Disneyland Deaths - The Most Famous Deaths at Disneyland
By Simone Smith
I am the type of girl who appreciates sophisticated pairings. I particularly love combinations like good and evil, cute and morbid, and innocent and deranged. Therefore, in addition to harboring a lifelong love of Martha Stewart, collections of both aprons and knives, and an appreciation for Gloomy Bear, I have a very special place in my heart for Disneyland.
Anyone who knows the park somewhat well understands that beneath the magic is an even more fascinating network of underground tunnels (both literal and metaphorical) stuffed with dark secrets and twisted undertones.
One could fill an encyclopedia with all of Disneyland’s hidden worlds and histories, but for now I shall focus on something simple and morbid: famous deaths in the park.
Let’s have a look at the most famous ones, shall we? Let the magic begin!
The People Killer
Though the People Mover no longer exists at Disneyland, it claimed several victims. The first was 17-year-old boy who left his car just as it was passing through a tunnel in 1967. The young man fell and was crushed beneath oncoming cars.
In 1980, the People Mover killed again, crushing another young park visitor in the SuperSpeed tunnel as the recent high school grad attempted to move from one car to another. His body was dragged for more than 100 feet before an operator stopped the ride.
Beware the Monorail
In June of 1966, a 19-year-old attempted to sneak into Disneyland by scaling the Monorail track. Though a guard attempted to warn him of an oncoming train, the young man was not able to get out of the way quickly enough, and was hit by the train and dragged about 30 feet along the track. He died on site.
Disneyland Drownings
In the summer of 1973, 18-year-old park visitor and his 10-year-old brother managed to achieve the common dream of hiding out in the park past closing time by stowing away on Tom Sawyer Island. Instead of asking cast members for help off the island several hours later, they decided to swim off the island across the Rivers of America to avoid detection. Being an accommodating older brother, the soon-to-be drowning victim pulled his younger brother along on his back through the river, but grew exhausted and drowned. His brother managed to stay afloat by dog paddling and was eventually rescued by cast members, but by then, his older brother was nowhere to be seen and was found dead the next morning.
In 1984, another drowning took place in the Rivers of America when an 18-year-old park goer and a friend (both somewhat drunk) stole a maintenance motorboat for a nighttime joy ride. After hitting a rock, the young man was tossed overboard and drowned before his friend was able to get help.
Shipwreck
While most of Disneyland’s deaths are a result of recklessness on behalf of park attendees, one tragic 1998 event was caused by negligence on behalf of the park. On Christmas eve of this year, three people (two guests and one cast member) were killed after being struck by a cleat on the sailing ship Columbia (which can be found on the Rivers of America) that was set loose after the rope to which it was attached tore loose. This event caused Disneyland to rethink its operations and safety procedures, which are now more rigorous than ever.
Matterhorn Incidents
In May 1964, a 15 year old boy died three days after sustaining injuries to his head and torso on the Matterhorn Bobsleds after being thrown from his car onto the tracks below. Either this teen or his friend unbuckled his seatbelt, and he had attempted to stand near the peak of the mountain.
20 years later, the first female Disneyland death took place in a very similar fashion, as a 48-year-old park visitor was thrown to her seat as her car went full throttle down the mountain and run over by an oncoming bobsled. The woman's seatbelt was not fastened, but because she was alone in her car, nobody knows if she had deliberately freed herself.
A Violent Future
Some Disneyland deaths are more situational than ride or feature-related. In 1981, a park guest who was only 18 years old, died from injuries sustained in a knife fight that took place in Tomorrowland.
The Wall of Death
In 1974 a hostess responsible for greeting audiences at America Sings (a refurbished version of the Carousel of Progress) was crushed between the rotating theater wall and the stationary stage.
The walls have since been changed to prevent an accident like this from ever taking place again.
Lesson: Follow the rules!
In writing this article, I by no means wish to make light of these tragic deaths. My heart goes out to the victims and their families, and I regret that any of these events took place. Rather than mock these violent deaths, I hope to point out that every seemingly perfect place has more depth and complexity than one might expect.
Having worked as a ride operator at the theme park for children, I understand full well how dangerous rides can be, and I want to point out that most of these tragedies could have been prevented. When visiting a park, follow the rules and instructions of park officials and rider operators. They have your safety and happiness in mind.
Ominous Thunder
Though most Disney deaths are consequences of park attendees' failure to follow park rules and guidelines, the most recent Disneyland death (and several injuries) was not a result of visitor recklessness.
One 22-year-old visitor bled to death from blunt force trauma to the chest after the cars separated from the locomotive in one of the roller coaster’s tunnels and crashed into the locomotive’s underside. It was found that the accident was a result of improper maintenance.
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Perhaps you came into this article thinking that Disney was all smiles and laughs. I hope that I have allowed you to see that the park is much more sophisticated than that- that all magical places have dark secrets.
These dark historical details only scratch the surface of all the strange things that happen not only in Disney parks and resorts, but with Disney employees, business ventures, and branding.
I treasure these anecdotes because they illustrate how nothing in this world is all dark or all light. Though for all its sugar-coated magic, Disney illustrates exceedingly well that a story is dreadfully flat without conflict, villains, and evil plots.
Let us acknowledge the dark along with the light! It allows us to appreciate the world for what it is.
Comments
Hi Simone...
Having spent my formulative, high school years, living in Orange County...I've spent my fair share of hours in the park.
I had always heard the stories but was always unsure as to which ones to give credence to.
This Hub would certainly have proved helpful as we whiled away a good portion of those 'park hours' standing in lines...talking about who may/may not have perished on any particular attraction.
