Back in 1992, an off-duty Walt Disney World Cast Member fell 11 stories to his death at Disney’s Contemporary Resort after being startled by a swarm of wasps.
Police said the accident happened as Brian Hribek was showing his roommate the view from an observation deck on the 15th floor of the hotel.
FYI: Hribek was a host at what is now known as Disney’s California Grill restaurant at the Contemporary Resort when he died.
Talking to Police, Dwight Auber said that Hribek was sitting on the four-foot-high concrete ledge at around 1:00pm when the wasps appeared suddenly. Hribek tried to swat them away and lost his balance, he then fell backwards, according to Auber.
FYI: Auber was a Cast Member at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort at the time.
Hribek fell to the fourth-floor deck just under the passageway of the monorail, which slices through the pyramid-shaped hotel. Disney officials closed the monorail for around three hours whilst Hribek’s body could be recovered.
After the accident happened, an unnamed Cast Member said he was on the deck with a friend. However, he and his friend left before the accident happened. You can read what this Cast Member told the Orlando Sentinel below:
“We noticed the wasps. They were huge, [and] all over the place. That’s when we came back in. Then a little while later, someone came in screaming, ‘Call 911!”
Orlando Sentinel
Disney officials said they didn’t know where the wasps come from. To this day, we can assume that they still don’t know where they came from.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Brian Hribek.
Stay tuned to Orlando Theme Park Zone for more Remembering When articles.
