State to Investigate Disneyland Mishap

Disneyland’s Space Mountain roller coaster is expected to be closed a day or two longer as state investigators arrive today to find out what led to the malfunction that caused minor injuries to nine people earlier this week.

Ray Gomez, a Disneyland spokesman, said amusement park officials “have an idea” of what caused the accident, but he would not provide the information until the investigation is complete.

Dean Fryer, a spokesman for Cal/OSHA, said the agency’s investigation could last two months, depending how long it takes to interview passengers and ride operators.

There is no state requirement that Disneyland close the ride.

The trigger for an investigation by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is usually a serious injury, Fryer said. Although the worst injury in this case was multiple bruises to a German tourist, the agency will investigate because of the number of people hurt, Fryer said.

Disneyland reported the Monday night accident to Cal/OSHA, as required under a new state law regulating the industry.

Gomez said the accident occurred when a support arm underneath a car came undone, forcing the ride to stop suddenly. He said the 23-year-old ride shuts down automatically when there is a problem. “Beyond that, I’m not going to give you any more details on it,” he said.

The Fire Department said a wheel came apart or was dislodged from the track. The wheel derailed and the car stopped.

Gomez said the Space Mountain rides at Disney amusement parks in Orlando, Fla., Paris and Tokyo were not being inspected as a result of the accident. “It was an isolated problem to this particular vehicle,” he said.