Man Dies From Disneyland Accident

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) _ A tourist who suffered head injuries in an accident aboard Disneyland’s Columbia sailing ship died after he was taken off life support.

Luan Phi Dawson was brain-dead for nearly 11 hours before he was removed from life support and pronounced dead Saturday night. His body was kept functioning to allow a relative to arrive and see him.

Dawson, 33, of Duvall, Wash., had two major injuries to his brain and to a major blood vessel in his head, Dr. Richard Kim of the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center said Sunday.

Dawson and his wife, Lieu Vuong, were struck in the head when a mooring rope tore a foot-long metal cleat from the hull of the park’s sailing ship and whipped it into a crowd on Christmas Eve. Disneyland worker Christine Carpenter suffered major leg injuries.

Ms. Vuong, 43, was upgraded from critical to fair condition at UCI Medical Center on Saturday and remained stable Sunday, nursing supervisor Nancy Rhomberg said. Ms. Vuong had plastic surgery for cuts to the right side of her face.

Hospital officials said Ms. Carpenter, 30, of Anaheim, was in good condition at Western Medical Center-Anaheim on Saturday but have stopped giving updates on her condition.

The Columbia, a full-sized replica of an old American sailing ship, remains closed to be examined.

``I would like to offer out most heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the family of Luan Dawson,″ Paul Pressler, president of Walt Disney Attractions, said in a statement issued Sunday.