
It’s not often we hear of a major Disney guest injury at a Disney theme park.
Disney is renowned for its great customer service and its fun, safe environment. Its attention to health and safety, with Cast Members trained in safety procedures. the “SafeD begins with me” Cast Member mantra, and, of course, its intense pandemic regulations all have helped keep the magic safe at the theme parks.
Accidents and injuries, however, can be unavoidable with thousands of guests entering the Disney Parks each day. Of course, severe accidents are rare, but one recent TRON guest injury has left Disney paying the guest’s medical expenses.
TRON Lightcycle / Run is the Walt Disney World Resort’s newest attraction, a roller coaster with a unique vehicle design that has Magic Kingdom guests race through the “Grid” in a futuristic setting.
The TRON coaster made its first appearance at Shanghai Disneyland back in June 2016, when its innovative engineering was met with positive reviews. The steel motorbike roller coaster is based on the TRON movie franchise and features a semi-enclosed track located next to Space Mountain in Tomorrowland.
After five years (yes, five years) of construction, the long-awaited Magic Kingdom Park attraction opened this spring with a virtual queue and paid Lightning Lane options. The ride vehicles have been met with mixed reviews, with body shape being a big debate amongst Disney Park guests – and it seems for one guest, the vehicle led to a severe TRON injury.
Related: Disney Guests Damage TRON – And It’s Embarrassing
Back in August, a Disney World guest suffered a shocking injury while getting on the TRON Lightcycle / Run vehicle.
The guest, who remained anonymous in the Orlando Theme Park Zone report, shared the following message regarding the accident at Walt Disney World:
“When I reached up to pull down the handlebars I felt a pop. I broke my fifth rib on my right side. I think the pressure of the big pushing against me and then having to reach to grab the handles was too much. The pain is persistent but not bad. I didn’t realize it was broken. I rode TRON and all the other coasters I could. Yep, that didn’t help.”
Related: Woman Sues Disney for “Permanent Injury” After Monorail Mishap
Can you imagine breaking a rib on a Disney ride?!
The ride vehicles of TRON Lightcycle / Run have been the subject of much discussion since the roller coaster’s debut in April 2023.
Many Disney guests who attain a virtual queue boarding group found that the high-speed “bikes” on this Central Florida ride don’t allow for larger Magic Kingdom visitors to experience the ride. TRON’s ride restraint system has three main areas: the back restraint, the knee pin, and the handlebars.
It appears most Disney guests who have reported issues with the ride vehicles tend to have problems with the knee pins, but this particular guest broke their rib from the handlebars. The Disney guest added about their injury:
Disney has been great. They offered to pay medical expenses and are doing a safety check, for me, almost seven weeks later, I’m still hurting.
Have you ever had a severe injury from a Walt Disney World Resort attraction?