A worker that was performing maintenance on the Primeval Whirl attraction in Animal Kingdom died after suffering a head injury. Russell Sherry Roscoe was injured on Sunday but the cause of the accident is still unclear. The ride is a mild roller coaster and was closed when the incident happened.

According to a 911 call to Reedy Creek Emergency Services, the 52-year-old working on The Little Dip part of the roller coaster. An unidentified co-worker told the dispatcher that they needed someone right away, because a maintenance guy was hit by a moving vehicle. He could also be heard telling the injured man to stay with them…stay conscious.

While they waited for paramedics to arrive, Roscoe was given first-aid by his co-workers. He was later flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he died on Monday morning. The incident is being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit, as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Meg Crofton, the president of Walt Disney World, said that
“Our Walt Disney World community has experienced a tragic loss. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Russ Roscoe’s family and we are working to assist them during this difficult time; our thoughts and our prayers are with them.”

She then added, “There is no higher priority than the safety of our cast and our guests, and we will work with authorities to thoroughly review every aspect of this incident.”

This isn’t the first time that a Disney worker has died performing maintenance on Primeval Whirl. Karen Price, 63, was working on an elevated rider-loading platform in November 2007 when she was hit by a roller coaster vehicle, it killed her 5 days later. Disney installed sensors to prevent similar incidents from happening and was fined $21,000 by investigators.

The thoughts and prayers of the Disneybrit team go out to the family at this time.

By Adam

Adam has been a fan of Disney since he was small. He runs the Disneybrit Podcast. He is also the author of several Disney books.

One thought on “Primeval Whirl Maintenance Crew Member Dies in Accident”
  1. This is so sad. One the highlights for us on a day visit to Animal Kingdom is riding this at the end of the day.
    Our thoughts are with the family and co workers at this sad time.

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