Man killed in roller coaster accident at Disneyland
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A locomotive broke loose on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster Friday.
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VIDEO
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Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez explains the roller coaster accident.
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| BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN |
Built in Disneyland in 1979 and has been copied in Orlando, Florida's Walt Disney World, Disneyland Tokyo and Disneyland Paris. The ride covers 9.5 acres. The mountains are made of concrete and the tracks are steel. There are five, 5-car trains. The ride is 2,500 feet and lasts 3 minutes, 15 seconds. The train reaches speeds of 28 miles per hour and averages 23 miles per hour. Source: hiddenmickeys.org |
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ANAHEIM, California (AP) -- An accident on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster Friday killed one man and injured 10 other riders, officials said.
The ride's locomotive separated from the train cars behind it, but officials did not know whether that was the cause or an effect of the accident.
The man who died was in the first car behind the locomotive, and paramedics extricated his body from inside a tunnel section of the ride, said city spokesman John Nicoletti. The man was not immediately identified.
Eight of the injured, ranging in age from 9 to 47, were taken to the hospital, while two others were treated at the scene, Nicoletti said. One of those taken to the hospital had moderate injuries, while the other cases were considered minor, he said.
The roller coaster takes people on a twisting, turning ride aboard what is supposed to be a runaway train in the Old West. Riders zoom past falling rocks and tumbling waterfalls, occasionally entering tunnels that look like mine shafts and caverns.
The attraction, which opened in 1979, can carry as many as 32 people. The ride is computer-controlled, and the operator does not ride aboard the train.
The train cars remained on the tracks, and some passengers were able to evacuate on their own, so the total number of riders was not immediately known, Nicoletti said. It was not clear whether the locomotive had derailed.
"On behalf of the entire cast of the Disneyland Resort we are shocked and saddened," said Cynthia Harris, president of Disneyland Resort.
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