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In the past year or so leading up to my move to Orlando I had several people ask me why we didn't move to California instead. My general response was that DL and Walt Disney World are not the same. A little over ten years ago a man named Paul Pressler took over the operations at DL and began a series of short-cutting and cost-cutting measures that have left the park a disgrace. He left a few years ago and passed on command to Cynthia Harris, who has continued in the same vein. Paint is peeling all over the park. Tomorrowland is a ghost town. It has been more than ten years since a major new attraction has opened in DL. And worst of all, there have been serious cutbacks in maintenance.
Which leads us to today's tragedy. Prior to 1998 the only guests who had died on Disneyland attractions (a total of six) were directly responsible for their own injuries because they ignored or subverted safety systems. That changed in 1998 when a guest was killed entirely due to poor training and negligence on the part of a DL cast member. Now today another guest has died from apparent catastrophic track failure on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Here is a report and commentary from themeparkinsider.com:
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The pattern of poor maintenance and poor training at DL in recent years is quite clear. One only hopes today's tragedy will finally be the catalyst for change. I sincerely hope so. My heart goes out to the families of those involved in the derailment. It is a sad, sad day.
Which leads us to today's tragedy. Prior to 1998 the only guests who had died on Disneyland attractions (a total of six) were directly responsible for their own injuries because they ignored or subverted safety systems. That changed in 1998 when a guest was killed entirely due to poor training and negligence on the part of a DL cast member. Now today another guest has died from apparent catastrophic track failure on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Here is a report and commentary from themeparkinsider.com:
Quote:
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One man was killed and at least 10 others injured after an accident at Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Authorities set up a triage area near the ride, located in the Frontierland section of the park. One person was moderately injured with facial lacerations. Other injuries appear to be minor.
This is the third catastrophic mechanical failure causing injury on a roller coaster at Disneyland in a little over three years. The two previous incidents happened on Disneyland's now-shuttered Space Mountain coaster.
Such failures are extremely rare in the theme park industry. Almost always, injury accidents are the result of human error -- most commonly the fault of the rider but occasionally the fault of a ride operator.
This level of mechanical failure on roller coasters at a single major theme park is unprecedented, to my memory. And these are not the only recent major accidents at the Disneyland Resort. California Adventure's Mulholland Madness coaster injured multiple riders after its opening, before CalOSHA forced Disney to shut down the ride and make repairs. And in two other highly publicized incidents, a child was permanently disabled on Disneyland's Roger Rabbit ride (an incident CalOSHA attributed to ride design flaws) and a man was killed on the Sailing Ship Columbia dock after an untrained supervisor moored the ship, ripping a cleat from its deck which then flew into the waiting crowd.
Clearly, a dangerous pattern has been established at Disneyland. Since former Disneyland President Paul Pressler assumed control of the resort and began cutting costs, fans have complained about poor maintenance at the park, citing peeling and faded paint, burnt light bulbs and other superficial flaws. This most recent accident, coupled with the incidents at Space Mountain, will surely raise additional, far more serious questions, about Disneyland's attention to mechanical maintenance over the past several years.
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The pattern of poor maintenance and poor training at DL in recent years is quite clear. One only hopes today's tragedy will finally be the catalyst for change. I sincerely hope so. My heart goes out to the families of those involved in the derailment. It is a sad, sad day.
