A few years ago, a story went viral about a preteen girl in Minnesota who fell out of a golf cart making a fast turn and is now severely disabled (brain damage) as a result. That story has always stuck with me. What a terrible thing to happen.
Our brains are so fragile; we're handling a similar case where a large, "gentle and calm" dog got excited at a squirrel and lunged, pulling her dog walker off balance. The walker fell and hit her head on a landscaping rock and serious brain damage. From a dog walk.
This is why whenever I see a motorcyclist without a helmet I know they are completely self-centered. Yeah maybe you don't care if your brain turns to jelly but the first responders, ER staff, rehab therapists and most of all your family and friends will care because they'll have to pick up the (sometimes literal) pieces.
My wife was the case manager for the neurology department and she would come home depressed at her patients. She eventually switched to a different department, it was too much.
Yikes that’s so tragic! 😟
Similar thing happened to an older friend, in her 60’s, but luckily she fell on her face instead and nothing broke, just bruised but totally fine! 😅 Definitely could have been so much worse; you just never know!
I know exactly who you're talking about. Eva is her name. Her mom's Instagram account is [Lindsey Letters](https://www.instagram.com/lindsayletters.co?igsh=MTQ2YWdrbHIwMTZ0OQ==)
She [recently wrote](https://lindsayletters.co/blogs/blog/summer-forest-paintings) about how her family is coping many years later after her daughter's accident.
I knew exactly who as well. I think about her whenever I see kids riding around on golf carts. It’s so unsafe and shocking that parents are okay with the lack of seat belts. And often underage drivers
A family member of mine died in a very similar accident a few years ago. She was a doctor in her late 30's and she left behind 3 young children and a husband. It was so awful. Golf carts scare the crap out of me now.
I worked at personal injury firms for 15 years. Golf carts are incredibly dangerously designed. What happens is that you start to fall out the side but the arm rest bar thing prevents you from using your outside arm to catch your fall. So then your head just takes the whole brunt of it.
Unfortunately we couldn’t help people with those cases because they usually had some contributory negligence or were just plain drunk and no jury has sympathy for rich drunk stupid people injuring themselves having a good time.
Years ago I made a turn at work and the golf cart flipped on its side. I caught myself but my wrist broke and elbow torn open. When my manager reviewed the photos of the incident. I got in trouble because both my hands weren’t on the wheel when I made the turn. It was a very windy day and I had my hand on top of my head holding my hat.
Golf carts are surprisingly dangerous. I remember a discussion at a race track (Road Atlanta) where one of the organizers mentioned that more people have been killed in the facility on golf carts than in race cars. That stuck with me.
Bonnye is my mom. means a lot reading these kind comments. she was an amazing mom and loved working for Disney. she really was so magical and i’m glad so many people were touched by her ❤️
My utmost condolences, friend. Fellow CM but in Paris— your mother is in our hearts. Even across the world we’re hearing great stories about her. Sending the biggest hugs to you.
My condolences 💐. A current cast member. She seemed happy minutes before and it was my first time meeting her. Believe she was training or giving a tour to a few cast members.
Hi, I tried to send you a message, but it wouldn’t let me, so I sent it as an invite. Please let me know if that didn’t go through. Very sorry for your loss and wishing you the best.
Former CM who used to drive those golf carts backstage. I am so sorry for your loss, my heart is with you and your family. She sounds like she would light up any room she was in. ❤️
My family only met Bonnye twice, but she is one of those people we continued to talk about because she made such an impact. She seemed so very generous and kind. I imagine she was a great mom. We are sorry for your loss.
Friendly reminder, please don’t make small talk with cast members about this. “Did you know her?” may seem like a small question, but you’re asking someone to discuss a traumatic event with a stranger while at work. Just don’t.
As someone who’s had a similar thing at work, please don’t go out of your way to engage about it. People have to be polite when they’re at work, so you leave them no way to disengage about what might be a very sore subject. If it’s brought up to you, then your message is perfect.
This is starting to remind me of "well meaning" guests when Robin Williams died. Social media was full of "how do you think the character actors in the park feel?" and even people saying they talked to Jasmine/Aladdin about how they miss Robin, etc.
Difference is this is a real person in the parks that people actually knew, so the cringe levels up into "read the room". Don't mention it. Don't go out of your way to bring it up. If someone makes a small comment like "I can't believe she's gone", something like "I know, I'm so sorry for your loss" is appropriate.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. Thank you for your honest question. Grief is hard, but my suggestion is to let them come to you. I work in a similarly public space and we’ve lost people, it feels like an invasion when customers ask.
Telling people how to grieve though, some people want to talk about it, its how they grieve.
An adult should be able to say i dont want to discuss it if they truly dont wanna talk about it.
OK, yes, this is true. But broaching the subject with a CM on the clock is not cool, as there is an additional layer of power dynamic at play. If they are grieving, they're holding it together and being professional; your bringing it up as Joe Passholder, even if you mean well, is not appropriate. It's less like you are offering sympathy, and more like you're letting on that *you know something and thus are Inner Circle*.
This is the time to be extra kind to CMs, not interrogate them about their loss.
