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Top 5 Most Avoidable Disneyland Deaths

Started by PPI Brian, August 21, 2009, 02:13:41 PM

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PPI Brian

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Jason

A few of these sound like contenders for the Darwin Award.
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

Brian Johnson

Just remember, officially nobody ever dies at Disney.

PPI Brian

#3
Quote from: PPI Brian J on August 21, 2009, 06:32:57 PM
Just remember, officially nobody ever dies at Disney.

Says who, the Mouse?  :D  There have been hundreds of documented deaths at the Disney them parks worldwide, from strokes, heart attacks, embolisms, aneurysms, etc. It's kind of reassuring to know that only a handful of deaths were accidental, isn't it?
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

Brian Johnson

I have a friend who works for Disney. She told me that nobody is pronounced dead until they are off Disney property.

PPI Tracy

Quote from: PPI Brian J on August 23, 2009, 06:10:12 PM
I have a friend who works for Disney. She told me that nobody is pronounced dead until they are off Disney property.

Well, when a tourist from Japan is hit in the head with a 2500 lb cleat, traveling at 20 miles an hour that just came loose from off of the Mark Twain boat, I think it's a little hard to say...

"He's only MOSTLY dead...."  I think he's all dead.  |8x

Brian Johnson

Naaawwww, he feels fine. I think he wants to go for a walk. You never know he could pull through.

PPI Brian

Quote from: PPI Brian J on August 23, 2009, 06:10:12 PM
I have a friend who works for Disney. She told me that nobody is pronounced dead until they are off Disney property.

You don't honestly believe that line of crap, do you? :)
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tracy

Quote from: PPI Brian J on August 24, 2009, 09:03:21 AM
Naaawwww, he feels fine. I think he wants to go for a walk. You never know he could pull through.

It happened when I worked at the corporate offices in Anaheim.  I was in the office the day it occurred.  They evacuated the area and eventually closed down that entire section for two days but he was pronounced dead at the scene.  A little hard not to declare him anything otherwise ....due to the fact he had a missing head.  :-\

Brian Johnson

Quote from: PPI Brian M on August 24, 2009, 08:31:00 PM
Quote from: PPI Brian J on August 23, 2009, 06:10:12 PM
I have a friend who works for Disney. She told me that nobody is pronounced dead until they are off Disney property.

You don't honestly believe that line of crap, do you? :)

I have a very hard time believing corporate bull shit like that. Especially after working for the one of the biggest ones.

PPI Brian

Quote from: PPI Brian J on August 26, 2009, 05:10:23 AM
Quote from: PPI Brian M on August 24, 2009, 08:31:00 PM
Quote from: PPI Brian J on August 23, 2009, 06:10:12 PM
I have a friend who works for Disney. She told me that nobody is pronounced dead until they are off Disney property.

You don't honestly believe that line of crap, do you? :)

I have a very hard time believing corporate bull shit like that. Especially after working for the one of the biggest ones.

Whew! That's reassuring. I was worried that you were actually being serious.   :D
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tracy


PPI Jason

Yeah, I think we need to remember to use the  :P emoticon when we are being sarcastic. Sarcasm is difficult to convey in written form, and particularly so in short text format. So I've included a quick guide to text forum etiquette and the appropriate use of emoticons for clarification:

:P = I'm being sarcastic.
:) = Please don't be angry at me even though I just said something that should totally offend you.
:D = I don't care if I just offended you, I'm laughing my ass off and that's all that really matters right now.
>:[ = Stop laughing you ignorant son of a $$%^&V or I'm gonna respond with a tersly worded retort!
;D = Bring it on, bring it on. I ain't no holla back girl.
>:] = I'm a baaaaaad kitty
0:< = I'm a baaaaaad kitty
P^/ = I'm a baaaaaad kitty
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

PPI Tracy

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D (take a breath, and...)  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

(one more breath, and...)  >:] >:] >:] :D >:] >:] >:] :D >:] >:] >:] :D >:] >:] >:]....... 0:<


JP

Quote from: PPI Jason on August 21, 2009, 05:04:48 PM
A few of these sound like contenders for the Darwin Award.

lol i have to agree with this considering they were all teenagers. It's just evolution doing it's job.  :P

hoodini

I worked at Disneyland for 7 years and left the park back in 2001.  I can definitely say that most of the deaths are caused by guests who are doing something that they shouldn't be doing in the first place.  There are rare freak accidents like the Columbia incident.  That one comes to mind because I was on break that day and watching the TV in the break room seeing that the River of America was flooded with Fire Engines and Ambulances.  Back stage was a mess as well.  The problem with that case was the wood that the iron cleat was attached to was rotting a bit.  Something that couldn't be seen by the naked eye.  From what I heard, was that the ship was coming in too fast as well when the rope was thrown over the docking anvil.  There are plenty of interesting stories in the to books..  Mouse Tales and More Mouse Tales.  I keep both books at my desk at work as they are good conversation pieces.  I always get people asking what I did at the park and other questions.  I worked in the Character Dept for the record, and yes there is a half court basketball court in the upper half of the Matterhorn... unless they finally took it out for safety reasons by now.

Chris M

PPI Jason

Very cool Chris.

