The First Murder at Disneyland
Despite all the ingenious entertainment and heartwarming memories, there has been a great deal of tragedy at the Disney theme parks. One doesn’t have to do much online investigating to discover decades of deaths that have occurred on Disney property. While a fair number of these are merely the result of natural causes such as heart attacks, there have been a number of deaths or severe injuries caused by the rides themselves. Considering that the people who do get harmed in this way are but an extremely small percentage of the total number of people who visit Disney, the parks are actually remarkably safe. You’re doubtlessly at greater risk on a highway rather than a roller coaster.
Nevertheless, there have been cases, few and far between, in
which a person has been murdered on Disney property. Such is the forgotten fate
of Melanchthon “Mel” Christian Yorba (September 6, 1962-March 7, 1981). Yorba
was attending a private party at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, a
celebration thrown by a local defense contractor. With him were a friend and
their dates.
At around 10 PM, Yorba was in the Tomorrowland section of
the park. It was here that James P. O’Driscoll, a 28-year-old construction
worker accused Yorba of pinching the rear of his girlfriend, Julie Holderer. A
brawl began, and O’Driscoll unleashed an 8.5-inch knife that stabbed Yorba in
the diaphragm, heart, and liver. Disney security sprang into action as O’Driscoll
ran, about an hour later he was found hiding out in the foliage of
Adventureland on the other side of the park. O’Driscoll had tossed his bloody shirt
in a trashcan at the women’s restroom. As for the weapon, it was found dumped
in the water, though exactly where is unclear. Some sources claim that it was
disposed of at the Submarine Voyage Lagoon, others say it was the Sleeping
Beauty Castle moat.
As Yorba received medical attention, it was transparent he
needed to be taken to a hospital. A Disneyland nurse made the controversial
decision of having him driven in a park van to the ER rather than calling for
paramedics and an ambulance. It took twenty minutes to arrive, with Yorba dying
of his injuries on the way there.
When these facts became known Disney was widely criticized
in the media, saying that paramedics should’ve been notified.
Mel’s mother, Ellen Yorba Reynolds, and brother, Mark, filed
a $60,000,000 civil suit against Disney in the wake of the incident. Disney
denied any liability and vowed to fight. “We're not going to settle out of
court,” said senior vice president of Walt Disney Productions Jack Lindquist. ''We're
going to take it as far as we can.'' Hard to believe that kind of icy attitude
would be expressed by The Mouse at any time, by the mid-80s their PR team was
too powerful to ever allow such a gaffe.
At the 1986 trial, Dr. Robert Barros, who treated Yorba testified
that the only way he could’ve been saved had his heart wounds been plugged
instantly, which could’ve only been done at a hospital. “I think only God could
have saved him,” he opined.
Nevertheless, in July a jury found Disney guilty of
negligence and order them to pay $600,000 in damages, one of the largest sums
ever given out in such a lawsuit against Disney. In September, Disney and the
Yorbas reached an agreement for an out-of-court settlement as a way to prevent
an appeal by Disney.
In a separate trial, O’Driscoll was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Perhaps the next time you stroll down the retrofuturistic utopia Walt built, you'll be reminded that even in the world of fantasy, that cold human tragedy can occur.
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