Visiting Disneyland is a dream come true for children and adults alike, but for some, the Disneyland fantasy ends in tragedy. The safety record at Disneyland theme park was apparently excellent from 1955 through 1963. But according to John Marr, in his article, WaitingInLineToDie, in May of 1964, the first Disneyland theme park death occurred on a ride known as the Matterhorn, a bobsled roller coaster ride. The victim was 15 year old, Mark Maples, of Long Beach, California.
Apparently, he had argued with a girlfriend, earlier in the day, about going steady, and rumors indicate that he was depressed. But by evening, he was in good spirits, as he stood in line with friends at Disneyland, to ride the Matterhorn. As the ride neared the peak of the mountain, for some unexplainable reason, Maples stood up, and was thrown head first onto the track below. Disneyland theme park officials said he was “catapulted from the speeding car.” The fall crushed his skull, and he experienced internal injuries, remaining in a coma for several days, until he died.
While there are many urban legends about deaths at Disneyland, it is true that many have been injured there, and some have met their death. It is very difficult to get specific accurate facts, and to separate the rumor from the truth. But in most cases, according to Snopes.com, the majority of the deaths at Disneyland theme park, have been due to rider negligence in following safety instructions, or patrons who tried to “defeat” the Disneyland rides’ safety mechanisms.
In January, 1984, another fatal accident occurred at Disneyland, on the Matterhorn. Dollie Young, a 48 year old Fremont, California mother, was visiting the Disneyland theme park with friends, when they decided to ride the Matterhorn. Young was riding in the rear car alone, so facts are difficult to come by, but Disneyland workers were sure they buckled her seat-belt. About 2/3 of the way through the ride, she fell out of her car, onto the tracks. As she tried desperately to recover from the fall, she was hit by another sled, and became tangled beneath its wheels. She was dragged for a distance, and she died at the gruesome scene from massive head and chest injuries.
In June of 1966, on Grad Night at Disneyland, 19 year old Thomas Guy Cleveland, of Northridge, California, tried to sneak into the park, by scaling a 16 foot high fence, and thereby gaining entrance to the Monorail track, that ran through the Disneyland. Apparently intending to jump or climb down off the track ,and into the Disneyland theme park, he ignored a security guard’s warnings. (The guard was urgently trying to make him aware of an approaching train.) Cleveland managed to climb down, to a fiberglass canopy beneath the tracks, but the clearance wasn’t enough to stop the train from hitting him, and dragging him down the track, dismembering his body.
Two months after the People Mover opened in Disney’s Tomorrowland, in August of 1967, another death occurred. The People Mover was not a Disneyland theme park thrill ride (as you can probably tell by the name.) It moved along at the fast pace of about 2 miles per hour or less, and was not a favorite of children or teenagers. But teen visitors to Disneyland often found it fun to try and create some excitement on the sluggish tram. Seventeen year old, Ricky Lee Yama, of Hawthorne, California was visiting the Disneyland theme park with friends, when they decided to ignore safety instructions, and began to jump from car to car. According to Mel, writer of TheDisneylandDeathTour online, Yama slipped and was dragged beneath the trolley wheels, before his skull was split in half.
Unfortunately, another similar accident happened on the Disneyland People Mover in 1980, on Grad Night. Gerardo Gonzales, of San Diego, was onceagain jumping from car to car, and slipped and fell onto the track, and was then dragged beneath the cars. According to witnesses at Disneyland, he was still conscious when the rear of the tram passed over him, only to be run over again by the next group of cars, and dragged along the tracks. Adding to the great sadness of this tragedy, is the fact that the People Mover was the slowest ride in the Disneyland theme park, at that time.
In June of 1973, two brothers, Bogden DeLaurot , an 18 year old Brooklyn boy, and his 10 year old brother, decided to stay longer than allowed on the Disneyland attraction, TomSawyer’sIsland. They successfully evaded Disneyland security by hiding in the stucco caves of Injun Joe. (Some reports say they only intended to watch the nightly Disneyland theme park fireworks from the island.) However, the only way to get off of the island was by raft, and the rafts stopped running when the sun went down. When the boys realized they were trapped on the island, they decided to swim. Unfortunately, the younger brother did not know how to swim, and Bogden decided to carry him on his back. The older brother became exhausted and went under, about halfway across the river, in only 5 feet of water. The younger boy dog-paddled to stay afloat, and was eventually rescued by a boat ride operator around 10 p.m. It took policemen, firemen, and Disneyland theme park employees until sunrise to find Bogden’s body, which was caught in the rocks at the entrance to the rapids.
On June 4, 1983, another young man lost his life in the RiversofAmerica, on Grad Night, at Disneyland theme park. It was Philip Straughan’s 18th birthday and his graduation. He and a friend had apparently been celebrating at Disneyland, by drinking quite a bit that evening, when they decided to grab a rubber maintenance motorboat that they found around Tom’s Sawyer’s cove, and go for a ride. Drunk and unable to control the boat, or to see in the pitch black waters, Straughan was thrown into the water, when the boat hit a plaster rock. His body was found about an hour later, and he drowned in less than four feet of water.