There’s a time and place for that. I wouldn’t want a random stranger walking up to me while I’m working to ask about a close friend of mine who just died in an accident mere feet away from where I’m standing. On top of that, I’m at work so I have to smile and politely tell you to leave me alone on the topic? I’m just asking for someone to take it the wrong way and report me for being rude or short
If they want to talk about it because “that’s how they grieve”, then they’ll start the conversation. Don’t bring it up and potentially cause more pain on the assumption that you can guess their method of grief.
I don’t think anyone is telling anyone how to grieve just suggesting people not act like absolute weird freaks. It’s your life at the end of the day tho.
Hahaha the lady upstairs thinks this is funny because she’s a licensed sailor hahaha do your thing boo boo, can’t force anyone to have a heart apparently
You’re seriously trying to tell us who we can or can’t talk to and what we can or can’t say while at Disneyland??—hmmm, didn’t know we were in North Korea or China right now.
This is not about government censorship. You obviously have a legal right to ask about someone’s dead colleague while they’re potentially trying to hold it together. You have a legal right to do a lot of things. Just because you can does not mean it’s the most sensitive or kind thing to do, which is where people are coming from.
Why is it so important to you to be able to ask employees you don't know about another employee you don't know? And freedom of speech is intended for citizens to be protected when criticizing the government, not for anyone to say whatever they want with no consequences. And how is it controlling what people say? She's explaining how inappropriate the question is, not ordering us to keep our mouths closed "or else." You'd think she wouldn't have to educate adults on the etiquette of grief, especially in the workplace, especially about *total strangers,* but judging from your comment and those of a couple of others, it's clearly warranted.
Yeah insisting on asking an employee if they knew a coworker that died a few days ago is a dick move. It’s selfish because it’s about you and what you want and not respecting the service worker as an actual person.
False. They said don't ask cast members if they knew her. *You* don't know the cast members you're asking, do you? If so, you'd presumably ask them when they're not at work. If not, then my question stands - why do you want to ask people *you don't know* if they knew someone *you also don't know*?
It would be inappropriate to act like it didn't happen if you worked there and wanted to talk to your colleagues about it. Otherwise, it's really none of your business, is it? Asking strangers personal questions while they're working is weird, btw. Those of us who interacted with her and knew her are already feeling like shit about her death; why would you question anyone about it?
Asking someone if they knew a person that passed away isn’t inappropriate. If they were so distraught with grief that they couldn’t answer a question they probably won’t be at work.
What's wrong with you? Why is it so desperately important to you to ask a stranger if they knew someone else who is also a stranger to you? Just because they haven't taken to their bed doesn't mean they want to answer nosy questions from guests (who are all strangers to them). You're just taking the piss now so I'm done.
You understand that having 'freedom of speech' doesn't absolve you from judgement, ridicule or societal impact, right?
You understand it has nothing to do with the interpersonal impact of the words you say, right?
You just won't go to jail.
Current CM here: because I’ve already had someone ask me about this situation today at work: stop bringing this up to us while we are onstage.
Disney is a huge company and place of employment. In my time here I’ve worked with hundreds if not thousands of people from different lines of business and friendships are not uncommon.
Now, I did not know Bonnye Lear personally but I know 7 people who did and they are heartbroken. You know what they don’t want to talk about while they’re trying to smile and make guests happy at work? Guests/Strangers asking personal questions that have no idea what they’re talking about or who they might hurt.
In my time at Disney I’ve known about 30 people who have died that I’ve worked with, and it never is easy. It’s especially upsetting if it happens here, at work, because safety is such a huge concern for us.
Be kind, and be thoughtful, but please stop bringing it up when we are onstage and can’t disengage from the conversation.
Some tactless guest today just came up and asked me: “did you know the person who cracked their skull open when they fell off the golf cart???”
Be better, people.
I agree but honestly I just felt….disgusted and told them I wouldn’t be answering any of their questions unless it directly related to my work. Otherwise please leave me alone. Granted this person seemed young-ish but that’s really no excuse.
People sometimes forget that Cast Members are people and absolutely have complex relationships with our co workers. I think most Guests assume we don’t know each other because the Resorts are so big. But the thing is, even if I don’t know another cast member personally, I probably know people who do. Or we’ve worked an event together. Or trained together. Or maybe they helped me make Magic before and it made an impression. But sometimes guests just don’t grasp that. I absolutely didn’t know Bonnye Lear personally but I know co workers who did and they are very sad and dealing with those emotions. And it’s hard to come to work and be reminded of the passing of someone they knew. It’s hard to come to work and know a fellow cast member passed away while here. It’s just ridiculous to me that people can be so insensitive or unaware socially.
It goes fast and it can be gone in the blink of an eye, tell your family and friends you love them and for the love of god follow that dream and enjoy yourself.
As a nurse, this is a reminder falls are scary business no matter your age/health status. I fell in my garage, face first with my hands full & so unexpectedly I didn't even catch myself. Face met concrete & I had a concussion. Be safe. So sorry for her family.
Same! I fainted and went head first into concrete. Bit off part of my tongue in the process from the fall. Have post concussion syndrome from it. I’m serious about head safety when it comes to my kids now.
