An employee at the Disney Resorts in Anaheim, Calif., has died of head trauma days after falling off a moving golf cart in a backstage area.
Bonnye Mavis Lear, 60, of Fullerton, died Friday, two days after the cart she was a passenger in hit a bump or dip in the road as it went about 20 miles per hour.
Lear tried to grab a handrail but “it gave way and sent her out of the vehicle,” wrote colleague Rae Delgado on Facebook, according to The Orange County Register. Lear hit her head and fractured her skull, which led to brain swelling, Delgado said.
Lear worked at Disney for 24 years and was most recently an administrator supporting membership services at the resort’s Club 33 in New Orleans Square.
Anaheim police and other first responders were summoned just before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday about a backstage collision, Anaheim Police Sgt. Jon McClintock told the Daily News in an email.
“Upon arrival, police & fire personnel discovered a woman, a Disneyland employee, fell from a moving golf cart and struck her head,” McClintock said. “The woman was transported to a local hospital in grave condition. Tragically, on Friday, June 7, the woman succumbed to her injuries.”
The cart driver was not injured and no drugs or alcohol were involved, TMZ reported.
The Anaheim Police Department is investigating the accident and Lear’s death. Disney expressed sorrow but did not comment beyond that.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Bonnye and offer our sincere condolences to everyone who cared for her,” Disneyland Resort president Ken Potrock said in a statement to local media. “At this time, we are focused on supporting her family and our cast members through this tragic event and making sure they have the resources they need.”
With News Wire Services