A 60-year-old woman has died at Disneyland shortly after taking a ride on the Haunted Mansion, one of the park’s most iconic attractions. The incident took place on Monday, Oct. 6 at the Anaheim, California, theme park.
Matt Sutter of the Anaheim Police Department said that “Anaheim Fire & Rescue responded to the Disneyland Resort for an unresponsive woman in her 60s who had just finished riding the Haunted Mansion attraction” and “Disneyland security personnel provided CPR until paramedics arrived.”
Woman Died After Suffering a ‘Medical Episode’
The woman was later transported to a hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. The Orange County coroner is expected to determine the exact cause of death in the coming days.
Sutter said the incident “appears to be an unfortunate medical episode,” and there was “no indication of any operating issues with the attraction, which reopened soon after.”
Second Fatality in a Month
The incident follows another fatality less than a month ago, when a man died while riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal’s newly-opened Epic Universe theme park in Orlando.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died at the age of 32 after riding Universal Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers roller coaster in Orlando, Fla. on Sept. 17. Zavala’s cause of death was later revealed to be “multiple blunt impact injuries,” according to the Orange-Osceola chief medical examiner Joshua Stephany.
The Haunted Mansion Attraction
The Haunted Mansion, which opened in 1969 in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, remains one of the park’s most beloved and enduring rides. It was also among the last attractions personally overseen by Walt Disney before his death in 1966.
The dark ride takes visitors through a ghostly estate filled with elaborate visual effects, including the floating head of the clairvoyant Madame Leota and a ballroom of dancing spirits. Unlike most Disney attractions, it features imagery of death, such as its famous opening scene in which guests appear trapped in a stretching room that ends with the chilling sight of a hanging figure above them.
