Incidents at Tokyo Disney Resort

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan. The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, deaths and significant crimes. While these incidents are required to be reported to regulatory authorities for investigation, attraction-related incidents usually fall into one of the following categories:

• Caused by negligence on the part of the guest. This can be refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions, or deliberate intent to break park rules.
• The result of a guest's known or unknown health issues.
• Negligence on the part of the park, either by ride operator or maintenance.
• Act of God or a generic accident (e.g. slipping and falling) that is not a direct result of an action on anybody's part.

Resort-wide incidents

2011 earthquake and tsunami

• On March 11, 2011, an offshore earthquake registering at magnitude 9.0 (M_w) struck Japan, forcing the resort to cease operations mid-day.^[1] The resort's parking areas were flooded after the earthquake; initial reports stated that the flooding was caused by the resultant tsunami, but police later stated that liquefaction was the more direct cause.^[2] No visitors or employees were injured during the quake, but at least 20,000 of the estimated 69,000 visitors that day spent the night inside the resort's two theme parks due to the closure of Tokyo's public transportation systems.^[2][3] Park officials announced the closure of the resort for at least 10 days in order to conduct inspections and maintenance.^[3] Tokyo Disneyland re-opened on April 15, with ¥300 per guest entering the park being donated to the Japanese Red Cross. The Disney Ambassador Hotel and Tokyo Disneyland Hotel were also scheduled to reopen on April 15, with Cirque du Soleil's ZED resuming on April 23. Tokyo DisneySea and its hotel, the Tokyo DisneySea Hotel Mira Costa remained closed until further notice.^[4] It is estimated that the resort, as a whole, lost more than $400 million in profits during the five weeks of closure, the first extended shutdown in its history.^[5] On April 28, just ahead of the start of the Golden Week string of public holidays, Tokyo DisneySea reopened. The date also coincided with the planned debuts of Fantasmic! and the Mickey and Friends' Greeting Trails meet-and-greet area. Despite the full reopening of the Resort, effects of the earthquake and power shortages remain, including the closure of Big Thunder Mountain in Tokyo Disneyland, the limiting of lighting and air conditioning, and the postponement of the Tokyo DisneySea 10th Anniversary celebration planned for September. Ongoing restoration work continues, including the installation of three electrical power generators.^[6]

Tokyo Disneyland

Parades

• On January 8, 2008, a portion of a parade float collapsed during a presentation of the park's "Disney Dreams On Parade: Movin' On!." A steel pillar, estimated to weigh 300 kilograms, fell from the Buzz Lightyear float not far from park visitors. No performers or visitors were injured in the collapse. The park canceled its parades for the first time in its history in order to complete safety checks.^[7]

Space Mountain

• On December 5, 2003, a roller coaster train derailed as it was returning to the station. No riders were injured, and the ride was closed pending an investigation.^[8] A January 2004 investigation completed by Oriental Land Company, the park's owner/operator, determined that an axle on the train had failed because its diameter was smaller than the specifications for the part required.^[9] The attraction re-opened in February 2004, after 17 park officials were reprimanded for the accident.^[10]

Swiss Family Treehouse

• In January 2008, a fire broke out in the attraction, forcing its evacuation. No visitors were injured, and firefighters were able to put out the fire an hour later.^[7]

Tokyo DisneySea

Raging Spirits

• On May 28, 2012 at around 4 pm, a 34-year-old man suffered a minor leg injury after trying to exit the coaster train while it was in motion. The man became alarmed when the train started to leave the station while the safety restraining bar on his seat was still up. As he attempted to exit the vehicle by stepping onto the station platform, his right leg was dragged approximately 2 meters along the platform, resulting in the injury. Police investigating the incident believed the safety bar did not engage following an employee temporarily unlocking the car's safety bars after finding a restraint on an empty seat to still be up. Following this, the bar on the man's seat also unlocked, and as he failed to press down on the bar before the train started to move, the restraint did not deploy. Operations of Raging Spirits were suspended following the incident until the ride's safety could be confirmed. The incident was the first case of a rider being injured on an amusement attraction at the Tokyo Disney Resort.^[11]

See also

• Incidents at Disney parks
• Amusement park accidents

References