Western Courier

Issue date: 6/30/05 Section: Opinion

Daudi Bamuwamye, of Sellersville, Pa., passed out Monday, June 13, on the "Mission: Space" ride and could not be revived. The ride simulates a rocket launch and trip to Mars.

Amusement park rides don't seem to hit the headlines very often unless they're stating that the ride is currently the world's fastest, longest or whatever - or unless there is some kind of accident or injury in relation. The one that seems to pop up in most people's heads is the infamous (and personally hilarious) bird incident where sex symbol Fabio got struck in the face by a bird while riding the Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens. He escaped with a mere gash on his nose, which I'm sure required immediate plastic surgery.

But more recently another ride made it to the big print.

The "Mission: Space" ride at Disney World (that would be the one in Florida), which opened in 2003, simulates a trip to Mars. And according to a report done by MSNBC.com, this "attraction is so intense that it has motion sickness bags and several riders have been treated for chest pain." It has also been noted that this mock adventure to the Red Planet spins its riders to twice the force of gravity.

On June 13, 2005, Daudi Bamuwamye stepped on to the ride with his mother. When the imaginary spaceship returned to Earth, Daudi's limp and unresponsive body was carried off. He could not be revived. Oh yeah, he was only four years old.

The ride was closed only to be reopened the following day. Disney engineers came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong mechanically with the ride.

This brings up an extremely interesting point: Since the autopsy conducted following this surprising death of a four-year-old boy isn't showing any obvious causes of death, what if there really is such a thing as being scared to death?

It has been rumored that the boy had a heart condition, but you would think that his mother would have been aware of that. More tests are currently being conducted to determine a factoring element in this unexplainable death.

Is it possible for a four-year-old to have a heart attack? Or maybe the main question I want to ask is, is it safe for a four-year-old's body to withstand a force twice the power of gravity?

Based upon my lack of knowledge in science, my answer to my own question is no. But according to the regulations for the ride, age doesn't play a role. All that mattered was that young Daudi met the 44-inch requirement.

Continued...

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