Disney guests don't realize how much cast members like Javier Cruz risk every day to perform for them. Photo: Offbeat Training LLC

The Alex Baldwin story shines a light on a critical element of entertainment magic. People think that Disney magic is light and fanciful. It is potentially dangerous and has cost people

injuries—and very occasionally—their lives.

People experience life and (sometimes) death at Walt Disney World. Many people are so bought into Disney's world that they come to the Mouse House to get engaged, married, pregnant, reconnect, watch their families grow, pass away, (even commit suicide!) and get their ashes spread over Disney property. Disney is that emotional a connection.

Disney goes to great lengths to protect everyone on its property, but you cannot stop people from making mistakes, using bad judgement, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As a Disney retiree, I cannot talk about my experiences with these issues, but situations have happened at Walt Disney World.

Sometimes it’s guests thinking,"We’re at Disney. Nothing bad happens here." That's an invitation for disaster. Tragic examples include:

• A speed boat driver who thought the ferryboat would get out of his way. It could not.
• Teens who thought it would be cool to get to the haunted mansion séance table with Madame Leota. They would discover too late that there’s a drop off between the ride vehicles and that table.
• Bike riders who thought they could pedal close to Disney buses. Buses have limited visibility.
• A jogger who thought it would be safe to jog in darkness on foggy Disney roads. Dense fog, jogging, and Disney employees driving aggressively to get work are not a good combination.

Disney cast members are exposed to danger every day but are trained to avoid it. Whether working at a moving ride track, or driving a parade float, or performing around fireworks, the protentional for catastrophe is always there. And serious accidents have happened:

• One because a performer got too close to a parade float.
• Another when a driver backed up a monorail incorrectly.
• A third when an operations host leaned in towards a moving ride vehicle.
• A fourth when a pilot crashed an ultralight prior to a show.

When a tragedy happens, and as it appears to be the case in the Alex Baldwin shooting, the likely cause is safety protocols and common sense not being aggressively followed and applied (whether from laxity or foolishness). We can’t do anything for Hayna Hutchenss, but her tragic death can remind us. Always follow all existing safety procedures in your life and work. If they don’t exist, demand they be put in place. Be aware, be methodical, be safe.