Just about every ride at Walt Disney World and Disneyland has a warning in and/or near the entrance to their ride vehicles:
We always joke that it’s the “No Dancing” sign, thanks to the picture on the right.
But in all seriousness, I’d think it’s pretty obvious that if you’re on a ride, you should remain seated, keep your limbs inside the ride vehicle, and make sure your kids don’t do anything stupid that could get them hurt. I guess it should be obvious that fully grown adults shouldn’t do something stupid that could potentially get them hurt, either. But you know what happens when you assume.
Apparently, a guy was on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland and dropped his phone while on the ride. So what did the idiot do? While the train he was in was at a slower part of the attraction, he jumped out to retrieve his phone!
This is what happened next:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Xu13rb2dI
It looked like the guy was unhurt, but he was putting himself in so much potential danger, from only making it halfway out of his car before it started moving faster, to injuring himself on the steps etc. which retrieving his phone (which apparently got smashed anyway).
This guy was lucky – others have been hurt or killed by not following the safety instructions of attractions:
- In May 1964, a 15-year-old boy was injured and died three days after he stood up in the Matterhorn Bobsleds and fell out of the car. It was later reported that his restraint had been undone by his ride companion.
- In August 1967, a 17-year-old boy was killed while jumping between two moving PeopleMover cars as the ride was passing through a tunnel. As he jumped, he lost his balance and fell onto the track, where an oncoming train crushed him and dragged his body a few hundred feet.
- In 1972, four teenage girls were riding the PeopleMover when one teenager lost her mouse ears cap. She and her cousin jumped onto the track to retrieve them. Realizing they had to get on a different PeopleMover car, the first girl successfully got into a car, while the second girl ran through a tunnel and out the exit, and then fell into a guard rail and onto the concrete 30 feet below. She broke an arm, hip, and her pelvis.
- In January 1984, a middle-aged woman was killed when she was thrown from her Matterhorn Bobsled car, and struck by the next oncoming bobsled. The investigation that followed revealed that her seat belt was not buckled, but because she was riding alone, it was never clear if she deliberately unfastened her belt or if it malfunctioned.
- In 1991, a 15-year-old girl riding the Haunted Mansion tried to jump from one car to another, but failed to nail her landing. Instead, she got caught under one of the Doom Buggies. She recovered from her injuries, but not before being in critical condition for a time.
- In March 1998, a 5-year-old boy was seriously injured on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when his foot became wedged between the passenger car’s running board and the edge of the platform after the train temporarily paused. All of the toes on his left foot needed to be amputated.
- In November 2000, a 37-year-old man was fatally injured while trying to exit his Splash Mountain ride vehicle while it was moving. He told fellow passengers that he felt ill and attempted to reach one of the attraction’s marked emergency exits. He was struck by the following ride vehicle and died at a local hospital.
- In July 2014, a 12-year-old boy lost the tips of his ring and pinky fingers on his right hand while riding the Pirates of the Caribbean. The guest had his hand outside of the ride vehicle at the time of the incident.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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