The Deborah Gail Stone autopsy report played a crucial role in the investigation and prosecution of her murder case. The detailed examination of her injuries and cause of death provided essential information for detectives and prosecutors.
Before analyzing the autopsy report, one must understand the event that necessitated it.
Witnesses and the subsequent coroner’s inquest reported that Stone attempted to exit the ride vehicle but became pinned between the rotating inner wall of the attraction and a stationary exit platform. The gap, designed to allow the floor to rotate, narrowed to a crushing point. Stone suffered severe blunt force traumatic injuries to her torso.
: The stationary walls were replaced with "breakaway" walls that would give way if any pressure was applied.
On , Deborah Gail Stone, an 18-year-old from Alta Loma, California, visited Disneyland with her sister and brother-in-law. At approximately 11:00 PM, near the park's closing time, Stone rode the America Sings attraction in Tomorrowland.
It is a cold, hard document that successfully does its job: it finds the truth. The tragedy is that the truth was so preventable.