Disney stunt performer dies during rehearsal

[snopes]

A Walt Disney World stunt performer died after an accident while rehearsing for the Indiana Jones show at the Hollywood Studios theme park in Orlando.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...TAM&SECTION=US

[Brad from Georgia]

That's sad. The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular is supposed to be a movie set that is filming a series of fights, explosions, etc. As part of the show, a few spectators are chosen to be extras. Once they chose me. They garb you up in Velcroed costumes, tell you to "run to the right, run to the left, react with fear, react with anger," and that sort of thing.

One of the "spectators" is a ringer who is given special directions: "You need to climb here, grab this rope, swing across, fight these three guys, be knocked down by an explosion..." etc.

In our performance, at the end, the coordinator said, "Wow! For someone visiting Disney World, that guy's a pretty good stunt man, don't you think?" And she held the mike out to me.

I do a pretty good Droopy Dog voice, and in it, I said, "I could've done that if you paid me."

They never asked me back.

But it's sad that one of the performers was injured and died. I have to say the stunts were very strenuous and impressive. They're clearly dangerous, too, if the least thing goes wrong.

[chillas]

Originally Posted by Brad from Georgia

But it's sad that one of the performers was injured and died. I have to say the stunts were very strenuous and impressive. They're clearly dangerous, too, if the least thing goes wrong.

It is very sad.

It's been many years since I've been there, but the last time I visited I loved the Indian Jones stunt show so much that I split off from my family to catch it again by myself later.

As a side note, (at the time at least) they had the entire cast performing every show, but they alternated each performance between being part of the stunt cast and part of "crew" (such as the director), giving them a bit of rest while still performing. I thought that was clever.

The article is light on details but says he was injured doing a tumbling roll. That makes it sound like it was an individual mistake, as opposed to something going wrong with the show. That kind of move it's easy to sustain head and/or neck injuries.

Regardless, I'm still very sorry to hear this.

[snopes]

A 30-year-old performer at Disney World is dead after rehearsing for a stunt show, the third worker to die in seven weeks at the Orlando, Fla., park.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...TAM&SECTION=US

[kajerayn]

Snopes' second link mentions the performer had only been with the show for a week. I wonder what kind of training he had, and if the training (or lack thereof) led to the accident?

Very sad.

[Mickey is a gyrl]

Originally Posted by kajerayn

Snopes' second link mentions the performer had only been with the show for a week. I wonder what kind of training he had, and if the training (or lack thereof) led to the accident?

Very sad.

To be in a stunt show, you have to be a trained stunt person and pass an audition. It sounds like it was just a mistake that became fatal.

[Troberg]

Of course it's a tragedy, but stunt men are working with small margins for error, so it's bound to happen once in a while.

[snopes]

The accidental death of a performer at Walt Disney Co.'s Walt Disney World in Florida -- the third employee fatality at the park since early July -- has prompted separate local and federal investigations.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125064214537741833.html

[Rebochan]

Snopes, for some reason the article in that link cuts off after a few sentences.

I did find a local article on the same subject:

Investigation continues in Disney performer's death

[Pseudo_Croat]

This has been an awful year for Disney employees. And I loved the Indiana Jones stunt show.

My thoughts go to his family.