The latest deaths at Disney World bring the park’s toll to 68

Every year, more than 50 million tourists enter the 40-square-mile Walt Disney World in Florida, but not all of them make it out alive.

Just last week, there were three deaths at the Orlando Wonderland: a 31-year-old superfan Who committed suicide In the contemporary hotel; A man in his sixties He died from a pre-existing medical condition at Fort Wilderness Campground; and A man in his sixties Thursday, and the cause of death is still pending.

Shockingly, Thursday’s death brings the body count at Disney World since the park opened in 1971 to 68.

The majority of deaths were from natural causes, and involved visitors and staff, including performers and maintenance workers.

Some were downright bizarre, including death at the hands of an alligator, an amoeba, hanging menus, a tram, the Magic Kingdom’s skywalk – and even the killer “Beauty and the Beast” carriage.

The park’s first death occurred three years after its grand opening in 1974 when one of the filaments of a light bulb ignited fumes from the glue that 49-year-old carpenter Robert Marshall was using while repairing a boat, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Expert Dennis Spiegel said theme parks “are probably one of the safest places on the planet,” due to self-regulatory practices and insurance programs.

“Parks are also subject to government inspections, so there are always inspections,” Spiegel said. “From a chance standpoint, things do happen. The problem with Disney, I know it’s usually about people being in that place, at that time, when it’s their time.”

Four-year-old Joel Goode tragically drowned in 1977 after falling into the moat surrounding Disney’s famous Cinderella Castle. The boy’s parents successfully sued Disney for $4 million, but jurors decided Goode’s parents were partially to blame and halved the award to $2 million, according to the Tampa Times.

One of the park’s most dangerous — and youngest — killers came four years later, when 11-year-old Long Island boy Robert Johnson Jr. contracted a brain-eating amoeba infection after swimming in the tepid, unchlorinated River Country Water Park.

River Country – which closed permanently in 2001 – has claimed two other lives by drowning, one of the most common causes of death in the park.

In 1987, a 6-year-old boy drowned in a crowded swimming pool at the park. The family later filed a lawsuit, claiming there should have been more lifeguards on duty, and Disney settled for $250,000, according to reports.

One of the most shocking tragedies occurred in 2016, when two-year-old Lynn Graves was attacked by a crocodile on the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon. The crocodile dragged the boy into the water, and his body was recovered the next day.

Perhaps the most bizarre death: Matthew Javier Cruza cast member dressed as Pluto, was run over by a “Beauty and the Beast” float during the Share a Dream Come True Parade in 2014.

One of the deadliest years was 1982, when a two-year-old girl was hit in the head by a hanging upright; A 36-year-old woman collapsed at the Polynesian Village Resort; A one-year-old girl fell from a moving tram.

Planes, trains, boats, and buses have all claimed lives at Disney.

In 1989, a Long Island woman Patricia ShenkShe, 33, was killed when the small speedboat she was driving collided with a ferry on the Seven Seas Lagoon.

In 1984, South Carolina Gary and Doreen NewellTheir infant daughter, Stephanie, died when the single-engine Piper plane they were traveling in crashed while attempting an emergency landing in the EPCOT Center parking lot. Then, in 1987, Rick Harpera 27-year-old cast member, died when the light plane he was piloting crashed during rehearsal for EPCOT’s “Skyleidscope” show.

In 2000, a 37-year-old man was killed by the Magic Kingdom Skyway. Ten years later, a Massachusetts man Robert Kruger69, in front of a Disney bus in the parking lot of the Port Orleans Resort.

Like Summer Eckowitz, who committed suicide in the park last week, several people have decided to end their lives at Disney World, where incidents have been reported in 2020, 2016, 2010 and 1992, when Allen Ferris He fired a sawed-off shotgun at Disney World employees, briefly holding two of them hostage before killing himself at EPCOT Center.

Disney was sued by the husband of a woman who allegedly died of food allergies in 2023, a case that remains active; Disney denies the pair’s allegations. In 2018, a person was found dead inside a burning car near Disney’s Fantasia Gardens miniature golf course. In 2006, while visiting the park as part of the Give Kids the World program, a 6-year-old cancer patient fainted moments after riding Space Mountain.

Spiegel said that in 2024, more than 1.5 billion rides will be taken in theme parks, with only a small number of accidents.

The flatlines have been bad for Disney’s bottom line. Public reports claim they have paid out at least $27 million since 1977. However, most of the lawsuits against Disney ended up being settled, with the terms of the agreements kept secret.

By contrast, there have only been 32 deaths at Disneyland in California since it opened in 1955 — most recently, the death of a woman in her 60s due to a medical episode she suffered during the Haunted Mansion ride.

The first death occurred in 1964, when Mark MaplesThe 15-year-old fell from the Matterhorn sled after getting stuck in a moving car. In 1984, Dolly Reagin Young47, was beheaded by one of the Matterhorn’s sleds.

While there has never been a murder at Disney World, two people have been killed at Disneyland: A 15-year-old boy was shot In the Disneyland parking lot in 1987, there was an 18-year-old man Stabbed with a fatal knife During a fight in the park in 1981.

Disney World has six on-site first aid stations, but no hospital. AdventHealth has an emergency room in Flamingo Crossings Town Center, not far from the park.

Disney did not respond to requests for comment.