You are correct...most of them could have been avoided.
Thanks for a Great Hub!
Thomas
Interesting hub! I never thought and wondered if people died at Disneyland or Disney world
my son is fascinated by deaths at theme parks. you're right though, people should follow the rules. very interesting idea for a hub. thanks
Hi, Simone thank you for revealing the dark side of the Disney land, since i think that it would be one among the most protected place in the world. This would warn the people who propose to go there in the coming future.voted up as useful!
I was put off going on rollercoaster rides from that movie Final Destination 3....you never know when Death is about and a terrible chain of events such as a deranged Mickey Mouse is going to club you to death with a Ham Sandwich!
I stay clear of those types of rides now and even Mickey!
You did a great job here. People should be aware of what could happen if rules are not followed. They are put in place as you say for a reason, and not just there to spoil the fun.
It is so sad that these deaths occured and my heart goes out to their families. On the whole when you consider just how long DisneyLand has been going for and the volumes of visitors I think they do a wonderful job of keeping everone safe.
I love Disneyland but have heard of accidents causing death. This is a reality of life no matter where you go or what you do. My thought is you can't stop living your life for fear of what might happen or you will not have lived your life at all...
Yeah, really iain-mars! Those words are so important, they're even saying them in spanish on all the Disneyland rides now!
I've verified all of these on Snopes ThoughtSandwiches, so they're legit! I bet there are some more obscure, un-verified stories out there that might still be true though :D
Now you know, Mikeydoes!
And I was pretty fascinated by this stuff too when I was a kid, ThoughtSandwiches. I went through a huge amusement park phase in general. They're great fun!
Raakachi, I still think Disneyland is one of the safest places in the world. This is just a reminder that if you're not careful, you could die just about anywhere.
Yikes! I'll have to steer clear of Final Destination 3 then, waynet!! I'd hate to start avoiding roller coasters!
Thanks so much Rosemay50, and it is dreadfully sad what happened to these people- and equally impressive how FEW people have died or been injured in the park!
You're so right, carcro, and those are very wise words. I am of the humble opinion that our mortality is one of the things that makes life so sweet, so I like to maintain a nice mix of not sweating the small stuff, but still appreciating every moment. Remembering that one could die at any moment helps that along sometimes!
How gruesomely interesting! I'm heartened by the fact that it seems most of the deaths you mention occurred decades ago, so the measures Disneyland is taking to keep the park safe (even for people who deliberately flout the rules) seem to be working. I have to admit reading this was a bit like rubbernecking at a highway accident!
I wonder how many deaths have happened at the Orlando Florida Disney World. I live near that one and go all the time.
Hmmm. I didn't know anything about these deaths. Very intriguing...in a morbid way. :)
Simone, Its so sad to hear of so many deaths there. Its one of my favorite places on earth. At least some of the deaths seemed to be older, and hopefully they have fine tuned things more since then. Thanks for sharing, many of those I never heard of before. My heart goes out to those families.
Interesting hub, and while some deaths seem to be Disney's fault for lack of maintenance, etc, it's clear that even more are the result of stupidity in people. It certainly isn't Disney's fault people unbuckle their belts or try to sneak in through any ridiculous means, or swim across a vast expanse of water!
Still, very interesting. I've always wondered which of the rides/attractions were involved in such tragedy.
Jesus christ for a wonderland it seems a tad depressing doesn't it? Seriously, where did you find all this?? Disney would be interested to know who gave away the info :P
I'm heartened by that fact too, livelonger! And yeah... I'm kind of embarrassed by my interest in such matters, but such is the art of rubbernecking!
I would be very interested to know that too, Garrett Mickley! Perhaps I'll have to do some research!
I'm not surprised, kittythedreamer! One doesn't expect to hear about such gruesome things when contemplating the Happiest Place on Earth, right?
It is very sad indeed, oceansnsunets. I do think Disneyland is a safer place now than it has ever been, though- and it is definitely several times safer than the REAL world!
It's true, christinepurr- most of these deaths were not the fault of Disney.
And indeed it does, KatieB456! I first heard about these deaths in a radio show, then did more research via Snopes and articles linked to from the Wikipedia entry on Disneyland incidents. I don't think Disneyland is overjoyed about this information being out, but it's hardly a secret.
uhhh article writer you left the t off of heart in your article
Lesson: Follow the rules!
In writing this article, I by no means wish to make light of these tragic deaths. My hear goes out to the victims and their families, and I r
Thanks buddy! Fixed it :)
Amazing. I never knew any of this. Disneyland is such a place of joy I never gave any thought that people had died there. Great hub. Voted up!
Right. Most of the deaths were caused by the victims themselves doing something stupid. Only a couple by negligence or faulty equipment. In all the years that park has been in operation, I'd say those are damned good odds! It's probably much more dangerous to cross the street.
Good odds indeed! I am sure that if we actually ran the numbers, it would be several times more dangerous to walk the streets of any major city than to go on the most radical of Disneyland rides.
Last time I was at Disneyland Splash Mountain was closed because a guy climbed out of the ride at the top and then got squished by the cars. Uh-oh. I have no idea why he climbed out.
Oh my gosh, seriously? That's horrible!
Simone Smith- I will never visit Disneyland again without thinking about this particular hub-article. As a chronic macabre addict I found this really interesting and entertaining. Maybe your work isn't for the faint of heart but I personally will be looking forward to more hubs written by you if they are along this line of research. (smile)
iain-mars 6 months ago
ewww some nasty deaths there! just goes to show the importance of "keeping your arms and legs inside the ride"... interesting reading.