A teenager suffered one of the worst deaths imaginable while working on a Disneyland ride that no longer exists.
Most people tend to have magical memories of ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’ but theme parks have sadly been home to several tragedies throughout history.
And in 1974, Deborah Gail Stone lost her life at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
The 18-year-old has taken up the job as a hostess to earn some extra cash ahead off going to college following her high school graduation, where she landed a role greeting visitors as they entered the newly opened ‘America Sings’.
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Featuring a cast of audio-animatronic animals, the attraction had replaced ‘Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress’ which had moved to Florida’s Magic Kingdom.
It was basically a rotating theatre, with the cast singing songs from America’s musical history. The building had an outer ring of six theatres, all connected by divider walls which revolved mechanically around every four minutes as the show progressed.
And while Disney fans were thrilled over the new attraction, tragedy struck just nine days after the first show.
It’s believed the deadly chain of events occurred during the 45-second interval.
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Stone’s role saw her welcoming the next low of theatregoers during this time before the outer ring rotated, carrying the audience to the first scene of the show.
At around 11pm on the evening of 8 July 1974, it’s believed she approached the area between the rotating wall and the stationary stage wall too closely - and somehow became trapped in between them.
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The exact circumstances of her death remain a mystery, as it is not clear how she got herself stuck in the gap. But the young Disneyland employee ended up suffering one of the worst deaths imaginable, as she was horrifically crushed to death between the two walls.
The audience seated for the next America Sings show reportedly thought Stone’s screams of terror were part of the show - although one member of the crowd realised something more sinister was going on.
An article at the time from The Los Angeles Times told how Daniel Robison, a member of the US Air Force, had been in the front row of an adjoining theatre with his family when the incident occurred.
He told investigators he had witnessed what he thought was a child being dragged between the two walls, while hearing a terrifying scream.
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Following Stone's shocking death, Disney launched an investigation into the incident and promptly closed America Sings and it reopened just three days later.
Safety lights were installed by the operators while the walls inside of the rotating attraction were then swapped to breakaway versions, so that it could give someone a chance of escape if a similar accident occurred.
Stone's parents reportedly filed a lawsuit against Disneyland following her death, which is said to have resulted in them receiving a 'small settlement'.
America Sings eventually closed for good on 10 April 1988.
Topics: Disneyland, Theme Park, Disney
Jess Battison