Guest Dies After Disney's It's a Small World Ride

A tourist's turn on one of Disney's gentlest rides ended in tragedy this spring, though it's only now being publicly reported. Florida Politics cites a newly released state theme park incident log showing that a 54-year-old guest with a preexisting medical condition went into cardiac distress while on the It's a Small World ride at Florida's Walt Disney World on April 24; he was taken to a nearby hospital and later died. The case surfaced in the latest report from the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, which tracks ride-related injuries and illnesses.

The incident follows a string of recent deaths and scares at Disney parks. TMZ notes that four people died at Disney World in a single month late last year, though those cases weren't tied to ride emergencies, and a Disneyland guest died in October after a suspected heart attack on the Haunted Mansion ride. More recently, a 13-year-old climbed out of a log on Disneyland's new Tiana's Bayou Adventure and went over the 50-foot drop, surviving without injuries. FOX 35 cites other Disney World incidents in the latest injury report, including a 75-year-old woman who fell and hit her head while leaving the Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain, as well as a 74-year-old man with a preexisting condition who experienced nausea and vomiting after riding Epcot's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction.