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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-disney9sep09,1,3341144.storyCALIFORNIA
Disneyland Handled Tragedy Far Differently Than in the Past
In earlier accidents, the park controlled investigations and information. Last week showed a dramatic change.
By Kimi Yoshino and H.G. Reza
Times Staff Writers
September 9, 2003
After a deadly accident involving the Columbia sailing ship ride in 1998, Disneyland officials kept police at bay for 4 1/2 hours, letting them onto the scene only after the blood had been washed away. Disney officials escorted witnesses to police and often remained on hand for their interviews.
But Friday, after an accident on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad killed one person and injured 10 others, it was Disneyland's investigators who cooled their heels.
More than six hours passed before police and state officials let them onto the accident site.
And in an unprecedented move, Disneyland held a press conference with Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner publicly offering his condolences and pledging a commitment to ride safety.
It was a dramatic turnaround from Disneyland's handling of previous accidents and a near-textbook example of crisis management, said those familiar with Disney's history.
In the past, Disney officials have kept tight control of accident investigations and said little to the public.
"As I watched it unfold, they did it perfectly, saying the right things and giving out as many facts as were available," said Carl Winston, director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management program at San Diego State University, who watched Disney's televised press conference on Friday.
"They've changed their approach almost 180 degrees in terms of cooperating with public agencies."
Amusement park safety advocate Kathy Fackler, once one of Disney's outspoken critics, agreed: "There's been sort of an evolution. It gets better each time. This is the first [accident] where I say, 'Yes, this is how the system should work.' "
The system — at least the investigative side of it — has been in place since 2000, thanks in part to Fackler's lobbying for legislation that requires theme parks to report injuries.
It also empowers the state Department of Occupational Safety and Health to investigate accidents and order changes.
The way Disney secured the site and worked with police and state investigators is "pretty much a model for them" and other parks to follow, said Len Welsh, acting director of the safety agency.
"I'm not sure any of this would have happened without the Torlakson bill," Welsh said, giving credit to state Sen. Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), who wrote the legislation regulating amusement parks.
"Once this legislation went through, Disney decided to work with it," Welsh said. "They have really helped to demonstrate the value of programs like this."
The corporate communications strategy has also evolved over the years, shifting significantly from the park's response to a 2001 accident on the Roger Rabbit ride that left a 4-year-old critically injured and severely brain-damaged. In that incident, park officials said little to the news media. They offered few details and quietly suggested that the child or his parents were to blame.
The boy's mother, Victoria Zucker, said Monday that Disneyland treated her "like it was my fault, " when all she wanted was to be treated with more sensitivity.
"I have a son who will never be able to do anything again," Zucker said. "Even if you don't want to claim responsibility, just at least say, 'I'm very sorry for your loss.' "
That's a message Disneyland faxed out within a few hours of Friday's accident, in a statement by Disneyland Resort President Cynthia Harriss. It was repeated at a press conference by Eisner, who has remained silent during previous accidents.
"With every incident you learn, and I think we've learned a lot from what happened in the past," said Leslie Goodman, senior vice president of corporate communications for Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts. "Times have changed, and the way you do business has to change as well."
Disney, Goodman said, has always felt the need to "guard the magic," an effort that can sometimes run contrary to letting the public in on behind-the-scenes operations at its parks.
But with news traveling so rapidly and heightened concerns about safety and security, it's even more important to get accurate information out — and to get it out fast, Goodman said.
The wrong first impression can linger indefinitely, or remain in place even if new facts emerge. In 1998, Disney's actions after the Columbia accident led many people to believe Disney officials were trying to keep secrets, Winston said.
"They weren't trying to keep secrets, but were reacting to Disney's culture of taking care of everything on its own. This led to a lot of bad publicity, and it seems that they've learned from it," Winston said.
Since earlier accidents, the resort has contracted for on-site paramedics with Anaheim. Four paramedics, as well as several city police officers, are stationed at the Disneyland resort around the clock.
It took paramedics only two minutes to arrive at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
And last year, the company released a 30-page safety report and announced a new chief safety officer.
State officials said Friday's crash is likely a mechanical failure, not guest or operator error.
Former maintenance workers at Disneyland have complained about cost-cutting measures, layoffs and reduction in a preventive maintenance program. Whether that played a role is unknown.
Both the police and state investigation are continuing.
The injured victims have all been released from the hospital.
The family of Marcelo Torres, 22, will begin making funeral arrangements once his body is released. They have hired Santa Ana attorney Wylie Aitken, who sued Disneyland on behalf of the family in the Columbia accident.
Other victims have retained Stephen Mancini, whose Los Angeles firm Koletsky, Mancini, Feldman & Morrow sued Knott's Berry Farm on behalf of the family of the woman killed after falling out of Perilous Plunge.
On Monday, Aitken acknowledged the "dramatic difference in how the event was handled."
"Whether that's going to make a real difference, or whether that's more show than substance we'll find out as time goes by," Aitken said. "We'll see what real changes have been made."
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