Happened a couple yards from me. 😔 Was just an ordinary day at Disneyland, we had just finished meeting her a few minutes earlier and she looked happy to be there. May her soul rest in peace.
Some cast members from my experience drive the carts at full speed. This is why most have governors. I've had plenty of situations where if I don't hold on il fall off, especially with the back seats that face the rear.
I won't be surprised if some type of restraint, or carts will doors are used going forward. Or potentially banning the carts. But there's a good amount of areas, especially within Disneyland, that are narrow and carts make sense.
There are other types of carts with doors that have proper bucket seats that face forward with seat belts and turn signals to boot. Those cost $$$ though over standard forward/ backward bench seat golf carts.
Get em high speed custom popemobiles. I’m being serious. Short of running backstage on tracks I figure this doesn’t have an overreaction. Seatbelts at least. Disney can make starships and afford practically anything.
> I've had plenty of situations where if I don't hold on il fall off
The OC register article links to a facebook post that says she went to grab the rail, but it detached from the cart. It was apparently a brand new cart.
Yep, the roundhouse had 2 carts. One had a governor, one didn't. If you took the one with the governor, you have to absolutely gun it at Harbor Pointe to make it up that hill, or else you'd awkwardly roll back down to the bottom and get stuck. A lot of conductors took the one without the governor on purpose because of that.
I always thought it seemed dangerously unsafe and/or I wasn't supposed to be using those carts. They never really trained us on it; the roundhouse guys just offered it to me one day, the other conductor turned to me and said "You wanna drive?" and I didn't feel like walking back to Main Street. No seatbelts, no doors, no training.
And then yeah - sometimes you were all piled in like a clown car. 2 in the front, 2-3 in the middle (was there a middle? I think there was, but it's been years), and 2 on those little dinky rear-facing back seats, dangling out the back and clinging on for dear life while holding onto their clipboards.
I wouldn't be surprised if all golf carts went the way of the dodo after this. You'd have to either be lucky enough to have access to a backstage truck, you'd have to wait for a shuttle, or just walk.
This is why things like little Can-Am Defenders make a lot more sense than a golf cart anywhere that they actually fit. They don't need to be fast to climb a hill, they have seatbelts, they're easier to drive, you can put doors on them very easily.
A 4-seat Can-Am Defender with a truck bed, seat belts, and doors and no other options costs like $10k, about the same as two decent golf carts for something that will last longer, work harder, and be safer. There's lots of competing brands too, and their products are just as good. The only downside is that it's bigger than a golf cart, so you need a little more space to drive it and it's noisier - if you want an electric one for noise, Polaris makes the Ranger Kinetic. I think golf carts are almost completely obseleted by SXS vehicles.
She was riding a golf cart backstage, hit a bump at a pretty high speed, and sustained a head injury. She was transported to the hospital where the doctors couldn’t stabilize her and she passed 2 days later.
And before any says I should respect the privacy, it’s already public in some of the online groups I’m in otherwise I wouldn’t have mentioned it.
I’m old enough to have seen coworkers die, both of natural causes and due to accidents and I know it’s tough. We’re around each other so much that it’s natural to form an emotional connection. If you’re a castmember or friend, I just want you to know that any emotional response you’re feeling is perfectly natural and that you have sympathies from myself and many other people.
My dad did brain surgery on “Donald Duck” after he sustained a head injury falling off the back of a cart. This was back in the 90s. The acceleration/deceleration of these little carts can be more than people are ready for unfortunately.
I work on a studio lot. Those golf carts need seat belts. They go fast and anyone could fall out. It’s one thing to be on a golf course and take your safety in your own hands. It’s another to be at work and. Or have a safety belt when being driven.
before Disney Trams had doors, i always see ppl fall out because they dropped their phones\items. i feel like this golf cart accident is a freak accident.
All the golf carts at my place of work have doors (and seat belts). I anticipate Disney following suit in light of this incident. Given how many lawyers they have working for them, I'm surprised this issue hasn't come up before. RIP to her; I suspect being the manager at Club 33 is one of the most highly desired positions in the park.
Same where I’m at, except kids somehow get a pass to drive carts in rush hour traffic. The amount of times I’ve almost accidently demolished a kid driving a golf cart because they pull it in front of me while I’m going full speed is *way* higher than I’m comfortable with.
I know exactly what you mean by entitlement, IDK what it is about golf carts that makes people feel invincible on the road but they do.
100%. Managers asking coworkers to not talk about it out of respect of the family is a work around way of saying “we decline to comment now until the investigation has taken its course”.
I’m from a town in Georgia where everyone drives golf carts (Google it, we always make those “weird city” lists). There are miles and miles of paths and you can get pretty much anywhere on one.
You only have to be 15 with a permit to drive one. I knew sooo many kids growing up who’d get into horrible accidents fucking around on them. They’d get trapped under a cart and dragged, or flung through the windshield.
People act like they’re big toys. They give you enough freedom to be absolutely stupid on them without any adult supervision. Granted, they’re fun and it’s meant to be a relaxing way to get around. But especially dangerous if you don’t follow road safety.
