working with them to provide whatever assistance they need,'' the statement said.
Disney officials declined further comment.
On the Tower of Terror, which depicts a haunted hotel, riders are placed in an elevator, which shoots up 13 stories and then plummets back twice.
Two people have died at Disney World this year. A 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, died June 13 after riding Epcot's ``Mission: Space'' and a 77-year-old Minnesota woman, Gloria Land, died in February after riding the Magic Kingdom's ``Pirates of the Caribbean.''
A medical examiner's report said Land was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes and her death ``was not unexpected.'' The cause of the boy's death remains under investigation.
Florida's major theme parks are not directly regulated by the state, and instead have their own inspectors.
ORLANDO -- A 16-year-old British girl suffered cardiac arrest Tuesday after stepping off a Disney World thrill ride, one month after a young boy died after going on another attraction.
Leanne Deacon, of Kibworth, Leicestershire, felt strange but told her mother she'd quickly recover after exiting Disney World-MGM Studios' ``The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror,'' which depicts a haunted elevator ride, said Jim Solomons, an Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman. However, Solomons said the girl's condition deteriorated so rapidly that her heart stopped beating and she had to be resuscitated by emergency workers.
Solomons said he wasn't certain of the girl's condition, but she was being seen by a neurosurgeon at a nearby hospital to determine what caused her injuries. Solomons said no other passengers had complained of injuries, and ``we're satisfied that everything seemed to function OK on the ride.''
Disney said in a written statement that the ride was closed until more information was available.
``Our concern is for the family and we are working with them to provide whatever assistance they need,'' the statement said.
Disney officials declined further comment.
On the Tower of Terror, which depicts a haunted hotel, riders are placed in an elevator, which shoots up 13 stories and then plummets back twice.
Two people have died at Disney World this year. A 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, died June 13 after riding Epcot's ``Mission: Space'' and a 77-year-old Minnesota woman, Gloria Land, died in February after riding the Magic Kingdom's ``Pirates of the Caribbean.''
A medical examiner's report said Land was in poor health from diabetes and several ministrokes and her death ``was not unexpected.'' The cause of the boy's death remains under investigation.
Florida's major theme parks are not directly regulated by the state, and instead have their own inspectors.