Disney Park Makes Major Change After Three Guests Are Injured in Accident on Main Street, USA

One Disney Park has reportedly already begun implementing safety measures in an effort to reduce the chances that an accident that happened earlier this month–and left three guests injured–can ever happen again.

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Credit: Becky Burkett

A Lamp Post Topples to the Ground, Injuring Guests

On Monday, November 20, a lamp post erected along Main Street, U.S.A., at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, toppled over during park operating hours, striking and injuring three guests who were standing or walking nearby.

Initial reports suggested that members of Disneyland’s maintenance team were on the scene to handle the incident, but later reports indicate that first responders–specifically emergency medical personnel–were called to the scene to offer assistance to the three guests who sustained injuries. As a result of the accident, Disneyland’s hub had to be closed off to guests.

Disneyland’s hub is currently closed off and repairmen are digging in the dirt at the base of multiple lampposts, after a large lighting post toppled onto guests earlier this morning pic.twitter.com/sbTlomTUh6

— David Koenig (@davekoenig) November 20, 2023

The stage lighting lamp post reportedly fell in the Town Square-themed area of Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland Park, one of two theme parks enjoyed by visitors at the Disneyland Resort in California. The post that toppled to the ground that day was said to have had extensive rust damage, and significant “Santa Ana” winds were blamed for the post’s demise.

On the day of the accident, wind gusts in the nearby Los Angeles, California, area were said to have been as high as 90 miles per hour. Winds were also believed to be the culprit behind damage to other structures in the area surrounding Disney’s first park. According to local television station KTLA, a tree fell onto a home in nearby Tustin, California, and a small plane flipped over on the runway at John Wayne Airport.

Credit: John Wayne Airport

According to Deadline, two of the injured guests were treated for their injuries at the scene and required no further medical attention. However, the third guest sustained more serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital as the injuries required further, more extensive medical attention.

Following the incident, Disneyland reportedly removed the involved lamp post and a similar post from the park.

New Changes Implemented

Now, Disney’s California theme parks look to be taking further steps to ensure the safety of guests when it comes to the lighting fixtures that dot the parks. According to The Blast, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure have begun removing lamp posts and other structures that serve to light the parks in California.

Credit: Disney Parks

Disneyland teams have not only removed a light post that is similar to the one that fell to the ground and injured three guests before Thanksgiving, but they have also reportedly stripped other lights from posts across the Anaheim theme parks.

While there’s been no official word from Disneyland about the reasons for the removal of the lighting structures, many believe the structures are being removed permanently so that new structures can be installed–or as a means of checking the structures to make sure they aren’t rusted and haven’t sustained damages over the years from winds.