Disneyland Mum After Accident; Park Draws Throng

Two people badly injured when a metal cleat popped off Disneyland’s venerable Columbia clipper ship remained in critical condition Friday.

Park and hospital officials still declined to identify the victims, from Duvall, Wash. A woman visiting them at UCI Medical Center who said she was the female victim’s sister identified her as Lien Tran, 40. She said the victims are married, but did not give a name for the husband.

Meanwhile, a huge Christmas Day crowd thronged to the park, where there were long lines for phones, bathrooms and attractions. By afternoon, the parking lots were full, Anaheim police said, and visitors were being diverted to parking at the Anaheim Convention Center and the Disneyland Hotel.

Lien Tran and her husband sustained major head trauma when a metal cleat was yanked loose from the hull as the ship was being tied by rope to the dock in Frontierland. The attraction was closed Friday and the Columbia, an 84-foot replica of the 18th century sailing ship, was nowhere in sight Friday.

Meanwhile, a third victim, Disneyland employee Christine Carpenter of Anaheim, was in stable condition at Western Medical Center--Anaheim, where she was treated for a serious foot injury.

Despite the accident, visitors were undaunted.

Tom Cushman of Olympia, Wash., strolled the “Happiest Place on Earth” with his wife, Bonnie. Irked because he could not visit the Columbia--a favorite of his--he questioned workers about why the vessel was not at its dock on the Rivers of America.

“They were completely tight-lipped,” he said. “They wouldn’t say a word about what happened. Every question I asked, they told me, ‘I can’t tell you.’ ”

A sign at the dock read: “Sorry Folks, Due to River Construction, the Columbia and Mark Twain Will Not be Sailing.”

Disney officials Friday refused to discuss the incident or another accident Thursday in which a 4-year-old boy suffered a concussion when he fell from a carousel. The unidentified boy was discharged Friday from UCI Medical Center.

Disney employees at the nautical ride called unfounded the allegations made Thursday by other employees that disrepair or dry-rot may have contributed to the accident.

Witnesses said a rope used to secure the ship tore the cleat loose from the ship. The heavy metal device flew through the air, striking the two tourists and entangling employee Carpenter at dockside.

“If the boat was in serious disrepair, we would not have run it,” said an employee who works on the ride and asked not to be named.

The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, will investigate the accident because an employee was hurt, but no state or county agency oversees the safety of rides at theme parks, according to state and local officials.

The investigation is expected to be lengthy, Cal/OSHA deputy chief Mark Carleson said Friday. Depending on findings, potential penalties could reach $7,000 per violation, or $70,000 if it appears to be a willful violation, which seems unlikely in this case, Carleson said.

Any decision to reopen the ride, as well as checking other rides, is up to Disney, he said. Cal/OSHA would only close an attraction if it determined a ride posed an immediate danger to the public, such as a structural fault that could make it collapse.

“I’m willing to bet you dollars to doughnuts Disneyland is out there looking those things over, top to bottom,” he added.

Anaheim police said they did a preliminary investigation in the park Thursday and the incident appeared “to be an accident.” Sgt. Joe Vargas said police have the responsibility to determine if criminal negligence is involved and, if so, to prosecute.

A police spokesman had said earlier that the department would not get involved in any investigation.

Relatives of the two victims from Washington gathered at the critical care unit at the UCI Medical Center, appearing deeply concerned.

Le Vo of Westminster, the sister of Tran, said she learned of the injury from the couple’s daughter.

“I don’t know anything,” she said. “The daughter just called us and told us what had happened.”

Hospital officials said they had been requested by the family not to release any information about the couple.

Along the Rivers of America at Disneyland, about a dozen mallards and coots cut the brackish, calm water. The only water ride available was the river raft to Tom Sawyer Island.

Other park patrons said the two accidents on Christmas Eve provide a cautionary note for visitors.

“We forget these rides are made by humans,” said Jeff Greer of Seattle, who was visiting with family members from the Northwest and Huntington Beach. “I would think it raises the awareness level of parents. You can’t walk through the gates and expect Disneyland to assume all responsibility for you and your children.”