Disney employee, 60, dies on the job after suffering severe head injury when she was thrown from golf cart

A DISNEY worker is dead after falling from a golf cart and hitting her head in a shocking accident that has left many asking what went wrong.

Staff at the Happiest Place on Earth were devastated to learn that 60-year-old Bonnye Mavis Lear died shortly after reaching the hospital on Wednesday.

Lear, originally from Fullerton, California, had worked at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim — both cities near Los Angeles in Orange County — for 24 years.

The Disney veteran was an administrator of Club 33, one of the park's exclusive invite-only clubs for VIP visitors.

The tragedy occurred around 11:30 am when Lear hopped on the back of a new golf cart being operated by a coworker to quickly head to another section of the park, Seargent Jon McClintock from the Anaheim Police Department told CBS.

She was reportedly sitting in the back of the vehicle in a rear-facing seat when the cart hit a bump and lurched forward, a Disney cast member told local CBS affiliate WKRC.

At the time of the accident, Lear and her colleagues were in the Critter County section of the park.

“She went to grab the handrail, it gave way and sent her out of the vehicle. We do not know if the passengers were aware that she had fallen out,” Rae Delgado, a cast member, told WKRC.

When police arrived on the scene, they immediately transported Lear to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries two days later, Orange County coroner's spokesperson Sergeant Frank Gonzalez reported.

Delgado said that he and his colleagues are in disbelief at what happened.

“It didn’t have to end this way," Delgado said.

“The golf cart from the entertainment department was brand new. How the hell could it fall apart?! It’s just so unfair to us & the family," he added.

She was quite literally the kindest human who worked at the Disneyland Resort. This is truly very sad for her family and fellow Cast at the Club.

Representatives from Disney shared their condolences too.

"We are heartbroken by the loss of Bonnye and offer our sincere condolences to everyone who cared for her," Ken Potrock, Disneyland Resort president, said in a statement.

"We are focused on supporting her family and our cast members through this tragic event and making sure they have the resources they need," he said.

DISNEY EMPLOYEES DEVASTATED

Several of her coworkers said they also felt the loss.

"She was quite literally the kindest human who worked at the Disneyland Resort," Vlogger Just Ask Danny, who said he used to work with Lear, wrote in a post on X.

Tragedies at the Happiest Place on Earth

Although the motto of Disney playlands is to be the Happiest Place on Earth, tragedies have occurred at its theme parks over the decades.

1967 Disneyland, Peoplemover: The first death on the Peoplemover ride came in 1967 when the ride had only been open for about a month at the California theme park. A 16-year-old jumped between cars and fell onto the tracks, where he was struck by another train.

2019 Disney World, Humunga Kowabunga ride: One woman hurtled down a waterslide at 40mph and was left with a "wedgie so bad she was gushing blood" in 2019. Emma McGuinness sued Disney World Florida for over $50,000 following the shocking incident, a lawsuit alleges. The grisly accident occurred when Emma hit the water at the bottom of the Humunga Kowabunga slide, which stood 214 feet above a pool.

2020 Disney World, Contemporary Resort: Police said multiple people saw a woman falling from a Disney hotel room on an upper floor. Emergency workers found the victim unresponsive and soon declared her time of death. Officials said they believed that she died by suicide.

2021 Disney World: A schoolgirl died after suffering an allergic reaction to a hot dog bun while on a dream family holiday to Disney World, an inquest heard. Ava-Grace Stevens, 9, had spent the day with her family at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, when tragedy struck. Ava's dad Geoffrey Stevens said they had taken care to meet their daughter's dairy-free dietary needs but US food labels were not as clear to read as those in the UK.

"This is truly very sad for her family and fellow Cast at the Club," he said.

"She was the sweetest person on our zoom call interview," another commented.

"She broke everything down and answers everything with humor. There wasn’t any space for us but promised to check in with us later on when things shifted and was rooting for us."

"I can’t believe this sweet kind person is now gone," they added.

"She was such a sweet lady… so awful to hear of her tragic passing! She will be so missed!" a third wrote.

Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The U.S. Sun.