Shocking Facts About Disneyland

Disneyland is meant to be a happy place, ... IT’S known as “the happiest place on Earth”.

But behind the smiles and screams of joy at Disneyland lurks a darker side that you don’t know about.

Here are some of the most surprising and horrifying things that have occurred at Disney theme parks. Be warned, you may never look at it the same way again after reading this.

1. There have been a string of deaths and injuries at Disney theme parks. These are just some of the more high profile cases.

• July 2014: A UK tourist suffered a severed hand on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World in Florida. He lost two of his fingertips. He had been dangling his hand outside of the boat at the time. Three months earlier a 12-year-old boy lacerated four fingers on the same ride.

• 2013: Katherine Jo-Ann Baliton fractured her leg when attempting to board the Jungle Cruisein Orlando with her young son. She died three days after surgery to repair the injury, due to a blood clot in her leg. Her family has filed a lawsuit against Disney claiming her injury and death could have been avoided if staff had attempted to help her on board.

• 2010: A cleaner was killed when working on a boat at Disneyland Paris’s It’s a Small World attraction. He was dragged under the boat when the ride was accidentally started.

• 2009: Stunt performer Anislav Varbanov died in a tragic accident while practising a tumbling roll for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Florida’s Disney World.

• 2005: Fifteen people were hospitalised after two trains collided at Disneyland’s roller coaster California Screamin’. They suffered minor injuries.

• 2004: Disney worker Javier Cruz was dressed as Pluto when he was run over and killed during a parade at Florida.

• 2003: A train car on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroadroller coaster at California’s Disneyland derailed when a wheel assembly fell off. It hit the top of a tunnel and landed on top of another car, killing one and injuring 10 others. It was the result of improper maintenance.

“We all deeply regret that the tragic accident occurred and are terribly saddened by the grievous pain this caused the Torres family,” Disney spokesman Rob Doughty said as the family of the deceased, Marcelo Torres, settled a lawsuit with the company.

• 2001: Six-year-old Priscilla Figueroa lost most of a finger at Tom Sawyer Island in Disneyland. She had been playing with a toy rifle. Disneyland hadn’t reported the incident, sparking controversy. But due to legal loophole it didn’t have to at the time.

• 2000: Four-year-old Brandon Zucker suffered cardiac arrest and permanent brain damage after falling off Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin ride. The vehicle rolled over him and left his body folded in half. Zucker never spoke again and died aged 13.

• 1998: Luan Phi Dawson was killed and his wife injured when they were struck by a metal part from the tall ship Columbia as they waited to ride it on Christmas Eve at Disneyland California.

In March of the same year, David Fackler lost half of his foot on the Big Thunder Railroad ride when he put it outside of the car during a temporary stop. It got stuck when the train lurched forward. It was the first guest death in Disneyland’s history that was not attributed to any negligence from the guest.

• 1974: 18-year-old employee Deborah Stone walked too close to a moving theatre wall at Disneyland’s America Sings stage show, and was crushed to death. She had been showing guests inside, and her screams could be heard but the wall couldn’t be stopped. Some people claims her ghost haunts the theme park.

Note: After many of these cases, Disney made a range of changes to the operation of the rides and their safety procedures. - Herald Sun