Tragic Monorail Accident at the Walt Disney World Resort | WDW News Today

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Tragic Monorail Accident at the Walt Disney World Resort

July 5, 2009 9:10 am

We have sad news to report this morning. It would appear that 2 monorail trains have collided. Full details are not available yet, but as they become available we will post them here. Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased driver.  Below, find details from cnn.com:

(CNN) — A monorail train at Walt Disney World crashed into the back of another train early Sunday, killing one driver, according to an amusement park spokesman and a witness interviewed by CNN.

A 2 a.m. ET monorail crash at Disney World killed one person, a park spokesperson said.

A 2 a.m. ET monorail crash at Disney World killed one person, a park spokesperson said.

The crash occurred about 2 a.m. at one of the monorail stops at Disney World in Florida, said the witness, who requested anonymity.

“Today we mourn the loss of our fellow cast member,” said a statement by Mike Griffin, Disney’s vice president for public affairs. “Our hearts go out to his family and to those who have lost a friend and co-worker.”

The statement said the monorail was shut down, “and we will continue to work closely will law enforcement to determine what happened and the appropriate next steps.”

The witness said one monorail train rammed into the back of a stationary train. A photo of the crash provided by the witness showed the front car of a train badly damaged where it hit another train at a station.

According to the witness, a family of six in one train was freed from a damaged car. The witness said the family was shaken but uninjured.

Topics: General Resort News |


Latest Forum Replies:

  1. Ohh my gosh, this is truely tragic news, mine and my family's hearts go out the drivers family.      by TheDisneyMagic
  2. That is definately the Transportation and Ticket Centre where that photo has been taken.      by TheDisneyMagic
  3. My heart goes out to the driver. How terrible.      by Desert Disney Dude
  4. Quote:
    Originally Posted by TheDisneyMagic View Post
    That is definately the Transportation and Ticket Centre where that photo has been taken.
    Yes as best as we can see it is the TTC, this is the first monorail accident in WDW history as more details become clear you will be sure to have the coverage here. Stay tuned to WDW News Today for more developments, this is truly a sad day as we said in the article our hearts are with the drivers family today.      by jheyman
  5. Not the first in WDW History. The first death from a Monorail Accident, yes.

    Quote:
    On June 26, 1985, a fire engulfed the rear car of the six-car Mark IV Silver monorail train in transit from the Epcot station to the Transportation and Ticket Center. This fire predated onboard fire detection systems, emergency exits, and evacuation planning. Passengers in the car kicked out side windows and climbed around the side of the train to reach the roof, where they were subsequently rescued by the Reedy Creek Fire Department. Seven passengers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation or other minor injuries. The fire department later determined that the fire started when a flat tire was dragged across the concrete beam, heated due to friction, and ignited.

    In 1974, a monorail train crashed into the train ahead. One driver and two passengers were injured.

    On August 30, 1991, a monorail train collided with a diesel maintenance work tractor near the Contemporary Resort as the tractor drove closely in front of the train to film it for a commercial. Two cast members were treated at a hospital for injuries.

    An electrical fire occurred on a train pulling into the Magic Kingdom station on August 12, 1996. The driver and the five passengers onboard exited safely. Two bus drivers who witnessed the fire and assisted were overcome by smoke and treated at a nearby hospital.

    On July 5, 2009, the pink monorail train hit the stationary purple monorail train on the Epcot line at the Ticket and Transportation Center station at about 2 a.m., killing one operator. Two employees and five guests who were on the trains were uninjured.
         by Matt Paul
  6. Really awful news, it appears some of our staff actually knew the driver. Our prayers go out to the family and friends.      by WDW News Today
  7. How awful. My heart goes out to the driver who was killed.
    Anyone know what's going to happen with transportation now that the monorail isn't in use?      by disneygirl
  8. Quote:
    Originally Posted by disneygirl View Post
    How awful. My heart goes out to the driver who was killed.
    Anyone know what's going to happen with transportation now that the monorail isn't in use?
    For the time being, guests can use buses and watercraft to get to and from the TTC, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Polynesian, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot.      by WDW News Today
  9. This is awful how could it happen? thank goodness no one else was killed, and as for the operator and his family, our hearts go to you.      by Imagineer2017
  10. Now with this tragic accident, what do we believe will happen to the monorail system?
    Will they replace the pink and purple trains or stay with 10? will new trains replace all? will monorails be safer?      by Imagineer2017
  11. I'm sure after an incident like this, there will be safety checks done to all the monorail vehicles. It's sad to see something like this happen in a place like Disney. I will not be afraid to ride the monorails though, because the risk has always been there of crashing, and honestly after this safety will increase quite a bit I believe. Now will they replace the damaged trains? I think they will go a while without them and see how it goes, though by time the spring break season comes around I think there will be at least one new train.      by connor
  12. the first death in a monorail accident and hopefully the last. Such a terrible accident. Pray for the operator and his family.      by connor
  13. A sad day for all      by jonplesz
  14. Very sad indeed. Hopefully nothing like this happens ever again.      by dlnewstoday
  15. Monorails generally have a 20 year life span, and the Mark VI's lifespan is just about up. I'd expect an entirely new Monorail fleet sometime in the next few years.      by dlnewstoday
  16. there is no reason they couldn't fabricate new nose cones for the damaged trains or combine what's good and make one from two. The monorails are safe and will be fine and running again soon enough, this is still very tragic      by jheyman
  17. Quote:
    Originally Posted by jheyman View Post
    there is no reason they couldn't fabricate new nose cones for the damaged trains or combine what's good and make one from two. The monorails are safe and will be fine and running again soon enough, this is still very tragic
    Yeah, but why build a new nose-cone if you're just going to build a new fleet a few years down the line anyway?      by dlnewstoday
  18. The best reason to build a new nose cone at this point in time is to adhere to the number of guests attempting to use the system at a time. WDW wants to get as many people through on that monorail in as little time as possible while attempting to do it as safely as possible. The more trains you have the less time people have to wait.

    My heart goes out to the family, friends, and co-workers of Austin. And I personally will continue riding the monorail. Nearly 38 years and one death is a great record in my opinion. Sad, but great.      by DBHNewsletter
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