Man Falls From Disneyland Ride

ANAHEIM —  A 30-year-old man suffered minor injuries at Disneyland on Sunday when he fell from a Skyway gondola, landing in a tree 20 feet below.

The Highland, Calif., man, whom authorities and park officials declined to identify, was treated and released at Western Medical Center-Anaheim, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Disney spokesman Lindsay Schnebly said the 10:25 a.m. incident took place as the aerial gondola was approaching the midpoint of a loop between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

The door to the gondola car swung open and the man fell out, according to Schnebly. The tree apparently cushioned his fall and kept him from hitting the ground. He was helped down by paramedics.

Disney officials said the gondola was removed from service for investigation, but the ride remained open. There was, Schnebly said, “no evidence yet” to indicate an error by ride operators.

Schnebly said the gondola has a two-step locking procedure; both handle and lock must be opened from outside to release the door.

“It’s not like a car door that you could accidentally open or that you could unlock by mistake,” he said.

To open the door from inside, Schnebly said, “in theory, you would have to reach over.” Ride operators do not send gondolas out from the station until the doors are bolted and locked, he said. There is no automatic warning device to signal an incorrectly fastened door.