I've always been fascinated with Disneyland. It still amazes me that even after having been there soooo many times I still learn "behind-the-scenes" things to this day that I would have never imagined. The basketball court on the matterhorn, the apartment over the fire station where Walt Disney would stay, and just the sheer volume of gadgets and tricks used to keep things moving at that place. I definitely would love to hear more about any of the interesting things you remember from the park behind the park (that is if they're not top secret. I don't want the mouse mafia to hunt you down or anything).
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

PPI Tracy

Two other things I know (and would love to hear Chris's take as well)  is that if you are standing on Main Street, looking down towards the Castle, it seems larger than it really is. They were able to make the Castle seem that way due to the way it was painted. 

Also, when walking down Main Street, you get those wonderful smells of coffee, baked goods, etc.  It is pumped out of grates near the bottom of the buildings.  Yes, friends and neighbors:  Aroma Therapy!

PPI Tim

I too would love to hear stories about behind the scenes at Disneyland. I heard a story about a under ground passage way from Tom Sawyer's Island to the mainland. Is this true? Also I would love to hear about the stupid people you ran into at work. You must have stories.
Sounds interesting...Go on.

PPI Tracy

#20
  I think most Castmembers have a story or two.  Especially those that have worked there a long time.  I worked at TDA (Team Disney Anaheim) for several months before I realized that the main lobby was shaped and designed as if you are standing inside Goofy's head. 

The TDA building is yellow on one side, green on the other with red on the ends. (if I remember correctly).  They used to call it the "hot dog building".  "Mustard on one side, relish and ketchup on the other, with a lot of weenies in the middle". 

Now THAT is architecture at it's finest!


p.s. Is it just me or have they sped up Space Mountain?  Holy crap!  I took my daughter on there and she walked off crying and it was all I could do not to hurl.  I'm getting older but can still hack roller coasters.  The g-forces seemed way more intense than they used to be.  WAAAAY more intense.

PPI Tim

Haven't been too Disneyland in 16 years! :'(
Sounds interesting...Go on.

PPI Jason

Quote from: TAPS Tracy on September 08, 2009, 02:21:51 PM
 p.s. Is it just me or have they sped up Space Mountain?  Holy crap!  I took my daughter on there and she walked off crying and it was all I could do not to hurl.  I'm getting older but can still hack roller coasters.  The g-forces seemed way more intense than they used to be.  WAAAAY more intense.

I thought the same thing the last time I rode it. It seemed faster than when I was a kid. I'm not sure if they did speed it up or if just the addition of loud music and more intense star movement just made it seem faster.
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

PPI Tracy

Quote from: PPI Jason on September 08, 2009, 10:53:30 PM
Quote from: TAPS Tracy on September 08, 2009, 02:21:51 PM
 p.s. Is it just me or have they sped up Space Mountain?  Holy crap!  I took my daughter on there and she walked off crying and it was all I could do not to hurl.  I'm getting older but can still hack roller coasters.  The g-forces seemed way more intense than they used to be.  WAAAAY more intense.

I thought the same thing the last time I rode it. It seemed faster than when I was a kid. I'm not sure if they did speed it up or if just the addition of loud music and more intense star movement just made it seem faster.

What would really freak you out is if you rode Space Mountain....with the lights ON!  Did that one, many years ago.  Talk about never wanting to put your hands up on a ride again....you wouldn't believe how truly close to the ceiling you are.  Haircut anyone?   :o

PPI Brian

I hate to admit this, but I haven't been to Disneyland in over 20 years. I simply haven't had the time. What's admission for one adult now, two hundred bucks?   ;D

I had the opportunity to ride the Giant Dipper at Belmont Park with my daughter a few weekends back. Has anyone here ever had the opportunity to ride this coaster? It was built in 1925 and opened to the public on July 4, 1925. It is one of two surviving oceanfront roller coasters still operating on the West Coast. I used to ride it a lot as a kid, but Belmont Park closed in 1976 and the coaster was left to rot. After a fire set by homeless people severely damaged the wooden structure, the city was prepared to demo the old coaster. It was preserved by a historical group called "Save the Coaster Committee" and reopened in 1990. It cost over $2 million to restore.

Anyway, it's much more exciting at night. The first tunnel is pitch black, very Space Mountainesque, and much faster than I remembered. My daughter and I got the first seat in the first car. Wow, what a rush! The first drop is about 73 feet and it hauls ass. It's a classic Twister style coaster, with lots of hills and dips and banked turns. I love that old coaster!

http://www.giantdipper.com/history-giantdipper
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tracy

Whoa!  Very cool.  I wanna try THAT coaster!

Oh, and Brian?  Admission to Disneyland is now $201.00

PPI Tim

You have GOT to be Kidding! $200.00 :o
That is alot of money.
That price is just Goofy.
Sounds interesting...Go on.

PPI Jason

Disneyland should just make one set amount of money they expect for a given day and then divide that by the number of people there that day. The fact is, the more crowded Disneyland gets, the more it starts to suck. Yet Disneyland is more crowded now than ever and it costs more to boot. Happiest place on earth my @$$.  :P
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

PPI Brian

Quote from: TAPS Tracy on September 12, 2009, 03:00:22 AM
Whoa!  Very cool.  I wanna try THAT coaster!

Oh, and Brian?  Admission to Disneyland is now $201.00

:o Egads!  :o
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tracy