Pirates of the Caribbean ride accident – boy (5) fights for life
By Mark Duell From Daily Mail UK
Boy, 5, fighting for life after ‘falling under a machine’ on Pirates Of The Caribbean ride at Disneyland Paris
Child in critical condition after accident on ride at 4.50pm (3.50pm GMT Oct 30)
Medics called when boy became ‘trapped between a platform and a boat’
Disney spokesman says first aiders ‘quickly intervened’ to help the boy
A five-year-old boy was tonight ‘fighting for his life’ after an accident on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland Paris.
The child from Montpellier is in a critical condition at Necker Hospital in Paris after ‘falling under a machine’ at the end of the ride at 4.50pm local time (3.50pm GMT) today, local media said.
Emergency services were called when the unidentified boy became ‘trapped between a platform and a boat’. The child had lost his balance and fallen overboard, reported the Europe 1 radio network
He then became stuck under the boat behind the one carrying him, before his father jumped into the water and managed to free him. A Disneyland spokesman has confirmed the accident happened.
He told AFP: ‘The incident took place in late afternoon. Our first aid services quickly intervened to provide him first aid. The attraction is temporarily closed and we stand with the family.’
‘Cruise secret caverns and catch the Pirates Of The Caribbean in action as they loot, plunder and pillage. Will you escape with a souvenir snapshot to treasure?’
Construction started on the 5,000-acre site in 1988 and it opened to the public in 1992, well over budget. Visitor numbers were lower than hoped for and the hotels fell below their targets.
Two years after it opened, headlines asked if it was heading for bankruptcy. But in 1994, banks agreed to restructure the project’s debts. By the end of 1994, the park had turned a corner.
New rides such as Space Mountain were opened in 1995 and a second park – the Walt Disney Studios Park – opened to mark its 10th birthday. Now it has celebrated its 20th anniversary.
However, it was revealed in April 2012 that the park owed a staggering £1.6billion – and it would take at least 12 years to pay off the debt.
Last month a 5,000-strong petition was launched against the park, claiming it was ‘falling apart’, amid complaints about reheated food, broken rides and cancelled stage shows. Disney did not comment.
RECENT ACCIDENTS AT DISNEYLAND
October 2010: Cleaner, 53, dies after getting trapped under boat on It’s A Small World when it’s accidentally switched on
December 2010: Boy, 12, paralysed from neck down after going on The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror – but later recovers
April 2011: Five people injured – one seriously – when fake rocks hit train on Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster
January 2013: Four people injured when coaches collide on Disneyland Railroad after breaking apart on arrival at station
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