Serious Injury Narrowly Avoided on Tron as Safety Rules Are Ignored

Tron Lightcyle / Run is Walt Disney World’s newest attraction. The coaster, which opened up on April 4th, invites you to step into the grid as it zooms across “a world with no horizon.” It became an instant fan-favorite and regularly turns would-be riders away from the virtual queue and Lightning Lane to its incredible popularity.  It’s not hard to see why it’s so popular– not only is it Disney’s newest attraction, but it’s also its fastest coaster! 

Credit: Disney

Tron Lightcyle / Run reaches speeds of nearly 60 mph and races across Guest walkways at Magic Kingdom. Because of this, Disney put some first-of-their-kind rules in place when the ride opened. Loose articles have always been permitted on Disney rides. Even Rock n Roller Coaster, formerly Disney World’s only attraction that goes upside-down. Not So with Tron. 

Guests are required to place all loose items in lockers which are provided at no charge to Guests. This not only prevents damage to the ride and personal property but it also protects people down below. Unlike other theme parks, Disney has never had a high-speed ride that traveled over walkways before. Falling objects from the ride could cause serious injury or death to Guests, so lockers are required. 

Credit: Disney

One Guest either forgot or decided the rules didn’t apply to them (we’re trying to be positive here, despite the many signs and Cast Members who make sure everyone is aware). In a blink-and-you-miss-it incident, their sunglasses flew off the ride and fell from the ride vehicle, very nearly missing Guests down below. Luckily no one was injured (we won’t get into the physics, but at the speed and velocity the glasses were traveling, their force could have caused injury if a Guest had been struck). 

Travel Agent Alyssa Travels caught the incident on camera and posted a video to TikTok. She issued a warning that this is exactly why lockers are necessary on the ride. You can see the video here.

@alyssadisneytravel The lockers are super easy, reliable, and you won’t lose your belongings on the ride and risk hurting anyone, too! #disneytravelplanner #mickeymouse #disneytravelagent #travelagent #disney #disneytravel #disneyplanning #disneyparks #disneydining #disneyplus #disneytravelagents #disneyvacation #tron ♬ original sound – Alyssa Disney Travel✨

The incident occurred in the first few seconds of the video. Did you catch it? We had to watch it several times before we finally saw it. It goes to show that Disney’s rules are in place for a reason. Things can happen so fast but produce catastrophic results. Disney has nets in place over the walkways to catch debris, but they aren’t foolproof. In this case, the glasses fell into the net and actually bounced out! 

TRON Lightcycle / Run is the newest attraction at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Located in Tomorrowland, the new experience welcomes Guests to “speed across a world with no horizons in a high-stakes race based on the Disney sci-fi film TRON: Legacy” and “Leave the real world behind to join Team Blue in a quest across the Grid—the dark, computerized world with no horizons from TRON.”

Credit: Disney Parks

Per Disney World’s official website:

In 1982, Disney made filmmaking history with “TRON,” the first production of its kind to mix live action with computer-generated visuals and backlit animation. This iconic film went on to inspire video games, comic books, an animated series, and the 2010 sequel “TRON: Legacy:—as well as this new Disney theme park attraction.

With the rise of recent dangerous behavior, we feel the need to remind Guests that no one is above the rules. Many have an “it can’t happen to me” mentality regarding terrible tragedy, but things can and do happen, even at Walt Disney World. Please observe all safety warnings when you’re visiting Disney Parks. Not doing so could result in serious injury.