An expectant mother went into spontaneous labor following a ride at the Tomorrowland Speedway at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in September.
An official report released by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) on Tuesday lists a 27-year-old female as one of six Guests who were injured or experienced a medical incident while visiting the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida during the months of July, August, and September 2022, and required a hospital transport and at least a 24-hour hospital stay.
Because the state allows major theme park resorts to self-report such injuries, the agency’s theme park injury report gives vague information at best–and extreme misinformation at its worst, as in the case of a young boy who rode the E. T. attraction at Universal Studios Orlando. During the ride, his foot and leg were crushed, but the theme park reported the injury to the state as “foot pain.”
It’s unknown whether the pregnant Guest experienced premature labor or was already at or close to full-term when she visited Magic Kingdom last month. But Disney World’s posted warnings at the Tomorrowland attraction are clear about the potential dangers of expectant women experiencing the attraction.
“Expectant mothers should not ride,” reads a sign at the entrance to the queue for the ride that features tiny race cars, each powered by a 9-horsepower gasoline engine.
The cars at the Tomorrowland Speedway attraction don’t move at a high speed–not by a long shot–but riding can still be dangerous for women who are pregnant. In the afternoons at Magic Kingdom, the smell and fumes from the gasoline alone can be overpowering for Guests waiting in the queue, especially during the warmer summer months in the parks.
Another incident listed on the report at a Tomorrowland attraction at Magic Kingdom involves the death of an 83-year-old man who passed away after riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom on September 25. The man reportedly had an undisclosed pre-existing condition, and the FDACS theme park injury report states that he suffered a “cardiac event” following the ride. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.
The 27-year-old woman isn’t the first to go into labor after riding an attraction at Disney World. In 2018, another 27-year-old expectant woman went into labor after disembarking at the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in April that year. That attraction also has posted warnings, which recommend that expectant women not ride.
