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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAKE BUENA VISTA - The 12-year-old boy who died after riding a Walt Disney World roller coaster had a congenital heart
defect, a medical examiner ruled todday.
The autopsy of Michael Russell was done one day after he passed out while riding Disney-MGM’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. His father, an Iraq war veteran, performed CPR on the boy, but Michael was pronounced dead at a hospital.
“No evidence of injury was found but congenital heart abnormalities were detected, which will be further evaluated,” the Orange County medical examiner’s office said in a statement.
The cause of death was left pending until additional test are conducted, Dr. Sara H. Irrgang, an associate medical examiner, ruled.
Disney World reopened the coaster Friday after determining that nothing mechanical caused the boy’s death. A Disney Web site description of the ride says: “Zoom from 0-60 mph with the force of a supersonic F-14, take in high-speed loops and turns synchronized to a specially recorded Aerosmith soundtrack.”
“Walt Disney World engineers and ride system experts completed a thorough inspection of the attraction overnight and found it to be operating properly,” the company said in a statement. “A representative from the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection observed the ride inspection and testing.”
Disney and other large amusement parks are exempt from state oversight, but Disney has allowed government inspectors to watch after fatalities.
The boy’s father, Byron Russell, noticed that Michael became limp while they rode the coaster along with his mother and 7-year-old brother. When the minute-long ride finished, Russell pulled Michael off and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, said Barbara Miller, Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman.
Miller said Russell told officials that the boy was healthy and that the family didn’t know of any underlying medical problems.
The company and military said they were assisting the family.
The father is a part of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) based at Fort Campbell, Ky., and served in Iraq, said special forces Command spokesman Maj. Jim Gregory.
“You can’t even put words to how devastating this would be,” Gregory said.
Michael’s death was the latest in a string of tragedies at Walt Disney World in recent years. At least 15 people have died at Disney’s theme parks in Florida and California since 1989, including some with pre-existing health conditions. Disney-MGM is among Disney’s four Florida parks.
Most of the company’s recent troubles have been over another ride - Epcot’s “Mission: Space,” a rocketship attraction that
simulates a flight to Mars.
Two people have died in the last year after going on the ride, which spins in a centrifuge that subjects riders to twice the normal force of gravity. Now Disney offers people an option to ride a tamer version of the ride that does not spin.
This is a sad story.But this is the chance you take when you go on these rides,young or old.The parents of this little boy may have not known about his heart defects.(We hope)
Jake- Man you are off the chain. Prison for the parents? Immunity for Disney? Lottery Tickets? What no Bamboo spikes under the parents fingernails? The parents probably didn’t even know about the heart condition. I have first hand knowledge of unknown heart conditions as my first wife died walking into her classroom at U.S.F. 14 years ago. She was only 31 years old. Heart disease is something that if you are not looking for it you don’t find it. These parents are devestated. They need our prayers not condemnation. Shame on you Jake.
How many accidents do you see on US19 each day? Disney is far safer!
Actually, your child stands a higher chance of developing a neurodevelopmental disorder following routine vaccinations than death from a ride at Disney.
It is a shame that children who die, or develop neurodevelpmental disorders after routine vaccinations do not receive this much publicity.
The fault is with the parents..If anyone should be sued it should be them...perhaps some jail time for the parents will make them think twice…
Disney is a huge employer for central florida,they should have total immunity from lawsuits....Disney is not a cash cow for sickly children that parents take to Disney..in hopes of getting a winning Lottery ticket…
The shame lies with mom and pop
My Heart goes out to the family, may god be with you in this time of need…
I have just read this tragic story and the ensuing comments by readers. First of all this is not the parents fault, there’s no way they (or even the boy’s doctor for that matter) could have forseen this. Quite likely this boy has what is called Wolfe-Parkinson-White Syndrome, where the nerve connections in the heart have aberrant pathways and what could happen is that as the person gets excited over something and his pulse races the conduction goes through the aberrant pathway and starts an abnormal rhythm which if not corrected quickly is likely to result in death. The only way of diagnosing this is sometimes via the EKG, but if the boy is healthy there would have been no reason to do an EKG and as the condition is usually symptomless until something like this happens it cannot be froeseen. Bottom line and unfortunately this is likely to happen again, considering the number of people who ride daily at the theme parks. Nothing much can be done about it.
Stephanie,
If everyone used your logic regarding warnings, I could drive my car down the street with a sign that says “Not Liable”, and refuse to take responsibility if I caused any type of accident. Your reasoning clearly makes no sense. While partaking in a ride like this one can be dangerous, if there was negligence in the way it was designed and/or maintained, then the parents will clearly have a legal claim on behalf of their now deceased child.
Disney, Watch OUT! Here come the lawsuits.
Im origanlly form Zephyrhills I used to work for Disney about 4 years ago and this roller coaster is my favorite ride at the park i’ve been on that ride atleast 50 times and nothing like that ever happend to me(i rode is 10 times back to back) I do however feel that Disney should post wanings and adviseries about young children because that ride does pull an extreme amount of G-Force not as much as mission space does people should be very cautious as to riding things like this.Im sorry for the tradgic loss of a child.
REGARDING THE STORY ON THE 12 YEAR OLD BOY. I WOULD ADVISE HIS FAMILY TO HAVE THE EMT ATTENDANTS, AND/OR THE FAMILY PHYSICIAN EXAMINE ANY ECG’S THE CHILD MAY HAVE HAD. THIS SUDDEN/UNEXPLAINED DEATH OF THIS CHILD SOUNDS LIKE “LONG QT SYNDROME”....I HAVE TWO SISTERS WHO DIED OF THIS WHEN THEY WERE 21 AND 28. CAN’T BE DIAGNOSED ON A DECEASED PERSON. YEARS AGO THERE WAS A STORY ABOUT “LACEY DALTON” WHO DIED AFTER RIDING THE “KUMBA”......I CALLED HER FAMILY & EXPLAINED ABOUT LONG QT...THEY HAD HER YOUNGER SISTER CHECKED OUT AND SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LONG QT. IT IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, RATHER THAN A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM WITH THE HEART. I URGE SOMEONE TO CONTACT THE FAMILY AND TELL THEM ABOUT THIS. SOMETIMES THE FIRST SYMPTOM PRESENTS ITSELF AS A “SUDDEN DEATH”....................
How sad all most people seem worried about is if Disney gets sued- when the article does not even mention this. God bless the family in this horrible tragedy.
Looks like all of you need to relax a bit! Someone just died here and all you all can do is jump down eachother’s throats! Who cares what age anyone was?? Disney will not have a lawsuit. At ebvery rollercoaster it clearly states that you are riding at your own risk. Parents also need not be blamed if their child is in perfect health, how are they to know what lies ahead?
The sudden death of a child is always a tragedy. However, I do not see where the parents have a lawsuit against Disney. The child’s mother and another sibling were on the same ride at the same time; nothing happened to either one of them. This appears as a “freak” incident and hopefully the autospy will reveal the cause. However, my sympathy goes out to this family.
We all remeber Dale Earnhardt. He died from neck injury when it all came down to it. His head was jerked forward so violently that it basically pulled the skull off the spine!
My first thought when I read the story was that the boy received a neck injury which was fatal to him. He was only 12 and the muscles in his neck would not be as strong as a grown man (Dale had years of experience with these type of forces on the neck and with all of his safety equipment he still wasn’t spared).
Possibly, the child had his head turned the wrong way when the g-forces of the ride were bearing down on him.
Heartbreaking. Too many people take it for granted these type of thrill rides are safe, but there has to be an element of danger to BE a thrill ride in the first place...agreed?