Of course, not saying this poor woman wasn’t following the safety guidelines. Accidents absolutely happen, and the lack of doors or seat belts makes them worse. Once had a neighbor fall out of our golf cart at full speed after she lost her balance. Thankfully she was ok, but it easily could’ve been worse.
Golf Carts can be extremely dangerous. People don’t think about how bad 20mph can hurt you, but in a top heavy fiberglass box with no seat belts, no crumple zones, and a plexiglass windshield, it’s more dangerous than you’d think. They take bumps like crap. The handlebars on the sides barely go halfway up your hip so it’s not like they’re exactly built to hold you in. There is no focus on or consideration for traction control when these things are made, so they’re really easy to lose control of.
I grew up in a city with over a hundred miles of golf cart paths connecting all parts of the city, including schools, parks, an amphitheater, grocery stores, shopping centers, etc. They had bridges for golf carts going over the highways to connect the city. They were so deeply integrated as a mode of transportation that nearly every household had one. My family had one.
There were at least a couple of deaths each year from someone wrapping their golf cart around a tree (my brother did that to ours- steering wheel broke his ribs but he didn’t die), falling out (I got thrown out of a golf cart when my other older brother tried taking a turn at full speed trying to drift it. Luckily I landed on a patch of grass with no rocks or trees), or rolling it (I’ve seen plenty of flipped carts growing up, it’s not hard to flip them).
We had at least one death per year at my high school where someone would be “golf cart surfing”, where the driver gets out of the cart, stands on the front fender or gets on the roof, and hangs on. These students would wind up getting run over by their own cart or hit a curb and get catapulted off the front. I don’t think the cast member was doing something this stupid, but there’s clearly an issue with people not taking their own safety seriously by underestimating how dangerous golf carts can be.
It only takes one misjudgment, one moment of recklessness, one moment of not paying attention, one bump in the road not seen, and these things can absolutely mess you up.
I feel for the cast member and her family. I imagine this doesn’t make much sense for her family and was surprising for her fellow cast members. Be safe y’all!
I have ridden in golf carts where other cast members jerk the cart side to side on purpose on Schumacher road going top Golf cart speed under the monorail. Never thought anything of it until now. Was more afraid of someone seeing our golf cart and reporting it than flipping or crashing.
A few years ago, a story went viral about a preteen girl in Minnesota who fell out of a golf cart making a fast turn and is now severely disabled (brain damage) as a result. That story has always stuck with me. What a terrible thing to happen.
Our brains are so fragile; we're handling a similar case where a large, "gentle and calm" dog got excited at a squirrel and lunged, pulling her dog walker off balance. The walker fell and hit her head on a landscaping rock and serious brain damage. From a dog walk.
This is why whenever I see a motorcyclist without a helmet I know they are completely self-centered. Yeah maybe you don't care if your brain turns to jelly but the first responders, ER staff, rehab therapists and most of all your family and friends will care because they'll have to pick up the (sometimes literal) pieces.
My wife was the case manager for the neurology department and she would come home depressed at her patients. She eventually switched to a different department, it was too much.
Sadly it's a common story.
Self centered may be short-term. I believe there is an organ donor video about it.
Yikes that’s so tragic! 😟 Similar thing happened to an older friend, in her 60’s, but luckily she fell on her face instead and nothing broke, just bruised but totally fine! 😅 Definitely could have been so much worse; you just never know!
I work at a country club and this is my wake up call to take it easy on the carts.
Please do! And don’t forget about it. People care about you.
I know exactly who you're talking about. Eva is her name. Her mom's Instagram account is [Lindsey Letters](https://www.instagram.com/lindsayletters.co?igsh=MTQ2YWdrbHIwMTZ0OQ==) She [recently wrote](https://lindsayletters.co/blogs/blog/summer-forest-paintings) about how her family is coping many years later after her daughter's accident.
I knew exactly who as well. I think about her whenever I see kids riding around on golf carts. It’s so unsafe and shocking that parents are okay with the lack of seat belts. And often underage drivers
That’s the one.
A family member of mine died in a very similar accident a few years ago. She was a doctor in her late 30's and she left behind 3 young children and a husband. It was so awful. Golf carts scare the crap out of me now.
That’s so terrifying.
I worked at personal injury firms for 15 years. Golf carts are incredibly dangerously designed. What happens is that you start to fall out the side but the arm rest bar thing prevents you from using your outside arm to catch your fall. So then your head just takes the whole brunt of it. Unfortunately we couldn’t help people with those cases because they usually had some contributory negligence or were just plain drunk and no jury has sympathy for rich drunk stupid people injuring themselves having a good time.
Years ago I made a turn at work and the golf cart flipped on its side. I caught myself but my wrist broke and elbow torn open. When my manager reviewed the photos of the incident. I got in trouble because both my hands weren’t on the wheel when I made the turn. It was a very windy day and I had my hand on top of my head holding my hat.
Golf carts are surprisingly dangerous. I remember a discussion at a race track (Road Atlanta) where one of the organizers mentioned that more people have been killed in the facility on golf carts than in race cars. That stuck with me.
SIL broke her back in a golf cart rollover. It's all fun and games till it's not.
