12-Year-Old Boy Dies on Disney Rollercoaster

Walt Disney World reopened its Rock ´n´ Roller Coaster this week after determining that nothing mechanical caused the death of a 12-year-old rider one day earlier.

An autopsy was planned Friday to try to determine what had caused Michael Russell to pass out on the ride shortly before he died. His father told authorities the boy was in good health.

Byron Russell, an Iraq war veteran, noticed his son became limp while they rode the roller coaster along with his mother and 7-year-old brother Thursday morning. The minute-long ride, largely through the dark, reaches speeds of 60 mph.

When the ride finished, Byron Russell pulled Michael off and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, said Barbara Miller, Orange County Sheriff´s Office spokeswoman. The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Disney officials said Friday that an inspection found nothing wrong with Disney-MGM´s Rock ´n´ Roller Coaster.

At least 15 people have died at Disney´s theme parks in Florida and California since 1989, including some with pre-existing health conditions. Disney-MGM is among Disney´s four Florida parks.