Disneyland Not at Fault in Accident

* Re “Girl, 6, Loses Most of Finger at Disneyland” (Jan. 24):

What a cheap shot! Vilifying Disneyland for not reporting an accident they were under no obligation to report. Millions of people have spent millions of hours enjoying Disneyland without any “evil” befalling them. In our complex world, none of us can be protected from accidents caused by our carelessness, stupidity or bad luck.

PAUL FARANDA

Newport Beach

* So yet another child is injured at Disneyland and we all go crying wolf that we need to investigate the park, make everything safer. Just stop for a minute and think, people. While I do sympathize with the child who lost part of her finger, let’s face it: Accidents happen. While Disneyland may be “The Happiest Place on Earth,” it is not by any means exempt from either the laws of gravity or just plain bad luck. This is not Disneyland’s fault; blame them for operator error and malfunctioning rides but not for someone hitting their head on a tree.

But, you say, they could make it safer. Do you really want to make everything accident-proof? Should the monkey bars at your child’s school be lowered, or even removed, because a student fell and broke his arm? If we really want to make everything safe, then we shouldn’t let Californians drive in the rain, not allow people to walk for fear they might trip over a curb. Unless we live our lives in a padded room, accidents are sure to happen.

JESSICA SCHARDIN

Irvine

* In defense of Disneyland and the safety of this entertainment venue, I feel I must respond to the incident at the fort on Tom Sawyer’s Island. (I have never been a Disneyland employee, just someone who loves to visit Disneyland.) When are parents or guardians going to accept responsibility for their lack of attention when their children are hurt?

If that child had been properly supervised (parents’ responsibility, not Disneyland’s), there would have been no article. It is annoying to hear that part of the park had to be closed because of this incident. Millions of kids (including my own, who are now 26, 21 and 19) have shot those guns over 40-plus years without any problem. No doubt, they were supervised more closely than most kids are today.

Parents seem to think that Disneyland is a baby-sitter, and many use it for that purpose. That is not fair to Disneyland! I have seen lots of young kids roam unsupervised through the park. While standing in line, I have heard them say they will be picked up by parents late into the evening and will have no communication with them until then. That is not proper supervision by the parent.

MELODY SCHULTZ

Laguna Hills