EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Disney Danger Grows — How Teen's Plunge From Ride Follows String of Deaths at 'Happiest Place on Earth'
A teen's plunge from a Disney ride follows a string of deaths at the theme park.
July 27 2026, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
Danger and death have been a running theme at the so-called Happiest Place on Earth, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
A slew of unsettling deaths and a recent horror have cast a disturbing light on Disneyland and Walt Disney World – leading some to speculate whether the parks are cursed.
Disney's Dark Death Toll Exposed
An insider claimed Disney has sought to avoid perceptions that Disneyland and Walt Disney World are associated with death.
In the latest terrifying incident, a 13-year-old boy plunged down a 50-foot drop when he climbed out of a log flume on the water ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure on June 21 at Disneyland in California.
Miraculously, he didn't suffer any critical injuries and was treated and released at a hospital.
But a RadarOnline.com investigation has discovered tragedies at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and Disneyland in Anaheim aren't all that extraordinary.
A staggering 68 people have died at Disney World since the park opened in 1971, said sources, and 32 people have perished at Disneyland since company officials christened the first ride there in 1955.
"Disney will go to great lengths to keep this a secret," said an insider. "The last thing they want is people thinking the parks are dangerous or associated, in some way, with death."
Over the history of both parks, people have perished in all manner of macabre ways.
Deadly Accidents Span Disney History
Matterhorn Bobsleds was the site of Disneyland's first reported fatality in 1964, according to the report.
In 1964, a 15-year-old became Disneyland's first casualty after falling off the Matterhorn Bobsleds. The same ride claimed another life in 1984 when a 47-year-old woman was decapitated by a bobsled.
In 1974, a carpenter became Disney World's first death when a spark from a light filament ignited glue he was using to repair a boat.
In 1981, an 11-year-old boy contracted a brain-eating amoebic infection after swimming in the lukewarm, unchlorinated River Country water park at Disney World.
A Disney cast member was run over by a float during a parade at the Florida wonderland in 2014 – and in 2016, a 2-year-old perished when an alligator attacked him on the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon there.
Haunting Questions Linger After Tragedies
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Dennis Speigel said theme parks are 'probably one of the safest places to be on the planet.'
Although Disney World has never notched a homicide, two people have been murdered at Disneyland.
Despite the dozens of fatalities, expert Dennis Speigel says theme parks are "probably one of the safest places to be on the planet," because of self-regulatory practices, state inspections and insurance programs.
Yet some wonder whether the parks are haunted by ghosts.
"It's not a crazy idea," said a longtime Disney fan. "These people came to these places hoping to create a lifetime memory – and all they found was tragedy."
