This weekend's horrific accident on Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is clearly troublesome -- beyond the fact that something so sad can happen in "the happiest place on Earth."
The details of the accident, which claimed the life of one rider and injured several others, remain sketchy for now. Even the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health anticipates that it will take several weeks to figure out what went wrong. Uncertainty is never a good thing and that's bound to weigh heavily on Disney's (NYSE:DIS) near-term fortunes.
Go beyond the thrill-ride worrywarts waving the "I told you so" finger when it comes to roller-coaster safety. For the most part, it's still a safe diversion. The drive to the park is riskier. Besides, you don't need to visit our Foolish Community over in the Roller Coaster Loving Fools Discussion Board to know that the coaster in question is tame in comparison to its larger, faster, and more daring peers.
But after a summer season that has seen fatal freak accidents such places as Six Flags (NYSE:PKS) and even the well-run Holiday World, will the industry take a hit? The consumer may not register the astronomical odds of these unfortunate tragedies, much less grasp the distinction that, while Disneyland's accident appears to be a case of severe mechanical malfunction, most park accidents are the result of rider error.
Unfortunately, it hadn't been a great season for the sector to begin with. Six Flags warned of cash flow shortcomings back in July, and it wasn't until August that Cedar Fair (NYSE:FUN) turned its fortunes around. And remember, parks are big business for conglomerates such as Viacom (NYSE:VIA) and Anheuser-Busch (NYSE:BUD), so this high-profile accident isn't just Disney's business.
Thankfully for the regional operators, we're in September now and the season has pretty much run its course. Next year has little choice but to be better, and putting a little distance from these past few months of grim news is welcome.
The tears are real. The fears are overblown.
