After reading the blurb on MSNBC.com, I am wondering if perhaps the child had a seizure...
Boy was rigid, then limp
Officials said the boy, from Sellersville, Pa., was on the ride with his mother, Agnes, and a sister.
During the ride, the mother noticed that Daudis body was rigid and his legs were stretched straight out. She told detectives that she thought he was frightened so she took his hand.
When the ride ended, the victim was limp and unresponsive in his seat, according to a sheriffs office report.
Paramedics tried to revive him, but he died at Celebration Hospital.
I think most rides are inherently safe, and that most places do a diligent job of insuring safety (for example, the height requirement isn't placed at the threshold of doom -- it's several inches above the necessary to insure safety). Nonetheless, prior to even this event, I had been wondering for some time about the safety of higher G rides, namely because if someone is going to have, say, an aneurysm or stroke, how will they know they are at risk? In other words, weak vessels and "susceptible" victims don't always send out clues. I have a 1.5 yr old nephew who had a stroke; in researching what happened to him, my eyes were opened to a whole world of kids / young adults who have had strokes and (prior undetected - suddenly determined) cardiac issues. How would a parent know if they were sending their child into harm's way? My 2 boys LOVE Mission: Space (I on the other hand thought I was going to lose my lunch). But if I were my SIL, I don't think I would let even ONE of my kids ride it or any other g-force ride, simply because I'd be thinking, hmmm, I have ONE kid who had a stroke, and even if it WERE due to issues "unique" to him, why risk it with ANY of my genetically-linked brood? How can I be sure the OTHER two kids don't have a time bomb inside them?
I recall seeing warnings that certain TV shows and video games could induce a small % of kids to have seizures. Again -- how would a parent know, if the child has been exposed to other "games" and TV shows and is fine with it, that THIS one video or game is going to be the one that puts them over the edge? I would liken it, almost, to predicting if someone would go into anaphalactic shock... One day, your kid gets stung by a bee, and the next thing you know, you are dashing to an ER in a life/death situation..... Perhaps no one ELSE in your family was allergic to bees, and your kid had never been stung by a bee, so how were you to know that this ONE bee would be THE THING to send your child into the ER? My sister, at age 35, decided while touring Europe to eat a roasted chestnut. Never had one before, thought it looked tasty. SHe took one nibble, and within minutes, wished she hadn't -- if she hadn't been carrying Benadryl in her purse (which bought her some time to get to a hospital and a serious dose of epi), who knows what would have happened...
Life turns on a dime, so fast, and sometimes, so tragically. There may be absolutely nothing you can do about it, and yet, after the "turn" you are left to wonder and beat yourself up over it (if I had only done this, if I had only known that, etc.) I just cannot imagine the "what ifs" and the "if onlys" that poor family at WDW will be plaqued by, along with the awful reality that nothing ANYONE determines (or does as a result of this) will do the ONE thing they want -- bring their child back.
THoughts and prayers are surely with them.
