State report lists seizures, 1 cardiac event after theme-park rides
Visitors to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando theme parks reported chest pains, dizziness, seizures and other maladies on attractions between July and September, a state document revealed this week.
A total of 11 incidents were recorded at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. No ride was mentioned more than once in the quarter, and the rides ranged in intensity between dark, slow-moving attractions and a spinning indoor roller coaster.
Affected visitors in the report were between the ages of 5 and 79.
The state’s major theme parks self-report about guests who are injured on rides that prompt at least 24 hours of hospitalization under an agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees ride regulations. The state shares the results with the public on a quarterly basis.
In July, a 68-year-old male with a pre-existing condition felt chest pain after riding the Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot. At Universal Studios, a 68-year-old man reported dizziness after being on Trollercoaster and another man, age 70, experienced nausea after riding the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster.
In August, there were three Magic Kingdom injuries in the report: A 38-year-old man had a seizure after experiencing the Magic Carpets of Aladdin; a 70-year-old man felt motion sickness after getting off Space Mountain; and a 79-year-old woman fell and hit her head while leaving Tomorrowland Speedway, the miniature-car attraction.
Also in August, a 46-year-old male felt motion sickness from the Jurassic Park River Adventure, a water ride with plunging finale at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
In September, a 36-year-old woman reported a “dislodged medical device” during Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure coaster at Islands of Adventure, the report said. And a 72-year-old woman said she had dizziness after riding Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, a roller coaster at Universal Studios.
At Animal Kingdom, a 53-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition had a seizure after experiencing Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition, a motorized tour of the park’s savanna, in September.
At Epcot, a 5-year-old male had a cardiac event while riding Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, an indoor coaster, in September. The child had a previously undiagnosed pre-existing condition, the report said.
There were no injuries reported in the most recent by SeaWorld Orlando, Legoland Florida in Winter Haven or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme parks.
The state does not receive updates after the initial assessments. An Orlando Sentinel investigation last year revealed that descriptions of the injuries frequently are vague or inaccurate.