Teen falls 50 feet on Disneyland ride with no belts or lap bars; state finds no operational issues

A state agency tasked with inspecting theme park rides found no operational issues with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure after a 13-year-old climbed out of the Disneyland log flume ride and fell 50 feet over the weekend.

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Amusement Ride & Tramway Unit inspected the attraction after the incident, which occurred Sunday at about 6 p.m., and approved it to reopen, according to the agency and Disneyland officials.

Disneyland officials said the teen climbed out of the boat in the flume, or channel, that takes guests through Tiana’s Bayou Adventure before the ride was over.

Dramatic video footage obtained by TMZ shows the boy falling headfirst down the ride’s 50-foot-tall waterfall just behind the flume that he had exited. Disneyland employees immediately stopped the ride, which remained closed until Monday. The boy was taken to a local hospital and was later released, park officials said.

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Boy, 13, gets out of ride ahead of 50-foot drop in mishap at Disneyland

The teen exited the log vehicle on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure before it was over, resort officials said in a statement Monday.

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It is not clear why the teen tried to exit the ride early.

But it’s not the first time someone has scurried from a log-flume-style attraction at a theme park.

In 2000, a 37-year-old man died after he climbed out of a log flume on the Splash Mountain ride at the Magic Kingdom in Florida and was struck by another passenger boat.

Disneyland officials did not answer questions sent via email from The Times about whether the theme park is considering adding additional safety measures to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

The ride, which for years was known as Splash Mountain, was reimagined in 2024, inspired by the film “The Princess and the Frog.” The logs, which carry guests through the attraction, do not have safety belts or lap bars.

The lack of safety harnesses is typical of log flume rides because of the risk of the boats overturning in the water and trapping guests, said Brian Avery, who specializes in operational safety, risk management and amusement ride safety.

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“People have gotten out before,” he said. “Oftentimes they get out in a panic, sometimes they just don’t process what’s going on or there’s a cognitive issue or behavioral factor. But the belief has always been that it’s less likely someone is going to suffer a severe injury as a result of leaving the log flume.”

It’s unclear whether the 13-year-old was injured Sunday. Park officials said “as a precaution” he was “evaluated at a local hospital and released.”

Avery said the incident could spur additional safety measures on the ride. He’s long advocated for lap belts or safety harnesses on theme park rides. But another alternative could be having an attendant at the top of the lift hill monitoring each rider to ensure they can intervene if it looks like someone is trying to get out of the vessel.

“I do think everyone involved, at a minimum, needs to reflect and reevaluate what should be done moving forward to prevent these types of incidents,” he said.