Menu

Disney Park Makes Major Change After Three Guests Are Injured in Accident on Main Street, USA

One Disney Park has reportedly already begun implementing safety measures in an effort to reduce the chances that an accident that happened earlier this month–and left three guests injured–can ever happen again.

Related:The Mystery Man Behind a Robbery at This Disney Park Has Never Been Identified

disneyland and disney world castles

Credit: Becky Burkett

A Lamp Post Topples to the Ground, Injuring Guests

On Monday, November 20, a lamp post erected along Main Street, U.S.A., at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, toppled over during park operating hours, striking and injuring three guests who were standing or walking nearby.

Initial reports suggested that members of Disneyland’s maintenance team were on the scene to handle the incident, but later reports indicate that first responders–specifically emergency medical personnel–were called to the scene to offer assistance to the three guests who sustained injuries. As a result of the accident, Disneyland’s hub had to be closed off to guests.

The stage lighting lamp post reportedly fell in the Town Square-themed area of Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland Park, one of two theme parks enjoyed by visitors at the Disneyland Resort in California. The post that toppled to the ground that day was said to have had extensive rust damage, and significant “Santa Ana” winds were blamed for the post’s demise.

On the day of the accident, wind gusts in the nearby Los Angeles, California, area were said to have been as high as 90 miles per hour. Winds were also believed to be the culprit behind damage to other structures in the area surrounding Disney’s first park. According to local television station KTLA, a tree fell onto a home in nearby Tustin, California, and a small plane flipped over on the runway at John Wayne Airport.

john wayne airport

Credit: John Wayne Airport

According to Deadline, two of the injured guests were treated for their injuries at the scene and required no further medical attention. However, the third guest sustained more serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital as the injuries required further, more extensive medical attention.

Following the incident, Disneyland reportedly removed the involved lamp post and a similar post from the park.

New Changes Implemented

Now, Disney’s California theme parks look to be taking further steps to ensure the safety of guests when it comes to the lighting fixtures that dot the parks. According to The Blast, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure have begun removing lamp posts and other structures that serve to light the parks in California.

Disney California Adventure Park Entrance

Credit: Disney Parks

Disneyland teams have not only removed a light post that is similar to the one that fell to the ground and injured three guests before Thanksgiving, but they have also reportedly stripped other lights from posts across the Anaheim theme parks.

While there’s been no official word from Disneyland about the reasons for the removal of the lighting structures, many believe the structures are being removed permanently so that new structures can be installed–or as a means of checking the structures to make sure they aren’t rusted and haven’t sustained damages over the years from winds.

This post is originally appeared on Disney Dining.

About Rebekah Tyndall Burkett

Rebekah grew up in Forney, Texas and lives just outside of Dallas. She’s been a Disney superfan since childhood, experiencing the magic at Walt Disney World for the first time at the age of 11. Journeys to Neverland are at least a yearly occurrence for her, her husband and her four children (the Fab Four). When they go to the parks, they stay in Florida for three weeks at a time. Rebekah loves exploring the history of the parks, the genius behind the Magic in the person of Walt Disney, and she is intrigued by all things Disney World and Disney Imagineering. When in the parks, Rebekah and her husband Scott make the most of their time by enjoying every minute with their Fab Four, by delving deeper into Walt’s vision for the parks and into the history behind the Walt Disney World Resort, and by photographing the many different types of architecture at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and on the World Showcase at EPCOT. When she’s not in the parks, Rebekah is excitedly setting travel dates and planning her family’s next adventure to their happy place deep within the Sunshine State. On breaks from planning her next trip, Rebekah is a writer, journalist and children’s author, penning children’s books about kids with special needs that she affectionately calls “believement-achievement” stories. Her hobbies include creative writing, paper crafting and interviewing Imagineers. She is also an advocate for Autism Awareness and for children with developmental disabilities of all kinds.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.