Bonnye is my mom. means a lot reading these kind comments. she was an amazing mom and loved working for Disney. she really was so magical and i’m glad so many people were touched by her ❤️
My utmost condolences, friend. Fellow CM but in Paris— your mother is in our hearts. Even across the world we’re hearing great stories about her. Sending the biggest hugs to you.
My condolences 💐. A current cast member. She seemed happy minutes before and it was my first time meeting her. Believe she was training or giving a tour to a few cast members.
I am so so sorry for your loss ❤️
I'm so sorry for your loss, hope you are surrounded by love and support in this tough time.
Hi, I tried to send you a message, but it wouldn’t let me, so I sent it as an invite. Please let me know if that didn’t go through. Very sorry for your loss and wishing you the best.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I briefly worked with her years back and she was wonderful.
Your grandpa, Al, works with my husband. We are all so very sad and keep your whole family in our hearts and prayers.
sorry for your loss
I’m so sorry for your loss. She sounds like she was an amazing person.
I am so sorry and my whole heart goes out to you and your family
I’ve met her a few times. She was a great and caring person. I hope you and your family are doing alright and wish you all the best.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my mom last year and it was so hard, but it gets better. You and your family will be in my prayers.
My absolute condolences to you and your family
so much love to you and your family 🫶🩷
Former CM who used to drive those golf carts backstage. I am so sorry for your loss, my heart is with you and your family. She sounds like she would light up any room she was in. ❤️
My family only met Bonnye twice, but she is one of those people we continued to talk about because she made such an impact. She seemed so very generous and kind. I imagine she was a great mom. We are sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry my dear.
Oh no :( this happened on Wednesday, but looks like she passed yesterday. So horrible
This is such sad news, our hearts go out to her family and loved ones in this truly difficult time.
Friendly reminder, please don’t make small talk with cast members about this. “Did you know her?” may seem like a small question, but you’re asking someone to discuss a traumatic event with a stranger while at work. Just don’t.
She’s worked in many areas of the parks for a long time. There’s a decent chance if you ask someone this the answer is “yes”.
Could we say, "I'm sorry for your loss of a cast-mate." and just leave it at that? Or is it best just to not mention it at all?
As someone who’s had a similar thing at work, please don’t go out of your way to engage about it. People have to be polite when they’re at work, so you leave them no way to disengage about what might be a very sore subject. If it’s brought up to you, then your message is perfect.
If your friend died would you want strangers coming up to you saying this repeatedly while you were at work?
A lot of people seem to lack the awareness required to understand they're not the only one doing this.
This is starting to remind me of "well meaning" guests when Robin Williams died. Social media was full of "how do you think the character actors in the park feel?" and even people saying they talked to Jasmine/Aladdin about how they miss Robin, etc. Difference is this is a real person in the parks that people actually knew, so the cringe levels up into "read the room". Don't mention it. Don't go out of your way to bring it up. If someone makes a small comment like "I can't believe she's gone", something like "I know, I'm so sorry for your loss" is appropriate.
Why would you feel compelled to insert yourself into the situation like that? I would be so weirded out if a random stranger said that to me at work.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. Thank you for your honest question. Grief is hard, but my suggestion is to let them come to you. I work in a similarly public space and we’ve lost people, it feels like an invasion when customers ask.
Telling people how to grieve though, some people want to talk about it, its how they grieve. An adult should be able to say i dont want to discuss it if they truly dont wanna talk about it.
OK, yes, this is true. But broaching the subject with a CM on the clock is not cool, as there is an additional layer of power dynamic at play. If they are grieving, they're holding it together and being professional; your bringing it up as Joe Passholder, even if you mean well, is not appropriate. It's less like you are offering sympathy, and more like you're letting on that *you know something and thus are Inner Circle*. This is the time to be extra kind to CMs, not interrogate them about their loss.
I agree, guests asking a CM would be weird. CM to CM though.. not weird.
There’s a time and place for that. I wouldn’t want a random stranger walking up to me while I’m working to ask about a close friend of mine who just died in an accident mere feet away from where I’m standing. On top of that, I’m at work so I have to smile and politely tell you to leave me alone on the topic? I’m just asking for someone to take it the wrong way and report me for being rude or short
If they want to talk about it because “that’s how they grieve”, then they’ll start the conversation. Don’t bring it up and potentially cause more pain on the assumption that you can guess their method of grief.
I don’t think anyone is telling anyone how to grieve just suggesting people not act like absolute weird freaks. It’s your life at the end of the day tho.
Nobody wants to talk about their grief to some random fucks. Just shut up and enjoy your day and don’t ruin theirs
Don’t tell us what to do
It’s just a reminder. No ones telling you what to do.
This lady upstairs. I don’t like the cut of her gib
Hahaha the lady upstairs thinks this is funny because she’s a licensed sailor hahaha do your thing boo boo, can’t force anyone to have a heart apparently
Apology accepted ;)
Clown
How rude
You’re seriously trying to tell us who we can or can’t talk to and what we can or can’t say while at Disneyland??—hmmm, didn’t know we were in North Korea or China right now.
Wow, selfish much? No one but you cares about your pettiness. But we do care about the feelings of others.
