In the wake of a fatal Christmas Eve accident at Disneyland, a state assemblyman said he hopes to revive a bill requiring safety inspections at the state's amusement parks.
Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), who spearheaded that bill after a teenage girl died in a 1997 water-slide collapse at Waterworld in Contra Costa County, said it failed in the face of opposition from the amusement-park industry.
"I find it somewhat perplexing that the industry is so much against any regulation," Torlakson said. "We're exploring avenues where legislation may be possible this year."
The new general manager of Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park embraced the idea of state inspections Monday, a different position than was held last year, when the amusement park was part of the lobbying effort against Torlakson's bill.
"My view is, if it's done correctly, it can be beneficial," said Jack Falfas, who took over after the park was sold to new owners in late 1997. "It can be another set of eyes for everyone."
Disneyland spokesman Ray Gomez said the world-famous amusement park's rides are already reviewed by park employees to make sure they are operating safely. New guidelines could be "premature," he said.
"If I were just to look at Disneyland's safety record since it opened 43 years ago, and since we've had more than 400 million guests in the park since it opened, I would say our safety record on the whole would be very, very good, and it might be premature at this point to start calling for state inspections," Gomez said. He added that Disneyland officials never took an official position on the Torlakson bill.
Luan Phi Dawson, 33, of Duvall, Wash., died Saturday of a head injury after a metal cleat tore loose from the Columbia sailing ship ride. His wife, Lieu Thuy Vuong, 43, who was also struck, was moved Monday from intensive care to the regular care unit at UCI Medical Center in Orange. The couple were taking their son and grandson to Disneyland at the time of the accident, which also injured Disneyland employee Christine Carpenter, 30, who remains hospitalized with a severe foot wound.
Dawson's friends and co-workers on Monday mourned his death.
"It's a tragedy, and our hearts go out to the family and friends and to the Disney employee who was injured," said Dan Leach, spokesman for Microsoft Corp., where Dawson worked as a computer programmer. "Our prayers are with the family of our employee."
