Birth Defect News

Couple Sues Disney For 4-yr-old Son's Death After Mission: Space Ride

A couple who lost their four-year-old son to a heart attack following an intense Walt Disney World ride has filed a wrongful death suit against the entertainment park. The boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, died in June 2005, after a ride on Mission: Space, which simulates a journey to Mars. “The forces employed on the ride are dangerous. They (Disney) are exposing the general public to a ride whose forces they don't really understand,” said Robert A Samartin, who is representing Daudi's parents Moses and Agnes Bamuwamye, residents of Sellersville, Pennsylvania.

The ride has invited flak earlier, believed to have caused one more death and 10 other hospital admissions. Besides this, between 130 and 140 riders were treated for minor illnesses, after they were subjected to high centrifugal force during the ride. According to the Bamuwamyes, those handling the ride in the park at Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida, should not have allowed the child into the rocket given his age. “We think inviting four-year-olds on the ride is dangerous in itself,” Samartin said. A leisure trip turned tragic when Daudi fainted after being on Mission: Space and suffered a heart attack. An autopsy revealed that the child had a previous undiagnosed irregular heartbeat condition that predisposed him to cardiac arrhythmia when experiencing stress. According to Reedy Creek Fire Department officials, at least eight riders of the 140 odd that fell ill had been taken to the emergency room. In spite of this, the entertainment park did not have defibrillators near the ride to prevent deaths due to cardiac arrhythmia. “If they had gotten to him (Daudi) sooner, we believe it could have saved his life,” Samartin said. Following the four-year-old's death, a 49-year-old German woman died in April this year after taking the ride.

Meanwhile, defending its ride, Disney said Mission: Space was safe provided the riders followed the instructions. “Daudi's death was a terrible loss to his loved ones and we sympathize with them. However, we disagree with the assertions in the lawsuit,” Disney spokesperson Kim Prunty said. She asserted that more than 11 million people have enjoyed a ride on Mission: Space safely since it was introduced in 2003. After receiving complaints of nauseas, chest pain and back pains, Disney toned down the earlier ride, which had centrifugal force twice that of the Earth. In addition, it posted warnings around the ride telling pregnant women, heart patients and those suffering from chronic back problems to steer clear of it and made motion sickness bags available on the rocket.

If you or anyone you know has experienced the results of a birth defect or any other kind of medical malpractice, please contact us. We are here to help you.

	Did You Know?
	There are those who cannot sue for wrongful death. A family member cannot sue another family member for wrongful death.