From today's Tallahassee Democrat:

ORLANDO - If state inspectors who regulate Florida's amusement park and carnival rides want to explore why a 4-year-old boy died earlier this week after going on "Mission: Space" at Walt Disney World, they'll need permission from the theme-park resort.

That is because Disney World, and the state's other large theme-park complexes, Universal Orlando, Sea World and Busch Gardens Tampa, are exempted from most requirements of Florida's laws regulating carnival and smaller amusement-park rides.

"Our authority is limited by the statute," said Rob Jacobs, chief of the Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection. "We don't have the authority to close the park down or close the ride down."

Monday's death of Daudi Bamuwamye has renewed calls for federal oversight of the nation's theme-park industry from U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., who for years has been trying to end a 1981 loophole that lets the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission regulate rides at mobile carnivals but not permanent rides at fixed parks. Last month, Markey introduced a bill that would restore the federal agency's oversight of permanent rides.

Currently, the nation's theme and amusement parks are regulated by a patchwork system of state and private inspectors. Eleven states don't regulate rides and 13 states don't require public reporting of amusement-park accidents, according to Saferparks, a California-based group that advocates for ride safety.

Shit. Some days, I just don't have anything sarcastic or clever to say. Or events simply beat the sarcasm out of me. This is the crappiest ride-related death news I've read in a long time.

Statement from Walt Disney World

June 14, 2005, 10:10 AM EDT

On Monday, June 13, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Reedy Creek Emergency Services was called to Mission: Space at Epcot to care for a child who was unresponsive. The ride was shut down, and the guest was transported to the hospital.

Unfortunately, we were later advised that the guest passed away. The Orange County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene and conducted an investigation before turning the attraction back over to Walt Disney World.

Engineers and ride system experts with Walt Disney World also conducted a thorough evaluation and inspection and determined that the ride is operating normally. Based on their findings, the attraction opened as scheduled today.

The safety of our guests and cast remains our top priority. On behalf of the Walt Disney World Resort and its 57,000 cast members, we are saddened by this highly unusual event. Our first concern is for the family and we are doing everything we can to help them during this difficult time.

Consider the paragraph that begins "Engineers and ride system experts with Walt Disney World..." Here is a nice page on the subject of ride safety self-regulation from SaferParks.org:

Ride owners cannot perform thorough, unbiased investigations of accidents involving their own equipment and employees. Imagine if we allowed drivers to determine the cause of their own automobile vs. pedestrian accidents.

Here is an earlier Danny's Land post about the ride's questionable safety.