Report: Woman’s brain bled after Disney ride

A German woman who fell ill after going on a ride at Walt Disney World died of bleeding of the brain, the medical examiner's office said Friday in a preliminary report. The report did not mention any connection between the ride and the woman's death.

Hiltrud Bluemel, 49, also had severe, long-standing high blood pressure, said Dr. Jan Garavaglia, Orange-Osceola chief medical examiner, in a statement. There was no evidence of bodily injuries.

The official cause of death will not be available for several weeks, when toxicology reports and other tests are final, Garavaglia said.

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Disney said it would reserve comment on the report until it was complete.

"Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family in the wake of Ms. Bluemel's passing," spokeswoman Kim Prunty said.

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It was the second death in less than a year related to the Epcot Center ride Mission: Space, which spins riders in a centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity. It is so intense it has motion sickness bags and signs warning people with heart, back and neck problems not to board it.

Walt Disney World reopened the ride Thursday, a day after the woman's death, saying engineers found it was operating properly.

A 4-year-old Pennsylvania boy died in June on the ride. An autopsy determined he died of a heart condition that a medical examiner said can cause sudden death in stressful situations.