Disney making Animal Kingdom ride safer
March 5, 2008, 3:47 PM UTC / Source: The Associated Press
Walt Disney World plans to make safety changes to an Animal Kingdom roller coaster in response to the death last year of an employee after she was struck by one of the ride's cars.
Disney is changing the entry and exit areas of Primeval Whirl by installing sensor mats in a restricted-access area where Karen Price fell and hit her head Nov. 24. She died a few days later.
The ride platform will be extended and bold stripes will be added to the load and unload zones, Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty said Wednesday. The sensor mats will shut down the ride if a person sets foot there, she said.
The accident involving Price, 63, led the company "to consider additional safety enhancements," Prunty said. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still investigating the death.
The roller coaster work is being done after hours and will take a few weeks. It should not disrupt operation of the ride, Prunty said.