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Disney World gondola 911 tapes: Girl frantically seeks help for epileptic mom

Orlando Sentinel - 10/18/2019

For about an hour, an 11-year-old Lakeland girl was on the phone with 911, pleading for somebody to rescue the child’s epileptic and anxious mother trapped on Disney World’s Skyliner gondola.

Reedy Creek, Disney’s quasi-government which handles the parks’ emergency responses, released the 911 audio tapes Friday after a public records request from the Orlando Sentinel.

The tapes depict stranded riders crying, pleading for help for riders with health conditions and in one case a man who had passed out when the gondolas broke down Oct. 5. Some people said they were stranded for almost three hours.

The girl was on the way to Epcot with his or her mom when the gondola cabin, loaded with six people, stopped over Disney’s Boardwalk.

In some moments, she is calm.

“I don’t know if we’re stuck or something,” the girl says early into the call.

But as the minutes tick by, she sobs onto the phone, sounding panicked.

“It’s been 20 minutes up here!” she wails. “Please. I’m begging you!”

The dispatcher tries to reassure her, keeping the conversation going. She asks the girl if the family is on vacation. She encourages everyone to take deep breaths. She warns her not to give the mother any food or drink, in case she has a seizure.

“We’re getting help to you,” the dispatcher says.

“Get her out of here as fast as you can, people!” the girl says. “I am going to sue Disney for this!”

At least one person was taken to the hospital that night and later released, but nothing about his or her condition was revealed.

In another phone call, a man told the 911 dispatcher his wife was going in and out of consciousness and had a fever. The 32-year-old woman can be heard crying in the background as her husband relays that she has a heart condition and has been on medication.

“My wife just passed out and came back ... I’m just getting really concerned now, it’s near two hours ... she’s breathing, she’s just in a lot of pain ... oh gosh, she’s burning up,” the man tells 911. “This is bad. She’s not going to last long.”

Another rider called 911 worried about his 88-year-old mother who was aboard the gondola with him and three others.

“She’s in a wheelchair, she’s stuck here, and she’s 88 and she’s getting overheated,” the man said. “If she gets overheated and has a stroke or something...” He trails off.

The dispatcher tells him that technicians are working to bring the power back. He tells the dispatcher the gondola he’s on is just about a foot away from the exit station. At one point, he seems to contemplate trying to open the door, which was not working at the time. The dispatcher tells him not to.

“We don’t want it running, we want off right now,” he says. “All they need to do is pry the doors open. I could probably do it myself. I’m sure a couple of fireman could easily do it.”

Later in the call, the man indicates the door is open, although it’s unclear how. He tells the dispatcher: “I’m going to try to get her out ... I’m stuck now. Ow!” and then the line goes dead.

According to another call, a 36-year-old man with high blood pressure also passed out at the Riviera Skyliner Station. The caller said he had just left the gondola. It’s unclear how long he was on board.

In another, a woman called to check on her twin daughters who had called to tell her they’d been stuck on the gondola. Others who said they suffered from anxiety also dialed 911 to see how long they would be up in the air.

To date, Disney has not disclosed the cause, with a spokeswoman calling it “unexpected downtime” on the night it happened. The Skyliner had only been open seven days.

Nor has Disney commented about photos from social media showing crumpled cabins at one of the loading stations.

“Following a complete review with the manufacturer, we’ve made adjustments to our processes and training, and we are improving how we communicate with guests during their flight with Disney Skyliner,” according to a post on the official Disney parks blog on Oct. 14, the day the gondolas reopened to the public.

A union spokesman for the Reedy Creek Fire Department said the rescue required nearly all its personnel, but a spokeswoman for Reedy Creek later disputed that.

The gondola line that malfunctioned connects Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort with Epcot. There’s another station along the line at Disney’s Riviera Resort, scheduled to open in December. Other lines connect to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the Pop Century and Art of Animation resorts.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

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(c)2019 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)

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