Sue
I cant believe what I’m reading.....people are ACTUALLY trying to BLAME the parents for this tragedy. WOW.....why dont you wait for the autopsy before you open your mouth. Take this tragedy for what it is....Gods will and a terrible terrible loss for the family. Please dont try and find someone to blame.
A. Butler says the parents “should be held accountable”; and Carolyn Lang says “it was the family’s fault...”
My question is, what should the parents be accountable for? What exactly did they do to make it their fault?? Are you 2 suggesting that the parents had prior knowledge of a pre-existing medical condition and let the boy ride the ride knowing that it could potentially kill him? That’s absurd! If the parents are guilty of anything, they’re guilty of loving their child and trying to provide a good time for their child. Yes, this is a tragedy. But tragedy’s don’t always have to be someones “fault”. Sometime’s “stuff” just happens.
Take it easy on the readers..its a shame that we’re talking about two different stories that happened close together. The four-year-old from last week at Disney HAD pre-existing heart problems but the doctor gave him a clean bill of health two years earlier at the age of two..So his parents should have known better than to put him at risk. I know its tough when a child begs you to do something fun and doesn’t understand why he cannot but parents have to be strong. As far as THIS child. We’ll wait and see. Lots of children have problems that are never diagnosed until later in life. Let this one play out..I know the families are grieving but this sounds abnormal for a park that receives millions of visitors a year. These rides are tested and safety checks performed on them constantly. For God’s sake, take your children to the doctor and get them checked out..not every child is normal and healthy although some parents can’t admit it
Millions of kids this age—12—ride roller coaster rides like this at theme parks around the world every year. There has to be more to this story—stay tuned.
That being said, I myself—a 43-year old woman with no ‘serious’ health conditions—rode the Rockin’ Rollercoaster a few months ago in an effort to bond with my 16-year old coaster-fanatic daughter, who I’ve never ridden one with before.
I can tell you… this is one wicked ride. The sheer speed took my breath away and my head knocked violently between the headrest constraints the entire ride. I was so disoriented and blown away at the end of the 1-1/2 minute ride, the attendants had to help me off the ride… their demeanor suggested this was a common occurence.
I could not turn my head to the side for 3 days after the ride.
Middle-aged, average size and health riders beware! Please read the disclaimers and take them very seriously.
age is not a factor. a healthy individual in his 20s could die on a roller coaster.
i’ve been on this ride about 22 times, and i’ve seen children as young as five and grandparents as old as 80 ride. 
Can people not read carefully? The article never implied that the boy who died recently was four. Reread for meaning, please…
He was 12...Thats not too young to go on this rollercoaster. You are misreading it.
Hello, the child that died most recently (today) was 12 years old, not 4 years old. I agree the parents of the 4 year old that died should be held accountable. The kids go to these parks and want to ride rides, that is why they are there. My 9 year old niece rides all of these scary and fast rides. My self I will not let my 9 and 10 year old daughters ride most of them. You do not know if your child has a heart condition, or other health matter that could cause them to die on such a ride. The question is what should be done???? Age limits along with hight requirements, or what close the rides down??? Disney should not be sued unless the ride broke and cause a death. Parents chose to let their children ride, the kids want to ride. Maybe they should have full physicals before taking a trip to a park?? I don’t know, any child that dies at any age it is horrifically sad. My thoughts and prayers are with this 12 year olds family.
Carolyn and Chris may want to re-read this story!!!!!
The boy who died after riding Rock’N’Roller Coaster was 12 years old not 4. The 4 year old died after riding Epcot’s Mission Space.
My kids (12 and 7 years old) loves Rock’N’Roller Coaster. My heart goes out to the family of the boy, what a tragedy. Maybe he had a medical condition no one knew about?
How sad....
My thouhgts and prayers are with the family...However this one is on the parents...You can clearly see before you go on this ride what to expect as far as the 0-60 factor is concerned...4 years old… So sad
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Posted by NO Name, on 07/01 at 12:19 PM
God Bless in this time of sorrow