Florida’s Disneyworld Is Site of Unlikely Fatal Train Wreck
July 7th, 2009 Posted in Bizarre, News, Prototype, Video
A monorail accident early Sunday morning killed a train operator at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., according to emergency officials.
One train rear-ended another at about 2 a.m. EDT on the EPCOT track near the Disney World parking lot as people were leaving the park following a Fourth of July fireworks show, witnesses told local cable-TV news channel Central Florida News 13.
Bo Jones, deputy chief for Reedy Creek Fire Department, says one train operator died at the scene of the crash.
The other train operator was not injured, but was taken to a hospital because he was emotionally shaken. Five park guests were treated at the scene.
"Today, we mourn the loss of our fellow Cast Member. Our hearts go out to his family and to those who have lost a friend and co-worker," read a statement from Walt Disney World Vice President of Public Affairs Mike Griffin.
"The safety of our guests and Cast Members is always our top priority. The monorail is out of service as we continue to work closely with law enforcement to determine what happened and the appropriate next steps."
Jones says it is unclear what caused the crash. Orange County Sheriff’s officials and the NTSB are investigating the cause.
About a dozen guards wearing blue Disney security uniforms guarded the monorail station Sunday morning and prevented visitors from approaching the area.
Ethan Meus, who was visiting the theme park from Dubuque, Iowa, said he and his family took the monorail to dinner at a resort hotel Saturday night.
Meus, 17, watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the monorail on the way back to his hotel, he said, and didn’t notice any problems with the train.
"It’s pretty shocking to hear that a driver was killed in that accident," Meus said.
The family was planning to take the train again Sunday to visit Disney’s EPCOT Center, but now planned to take a bus, Meus added.
"You would think it would be so safe," said 20-year-old Lauren Shoebottom, who was visiting the park from London. "You don’t expect it on holiday, do you?"
According to Central Florida News 13, it was the first fatal accident in the Disney World monorail’s 38 years of operation.
According to MyFoxOrlando, Disney World has 12 monorail trains, each with 6 cars traveling the 14.7 miles of elevated rail throughout the complex.
"It’s a bit shocking," said 22-year-old Danielle Williams, of London. "Disney seems so perfect."
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2 Responses to “Florida’s Disneyworld Is Site of Unlikely Fatal Train Wreck”
By Backyard on Jul 7, 2009
I’m sorry when the day does go bad for all my friends at Walt Disney World & I know that the cast is well equipped to handle whatever they need to do, so far as Company & Federal, State of Florida & Orange County is concerned.
Having said that, go to YouTube & search Disney World Monorail & actually ride from the perspective of the cab, through speed violations, guest videos & more for a cool transportation solution with a firm that has the credits of the first daily monorail service in the Western Hemisphere!
By Steven on Aug 22, 2009
As a former Cast Member (73-74 & 79-80)- my prayers and heart go out to the parents, loved ones, co-workers & friends of that young man, who was hard at work trying to pay his bills (like many college students from FL and other states during their summer breaks)at WDW. It’s the park’s first fatality, but I’m surprised there haven’t been more, esp. considering how late he was working. I could’ve easily been its first fatality by 36 yrs. while working as a Watercraft Ferry crew hand, one of my fellow workers hurriedly gave an “all clear” verbal Okay on the loudspeaker to the other pilot house and before I knew it, I was having to hook the dock-based downward gangplank to its post with a dog-leash hook … and couldn’t. So, I had to jump for my life and thankfully I had 200 tons of water pushing towards the pilings instead of sucking me into the 6′ propeller. I was lucky and only “suffered” some bruising and a lot of good natured ribbing. The other guy barely hung on to his job. Let me say this for WDW, that place is extremely safe considering how many different rides and so many thousands of workers they’ve employed through the years. Compared to Boston’s MBTA, and its “texting trolley ‘trollers,” I’d ride Disney’s monorails any day!