Disneyland employee Bonnye Mavis Lear died after being thrown from a golf cart: friends

US News

From Katherine Donlevy

A Disneyland employee died on the job when she was thrown from a defective golf cart that was being driven “recklessly” through the backstage area of ​​the Southern California theme park, friends and authorities said Saturday.

Bonnye Mavis Lear – an administrator of the park’s exclusive Club 33 – suffered serious injuries when she hit her head around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Anaheim Police Sergeant Jon McClintock said.

She was taken to hospital and succumbed to her injuries two days later on Friday.

Police had few details about the accident, which they described as a road traffic collision, but Lear’s colleagues said she was thrown from the car when the driver “recklessly” drove over a bump.

Lear was sitting in the rear-facing seat of the brand-new ride, which was traveling at 20 miles per hour past Critter County, a temporarily closed area of ​​the park, when the ride made a move, Rae Delgado, a cast member at Disney California Adventure attractions, wrote on Facebook.

“She tried to hold on to the handrail, but it gave way and threw her out of the vehicle. We do not know if the passengers noticed that she had fallen out,” Delgado wrote.

Lear suffered severe head trauma and a skull fracture that could not be repaired by surgery, Delgado added.

The Disneyland employee also accused the Anaheim resort’s managers of telling the cast members to keep quiet about the circumstances of Lear’s death.

“It didn’t have to end like this. The whole mess could have been avoided if the golf cart driver hadn’t driven so recklessly,” she continued.

“The golf cart from the entertainment department was brand new. How the hell did it fall apart?! This is just so unfair to us and the family.”

Disneyland did not immediately respond to The Post’s questions about the various allegations.

Lear worked for Disneyland for 24 years, most recently in member support services at Club 33.

The members-only club consists of several private dining clubs located throughout the various Disney parks and offers discerning guests the opportunity to escape the overwhelming crowds.

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

“Our current focus is to support her family and our cast members through this tragic event and ensure they have the resources they need.”

Anaheim police are investigating Lear’s death.