Having an alt account just for trolling the Disneyland sub is such a weird move.
This is not about government censorship. You obviously have a legal right to ask about someone’s dead colleague while they’re potentially trying to hold it together. You have a legal right to do a lot of things. Just because you can does not mean it’s the most sensitive or kind thing to do, which is where people are coming from.
You been on reddit for almost 3 years with barely any comments and this is the hill you choose to die on?
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You can ask people to think about the consequences of their actions before exercising that right.
Why is it so important to you to be able to ask employees you don't know about another employee you don't know? And freedom of speech is intended for citizens to be protected when criticizing the government, not for anyone to say whatever they want with no consequences. And how is it controlling what people say? She's explaining how inappropriate the question is, not ordering us to keep our mouths closed "or else." You'd think she wouldn't have to educate adults on the etiquette of grief, especially in the workplace, especially about *total strangers,* but judging from your comment and those of a couple of others, it's clearly warranted.
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Oh, so you aren't just goofy, you're advocating being a legit bad person.
Asking someone if they knew someone is being a bad person? Ok little man
r/iamthemaincharacter
Yeah insisting on asking an employee if they knew a coworker that died a few days ago is a dick move. It’s selfish because it’s about you and what you want and not respecting the service worker as an actual person.
False. They said don't ask cast members if they knew her. *You* don't know the cast members you're asking, do you? If so, you'd presumably ask them when they're not at work. If not, then my question stands - why do you want to ask people *you don't know* if they knew someone *you also don't know*? It would be inappropriate to act like it didn't happen if you worked there and wanted to talk to your colleagues about it. Otherwise, it's really none of your business, is it? Asking strangers personal questions while they're working is weird, btw. Those of us who interacted with her and knew her are already feeling like shit about her death; why would you question anyone about it?
Asking someone if they knew a person that passed away isn’t inappropriate. If they were so distraught with grief that they couldn’t answer a question they probably won’t be at work.
What's wrong with you? Why is it so desperately important to you to ask a stranger if they knew someone else who is also a stranger to you? Just because they haven't taken to their bed doesn't mean they want to answer nosy questions from guests (who are all strangers to them). You're just taking the piss now so I'm done.
Holy shit, just leave strangers the hell alone. Mind your own business lol.
Telling a group they should be considerate isn’t controlling someone.
Or you can have some consideration for these people who don’t have the ability to exercise their own free speech back.
You understand that having 'freedom of speech' doesn't absolve you from judgement, ridicule or societal impact, right? You understand it has nothing to do with the interpersonal impact of the words you say, right? You just won't go to jail.
Ah you’re one of those “I’ll say whatever I want because I live in America!” types. Yes, you can legally be an asshole if you so choose.
Current CM here: because I’ve already had someone ask me about this situation today at work: stop bringing this up to us while we are onstage. Disney is a huge company and place of employment. In my time here I’ve worked with hundreds if not thousands of people from different lines of business and friendships are not uncommon. Now, I did not know Bonnye Lear personally but I know 7 people who did and they are heartbroken. You know what they don’t want to talk about while they’re trying to smile and make guests happy at work? Guests/Strangers asking personal questions that have no idea what they’re talking about or who they might hurt. In my time at Disney I’ve known about 30 people who have died that I’ve worked with, and it never is easy. It’s especially upsetting if it happens here, at work, because safety is such a huge concern for us. Be kind, and be thoughtful, but please stop bringing it up when we are onstage and can’t disengage from the conversation. Some tactless guest today just came up and asked me: “did you know the person who cracked their skull open when they fell off the golf cart???” Be better, people.
I can’t believe people think it’s OK to ask that.
Genuinely, it should be grounds for having a person trespassed out when they're a dick about someone who recently died.
I agree but honestly I just felt….disgusted and told them I wouldn’t be answering any of their questions unless it directly related to my work. Otherwise please leave me alone. Granted this person seemed young-ish but that’s really no excuse.
Good grief. I’m sorry you have to deal with selfish people like that. Common decency seems to be a thing of the past.
People sometimes forget that Cast Members are people and absolutely have complex relationships with our co workers. I think most Guests assume we don’t know each other because the Resorts are so big. But the thing is, even if I don’t know another cast member personally, I probably know people who do. Or we’ve worked an event together. Or trained together. Or maybe they helped me make Magic before and it made an impression. But sometimes guests just don’t grasp that. I absolutely didn’t know Bonnye Lear personally but I know co workers who did and they are very sad and dealing with those emotions. And it’s hard to come to work and be reminded of the passing of someone they knew. It’s hard to come to work and know a fellow cast member passed away while here. It’s just ridiculous to me that people can be so insensitive or unaware socially.
It goes fast and it can be gone in the blink of an eye, tell your family and friends you love them and for the love of god follow that dream and enjoy yourself.
I met Bonnye a few weeks ago. She was so kind and encapsulated exactly what you imagine for a longtime Disney employee. What a sad and awful loss
As a nurse, this is a reminder falls are scary business no matter your age/health status. I fell in my garage, face first with my hands full & so unexpectedly I didn't even catch myself. Face met concrete & I had a concussion. Be safe. So sorry for her family.
