A 68-year-old Tennessee tourist died after riding Star Tours at Disney's Hollywood Studios, authorities said.
The September death of the Memphis, Tennessee, man was recorded in a list of serious ride-related injuries and illnesses that the major theme parks provide the state of Florida on a quarterly basis.
According to a report released Monday by the Florida Department of Agriculture, the man had a pre-existing heart condition, and the cause of death was listed as hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with contributing factors including obesity.
The latest report included five other incidents of adults complaining of dizziness, stomach and chest pain and back pain on various rides at Disney and Universal.
While parks and their rides are not subject to state inspections, park officials are required to report ride-related injuries and illnesses that send someone to the hospital for at least 24 hours.
Disney topped the list of the number of riders hurt on local rides over the summer.
A rider on Space Mountain reported having stomach and chest pain following the ride. A 53-year-old woman had a seizure on the Journey of the Little Mermaid, the report stated.
At Universal Studios, a man had back pain after riding Rip-Ride Rockit and a woman was dizzy after the Dragon Challenge.
Universal said in a statement about its Harry Potter ride:
"Tens of millions of our guests have happily and safely experienced this attraction since it opened. Because this attraction is so incredibly popular, more people ride it than many other attractions – including people who would not normally try to experience a dynamic ride such as this one. Both of those factors may impact the numbers we report. But please know we take the safety of our guests very seriously. We monitor all our attractions and the experiences our guests have on them. And we post signage at the front of each attraction advising guests to consider the dynamic nature of the ride before trying to experience it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author