Another horrible Disneyland theme park tragedy, involved an 18 year old girl from Santa Ana. Deborah Gail Stone was working as a hostess on the Disneyland AmericaSings attraction (former home to the CarouselofProgress.) A revolving audience area rotated around a fixed center area that featured multiple stages. Stone’s job was to greet the new crowds, as they settled into their seats. Somehow she got too close to the area between the rotating wall and the stage wall that didn’t move, and was crushed to death. The Disneyland attraction was closed for a couple of days, while a safety light was installed, warning the show’s operator when someone was getting in the dangerous area. Later, breakaway walls were built, replacing the solid ones, to prevent similar fatalities.
Rides aren’t the only dangers within the Disneyland theme park. On March 7th of 1981, Mel Yorba was visiting Disneyland, as part of a private celebration for the Anaheim’s Contractor Union. Word has it that Yorba was looking for trouble, from early on in the evening. While walking around Disneyland, he pinched the bottom of an attractive girl waiting in line, and her boyfriend, James O’Driscoll, took off after Yorba and his friends. He grabbed one by the sleeve, and was then punched by Yorba. Yorba and his buddies took the opportunity to run once again, but O’Driscoll pursued them. After his girlfriend identified the correct offender, he grabbed Yorba by the shirt, and Yorba punched him again. Yorba and O’Driscoll wrestled, and then fell to the ground, and Yorba (cheered on by his friends) tried to choke O’Driscoll. This was when O’Driscoll pulled an 8 inch hunting knife from his sock, and the blade went through Yorba’s chest and stomach. (Witnesses later testified that Yorba fell on the blade as they fought.) O’Driscoll then fled the Disneyland theme park, but not before throwing the weapon in the moat, near Sleeping Beauty’s castle. A visitor to Disneyland, who happened to be a registered nurse, applied pressure to Yorba’s wounds, until the park EMTs finally arrived. Half an hour after the stabbing, Yorba reached the hospital, and was pronounced dead on arrival. O’Driscoll was convicted of second degree murder, and received 8 years punishment. Disneyland theme park was ordered to pay $600,000 to Yorba’s parents, for not handling the emergency care of Yorba properly. Disneyland appealed, and the case closed with a “generous cash settlement.”
Unfortunately, another death (a gang related shooting) occurred in the Disneyland parking lot in 1987.
Amazingly, there was not another Disneyland fatal incident until Christmas Eve, 1998. A cast member, and two visitors to the Disneyland theme park were injured (one fatally), in a bizarre accident involving the clipper Columbia. A rope that was used to dock the Columbia broke loose from the metal cleat it was thrown around. The cleat went flying through the air, and hit two visitors who were waiting to board the ride, as well as a Disneyland employee. Luan Phi Dawson, 33, of Duvall, Washington was declared brain dead a couple of days later, and passed away when his life support was disconnected. (His wife was also injured in the accident.) Disneyland theme park was held responsible in this first ride related death, that was not due to visitor negligence or noncompliance. According to Safetyforum.com, when the accident occurred, Disneyland called EMTs, but did not notify police. Police arrived at the Disneyland theme park about 40 minutes later, after paramedics called them, and found the scene completelycleaned of everything, including blood and evidence. (No law requires that Disneyland must leave the scene of an accident undisturbed, until police and the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration are able to examine it.) A court order is usually required to find out what really happened. And when evidence is disturbed, this can be very difficult.
Finally, on September 5, 2003, Marcelo Torres, 22, of Gardena, California, met his death at the Disneyland theme park, when a locomotive separated from the train, in a tunnel section of BigThunderMountainRailroad. Torres bled to death from chest injuries, and several other Disneyland theme park visitors were injured.
Interestingly enough, in June 2001, The Walt Disney Corporation was court-ordered to turn over all of the accident reports from its Florida and California theme parks. These findings revealed that Disney’s IndianaJones, a computer controlled jeep ride, was responsible for hundreds of serious injuries, including brain stem bleeding.
Keep in mind, that I have only outlined the deaths that have taken place at Disneyland theme park. There are many horrible injuries that have been sustained by innocent visitors to the Disneyland theme park in California, as well as Disney World theme park in Florida. What is desperately needed is some sort of national system of regulation, because this is not just a problem with Disney’s theme parks, but with allamusement parks. It is obvious that many of these deaths were caused by negligence on the part of the Disneyland guest, but many of the serious injuries I’ve read about, are due to ride malfunctions. The Disneyland theme park guest doeshave a responsibility to follow park rules, and to read the warning signs on park attractions. But legal experts also agree (according to Safetyforum.com) that amusement park visitors should have the right to expect that a ride is designed and operated safely, and that it won’t cause physical harm.
Please warn your children and teenagers, that just because a ride is available to them, that does not ensure its safety. Warn them also about responsible behavior when they visit theme parks, and perhaps their visit will truly be magic, instead of tragic.
