Disney worker ‘recovering’ after stopping 180kg boulder from ploughing into packed crowd

A Disney World cast member is being praised for saving lives after he threw himself in front of an out-of-control boulder to stop it from ploughing through a packed crowd.

The 180kg boulder is a prop used to recreate the famous Indiana Jones scene in the film’s Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Wild footage of the incident captures the moment the boulder flew off the rails and bounded toward the audience, which included children.

Seconds before the giant rock would have tumbled into the audience, the Disney worker ran in and took the impact, changing the boulder’s course.

The audience can be heard gasping as the worker was knocked to the ground and his colleagues quickly rushed to his aide.

The show was immediately stopped and the injured worker was helped from the stage.

“We’re focused on supporting our cast member, who is recovering,” Disney said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Safety is at the heart of what we do, and that element of the show will be modified as our safety team completes a review of what happened.”

Online, users are praising the injured employee for saving the lives of those in the crowd.

In one clip a man can be heard saying “he literally saved our lives, that guy”.

One witness told People, “a worker named Robert stepped in front and saved us from getting smashed”.

“It was a crazy experience and definitely one that we will remember.”

According to the Disney World website, actors perform “incredible stunts with explosive special effects”.

“Along the way, get an inside look at how stunts are done with demonstrations that reveal how to safely throw and take punches, fall from tall buildings, and even wield whips in the midst of complex action sequences”, the website said.

The prop boulder is made of rubber but weighs a whopping 180kg and is designed to move with speed.

The show has resumed but under modified operations.