US3 min(s) read
Published 09:32 24 Jun 2026 GMT
A 13-year-old boy prematurely exited a Disneyland ride and ended up tumbling down a 50-foot waterfall.
The incident took place on Sunday (June 21) at Tiana's Bayou Adventure in Anaheim, California, around 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Footage obtained by TMZ appears to show the teenager twisting and sliding down the attraction's steep drop moments behind a ride vehicle carrying other guests.
Officials at the theme park confirmed that the boy was taken to the hospital as a precaution but was later released.
Park visitor Paul, who asked to be identified only by his first name, said he heard someone scream and immediately checked on his grandson.
According to him, his grandson told him he saw the boy fall down the ride's drop "like a rag doll," NBC News reported.
The visitor later took a picture showing guests gathered at the bottom of the attraction looking up toward the waterfall after the incident.
Another person, claiming to be an eyewitness, wrote on Reddit that they "saw a kid fall down the hill," adding: "When we got off there were about six Disney police and a mother and two kids were with them all soaked."
A third person, who has claimed to know someone working at the theme park, alleged the teenager had "slid backwards" down the incline and "sustained a lot of cuts and scrapes".
Fortunately, they added that "luck was on his side" because "he didn't hit his head".
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health launched an investigation into the attraction.
Spokesperson Katherine Wzorek said inspectors "did not find any operational issues".
Officials also confirmed the ride was cleared to reopen, with Disneyland stating it was back up and running by Tuesday.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is inspired by Disney's 2009 animated hit The Princess and the Frog and officially opened at Disneyland in November 2024 after replacing Splash Mountain, which closed the previous year.
Like many log flume attractions, the ride does not feature seatbelts or lap bars. While some guests have questioned this following the incident, the boats are built with a low centre of gravity, helping riders remain safely seated throughout the ride.
Safety experts have also noted that restraints can create additional risks if the vehicle were ever to overturn in water.
The 13-year-old is not the first person to step out of a Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride vehicle before the ride had finished.
Last year, a video shared on TikTok showed a guest climbing out of a log flume vehicle at Disney World to retrieve a hat that had flown off during the same drop.
Months earlier, another clip appeared to show a man and his son leaving a ride vehicle after becoming stranded.
Witnesses claimed the man had grown frustrated after waiting around 10 minutes and tried to find an exit before eventually being escorted away with his family, per Manchester Evening News.
Neither of those incidents resulted in injuries.
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