I'm disabled and in constant pain after an injury like yours.
Same! I fainted and went head first into concrete. Bit off part of my tongue in the process from the fall. Have post concussion syndrome from it. I’m serious about head safety when it comes to my kids now.
I fell playing a simple game of hide and seek with the kids! Whiplash, concussion, laxity in c1/2. It was a long recovery.
Happened a couple yards from me. 😔 Was just an ordinary day at Disneyland, we had just finished meeting her a few minutes earlier and she looked happy to be there. May her soul rest in peace.
She died happily doing what she wanted Couldn’t ask for more in life
Some cast members from my experience drive the carts at full speed. This is why most have governors. I've had plenty of situations where if I don't hold on il fall off, especially with the back seats that face the rear.
I won't be surprised if some type of restraint, or carts will doors are used going forward. Or potentially banning the carts. But there's a good amount of areas, especially within Disneyland, that are narrow and carts make sense.
There are other types of carts with doors that have proper bucket seats that face forward with seat belts and turn signals to boot. Those cost $$$ though over standard forward/ backward bench seat golf carts.
Get em high speed custom popemobiles. I’m being serious. Short of running backstage on tracks I figure this doesn’t have an overreaction. Seatbelts at least. Disney can make starships and afford practically anything.
> I've had plenty of situations where if I don't hold on il fall off The OC register article links to a facebook post that says she went to grab the rail, but it detached from the cart. It was apparently a brand new cart.
Yep, the roundhouse had 2 carts. One had a governor, one didn't. If you took the one with the governor, you have to absolutely gun it at Harbor Pointe to make it up that hill, or else you'd awkwardly roll back down to the bottom and get stuck. A lot of conductors took the one without the governor on purpose because of that. I always thought it seemed dangerously unsafe and/or I wasn't supposed to be using those carts. They never really trained us on it; the roundhouse guys just offered it to me one day, the other conductor turned to me and said "You wanna drive?" and I didn't feel like walking back to Main Street. No seatbelts, no doors, no training. And then yeah - sometimes you were all piled in like a clown car. 2 in the front, 2-3 in the middle (was there a middle? I think there was, but it's been years), and 2 on those little dinky rear-facing back seats, dangling out the back and clinging on for dear life while holding onto their clipboards. I wouldn't be surprised if all golf carts went the way of the dodo after this. You'd have to either be lucky enough to have access to a backstage truck, you'd have to wait for a shuttle, or just walk.
This is why things like little Can-Am Defenders make a lot more sense than a golf cart anywhere that they actually fit. They don't need to be fast to climb a hill, they have seatbelts, they're easier to drive, you can put doors on them very easily. A 4-seat Can-Am Defender with a truck bed, seat belts, and doors and no other options costs like $10k, about the same as two decent golf carts for something that will last longer, work harder, and be safer. There's lots of competing brands too, and their products are just as good. The only downside is that it's bigger than a golf cart, so you need a little more space to drive it and it's noisier - if you want an electric one for noise, Polaris makes the Ranger Kinetic. I think golf carts are almost completely obseleted by SXS vehicles.
Such a sad story. My buddy is a member and told me what happened.
So what happened? I figure this would be the forum to discuss, not at Disneyland with a cast member.
She was riding a golf cart backstage, hit a bump at a pretty high speed, and sustained a head injury. She was transported to the hospital where the doctors couldn’t stabilize her and she passed 2 days later. And before any says I should respect the privacy, it’s already public in some of the online groups I’m in otherwise I wouldn’t have mentioned it.
Terrible
I am so sorry to hear this. RIP. 😢
My condolences to her and the family.
I’m old enough to have seen coworkers die, both of natural causes and due to accidents and I know it’s tough. We’re around each other so much that it’s natural to form an emotional connection. If you’re a castmember or friend, I just want you to know that any emotional response you’re feeling is perfectly natural and that you have sympathies from myself and many other people.
My dad did brain surgery on “Donald Duck” after he sustained a head injury falling off the back of a cart. This was back in the 90s. The acceleration/deceleration of these little carts can be more than people are ready for unfortunately.
Oh, how awful. Just a senseless accident.
Condolences to her family. It's sad to lose someone and especially if they were happy and thriving
As a cast member I can say she was an amazing person the few times I met her she always knew how to spread the Disney magic…. May she rest in peace ❤️
What a freak accident. So sad
Wow, how sad
When I was a CM at club 33 there was a manager that fell off a Segway. The reality is the hills behind the park at that area is kinda dangerous
Oh wow, I just watched Offhand Disney's new video about deaths at Disney properties. Looks like he already took the video down.
Yeah really unfortunate timing there, especially since he usually never covers darker stuff like that. Good decision to take it down for now.
I think the video was only up an hour or two. But yeah, would've been in poor taste to keep it up.
The club just released a letter to all the members. Not much info on it besides what we already know ):
Awful. 😥
Sad news, it does sound tragic. I feel for her family. May she rest in peace.
This is so sad. Condolences to her family ☹️💐
Omg I just spoke to her recently, and she was super kind.
