Six people visit hospital in eight months after ride on Mission: Space

Pay attention to the signs and this wouldn't happen ...

My morning paper (the Sun-Sentinel) had a more indepth article. In it it was found that of the six 55+ folks taken to the hospital, 3 had previously had heart attacks and 1 was diabetic and had not been feeling well prior to boarding the ride.

So, 2 unexplained trips to the hospital in 8 months since the ride was built, out of how many riders? No, this isn't just sweeps journalism...is it?

Also in my paper today was a story about local high school parents upset that their kids trip to Disneyworld coincided with Gay Days and Disney's refusal to release Michael Moore's new "fakeumentary" on George Bush and the effects it might have on WDW with Governor Bush. Of course, I am just glad there aren't any more serious problems in the world for journalists to report on right now.

At first I thought the ride was It's A Small World with people jumping out of the boats! Now it's under a one year rehab to add OTSR!

*rim shot* OOOHHHH!

Anyway, you're screwed if you do, screwed if you don't. People are mad that there are too many warnings, and then people are mad that their not enough.

Impulsive-ive............I couldn't agree with you more, BUT, you do have to consider how amny people in this world have a "pre-existing" heart conditions or other health issues that they aren't aware of. Unfortunately much of the GP is doctor shy and afraid to find out how their health really is.

I know this 2x from family experience. My brother in law and I rode just about every coaster possible throught Pennsylvainia and Ohio last summer, and about 2 weeks later he had a massive heart attack. Turns out he had a condition he wasn't aware of and we can only be thankful he wasn't on a ride at the time. He survived, but although a lifetime lover of coasters, he has stated that he is "DONE" riding forever. Some people aren't this lucky, nor can they read the signs. Sort of like the pre flight emergency instructions on a plane....you see thme all the time, but do you REALLY pay attention? The nwhen you need them the most, you wanna kick yourself for not paying attention.

For someone in their mid-30s in (reasonably) good health, I thought M:S was very intense....esp. for a DISNEY ride. Sure, I only felt a little queasy, but if I were older AND in poor health, I could see the ride actually being "too much".

HOW on Earth (or in Space) are parks to determine the physical health of all the patrons, and then PREVENT those in less-than-optimal health from riding all of the rides? The SFNE incident certainly helps "highlight" the fact that not all *pre-existing medical conditions* are readily apparent (whether the man's CP was a contributing factor or not has yet to be determined)....and how does one know if a CERTAIN condition precludes one from riding safely....that sure is an AWFUL lot to put on the shoulders of someone you're paying, what, about 7 bucks an HOUR....oh, and be sure to check all restraints, deal with unruly guests....and don't forget to smile! :)
*** This post was edited by rollergator 5/6/2004 9:43:02 AM ***

Mission to space was lame! The scrambler is more forceful!

Way to go disney!!! Personally I think thats more reason for me to wanna go to disney again.. Its like when people think of disney they think of a kiddie park, but now im like this ride is that intense I think I should Give it a spin!!.....................Am i the only one who thinks like that lol lol lol???

Crash, for someone who is still a youngster (and yes, to me anyone in their 20's is still a youngster) and in good health, M:S might be considered lame. I would imagine my 18 year old son would say the same thing.

But for us old farts, it's hard to know how those forces will affect us. I'm in excellent health. I don't know of any pre-existing conditions. But the fact remains that there COULD be some that I'm not aware of.

Ultimately, it's up to me, the individual, to assess my ability to ride. The park cannot be responsible for knowing my condition to ride, especially if there is a condition that I'm unaware of.

I would hate to see parks begin restricting riders because of their age. I hear a park in Japan does this.

I've ridden this attraction twice and have become disoriented when looking to the side during the ride. It really isn't for the motion sensitive or those that cannot stomach motion based rides at all since there are no hosts or hostesses to advise you while you're on the attraction. Mission Space is really a great attraction that should be approached with rider caution.

Frederick: Gary Sinese told you : "Don't look to the sides or close your eyes if you become disoriented!" (Not picking on you, just making a point). Regardless, I thought the ride was fun, but not as intense as i would have liked it. I'm sure older people shouldn't be riding it though, but they chose to get on the ride. There are more warnings on that thing than on a package of cigarettes, a bottle of alcohol, and a clear plastic bag combined, so unless they couldn't speak any english (which reminds me that I rode with a German lady who understood the warnings and told them to her kids), there's not much liability on Disney's part IMO. I actually like that Disney made a more intense ride - it adds a lot to Epcot, which is a fun and informative, but mostly tame park.

~me

My thought is that it sounds like the warnings are the standard boiler plate warnings put on most of the bigger thrill rides, when in fact, the forces are far different. Perhaps signs with very different warnings are needed here. Not the same as you would find on BTMR for instance.