21 year old Austin Wuennenberg, the driver of a Walt Disney World monorail in Orlando Florida, was killed about 2 A.M. at a ticket and transport center, when the train he was conducting rammed into the rear of a stationary train. There were eight people on board his train at the time, none of whom were injured.
The monorail was returning from Epcot Center when the crash occurred. It was the first fatal crash in the parks 38 year history although, according to park historians, there has also been a death at Disney Land in California involving a monorail.
A 2 a.m. ET monorail crash at Disney World killed one person, a park spokesman said.
Safety first? Questions remain: Who turned off “Fail Safe?”
A former monorail pilot said, all Disney monorails are equipped with a sophisticated “anti-collision” system that automatically stops the trains if they get too close to each other. The former pilot said the system must be shut off when the monorails are put into storage for the night.
“In order for that train, the blue train, to get close to that red train, you’ve got to override the safety system, basically,” the former monorail operator said.
4th of July celebrations.
Passengers watched the Magic Kingkom fireworks display from the monorail but said there were no problems with the train.
Witness says one monorail train rammed into a stationary train.
Safety, a touchy subject at amusment parks. Public affairs officer issues condolences to family of “cast member.”
Walt Disney World Vice President of Public Affairs Mike Griffin issued a statement offering condolences to the employee’s family.
“Today, we mourn the loss of a fellow cast member. Our hearts go out to the family and fellow cast members who lost a coworker and a friend. Safety of our guests and cast members is our top priority. We will work with law enforcement to determine what happened,” Griffin said in the statement.
Griffin would not comment on the circumstances surrounding the crash.
“They are extremely rare,” Griffin said of accidents at the park. “The safety of our guests and cast are a top priority above all else.”
see: Disney World monorail crash kills driver, amature video, 1 Dead In Disney Monorail Crash
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