A 13-year-old boy ended up in the hospital after tumbling down the massive drop of a Disneyland attraction, reportedly after getting out of his ride vehicle before the experience was over.
The terrifying incident happened on Sunday, June 21, at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disneyland, Anaheim, California, southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Chilling video footage obtained by TMZ appears to capture the boy sliding and spinning down the attraction’s approximately 50-foot drop, just seconds after a log full of other riders made the same plunge. According to Disneyland officials, a staff member stopped the ride right away.
Park officials confirmed that “as a precaution, he was evaluated at a local hospital and released,” as per LA Times.
A witness named Paul told NBC News he heard screaming and turned to check on his grandson, who described watching the boy fall down the drop “like a rag doll.” Paul also snapped a photo showing a crowd of guests at the base of the attraction, all gazing up toward the waterfall.
Inspectors “did not find any operational issues”
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health launched an investigation following the incident.
Agency spokesperson Katherine Wzorek said inspectors “did not find any operational issues,” according to NBC News, and the attraction was subsequently cleared to reopen on Tuesday.
Like most similar “log rides,” the attraction doesn’t use lap bars. That said, the ride’s boats are built with a low center of gravity to help keep passengers in their seats.
Safety experts have also noted that adding restraints could actually create new dangers in a situation where a ride vehicle overturned in water.
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