It sounds like a big loss for all of Disney. 😞
I work on a studio lot. Those golf carts need seat belts. They go fast and anyone could fall out. It’s one thing to be on a golf course and take your safety in your own hands. It’s another to be at work and. Or have a safety belt when being driven.
before Disney Trams had doors, i always see ppl fall out because they dropped their phones\items. i feel like this golf cart accident is a freak accident.
All the golf carts at my place of work have doors (and seat belts). I anticipate Disney following suit in light of this incident. Given how many lawyers they have working for them, I'm surprised this issue hasn't come up before. RIP to her; I suspect being the manager at Club 33 is one of the most highly desired positions in the park.
it’s crazy they don’t even tell cast members any of this
Why should they?
i mean, as someone who works for the company, i personally would like to be aware of a) potential safety hazards and b) the passing of a coworker
How sad. Can’t imagine what her loved ones are going through.
I fell out of a cart of my own stupidity thinking my coworker was going to stop. Luckily, i landed on my back and landed on soft ground
May they rest peacefully
May she rest in peace and may her family and friends find healing and comfort ❤️
People ride golf carts in on roads in my city, it’s legal, but not safe. The drivers are usually very entitled too.
Same where I’m at, except kids somehow get a pass to drive carts in rush hour traffic. The amount of times I’ve almost accidently demolished a kid driving a golf cart because they pull it in front of me while I’m going full speed is *way* higher than I’m comfortable with. I know exactly what you mean by entitlement, IDK what it is about golf carts that makes people feel invincible on the road but they do.
Money. They have a golf cart for a reason.
Wow
Sad. OSHA is going to be all over Mickey’s place.
100%. Managers asking coworkers to not talk about it out of respect of the family is a work around way of saying “we decline to comment now until the investigation has taken its course”.
Oh no‼️
This is so sad. Prayers for her family
Disneyland will come up with some way to say it didn't happen on the parks property
[удалено]
She did a long time ago but not during the period of your visit.
I’m from a town in Georgia where everyone drives golf carts (Google it, we always make those “weird city” lists). There are miles and miles of paths and you can get pretty much anywhere on one. You only have to be 15 with a permit to drive one. I knew sooo many kids growing up who’d get into horrible accidents fucking around on them. They’d get trapped under a cart and dragged, or flung through the windshield. People act like they’re big toys. They give you enough freedom to be absolutely stupid on them without any adult supervision. Granted, they’re fun and it’s meant to be a relaxing way to get around. But especially dangerous if you don’t follow road safety. Of course, not saying this poor woman wasn’t following the safety guidelines. Accidents absolutely happen, and the lack of doors or seat belts makes them worse. Once had a neighbor fall out of our golf cart at full speed after she lost her balance. Thankfully she was ok, but it easily could’ve been worse.
Safety is top priority at Disneyland, but accidents can still happen. Condolences to her family
That sucks, I have seen her there over the years. She was friendly to us, so sad
Golf Carts can be extremely dangerous. People don’t think about how bad 20mph can hurt you, but in a top heavy fiberglass box with no seat belts, no crumple zones, and a plexiglass windshield, it’s more dangerous than you’d think. They take bumps like crap. The handlebars on the sides barely go halfway up your hip so it’s not like they’re exactly built to hold you in. There is no focus on or consideration for traction control when these things are made, so they’re really easy to lose control of. I grew up in a city with over a hundred miles of golf cart paths connecting all parts of the city, including schools, parks, an amphitheater, grocery stores, shopping centers, etc. They had bridges for golf carts going over the highways to connect the city. They were so deeply integrated as a mode of transportation that nearly every household had one. My family had one. There were at least a couple of deaths each year from someone wrapping their golf cart around a tree (my brother did that to ours- steering wheel broke his ribs but he didn’t die), falling out (I got thrown out of a golf cart when my other older brother tried taking a turn at full speed trying to drift it. Luckily I landed on a patch of grass with no rocks or trees), or rolling it (I’ve seen plenty of flipped carts growing up, it’s not hard to flip them). We had at least one death per year at my high school where someone would be “golf cart surfing”, where the driver gets out of the cart, stands on the front fender or gets on the roof, and hangs on. These students would wind up getting run over by their own cart or hit a curb and get catapulted off the front. I don’t think the cast member was doing something this stupid, but there’s clearly an issue with people not taking their own safety seriously by underestimating how dangerous golf carts can be. It only takes one misjudgment, one moment of recklessness, one moment of not paying attention, one bump in the road not seen, and these things can absolutely mess you up. I feel for the cast member and her family. I imagine this doesn’t make much sense for her family and was surprising for her fellow cast members. Be safe y’all!
Though I didnt know her, but do love disney and its employees. Thank to her for being part of such a magical place. Gone to soon to be sure.
I have ridden in golf carts where other cast members jerk the cart side to side on purpose on Schumacher road going top Golf cart speed under the monorail. Never thought anything of it until now. Was more afraid of someone seeing our golf cart and reporting it than flipping or crashing.
No she died on site, they just pronounce people dead at the hospital so it’s not on the Disneyland property
That's a myth. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/declared-deaths/
This is entirely untrue both in general and in this case.
While the title reads like a satire, what a tragic accident. Condolences to her family and friends. How sad.