Monorail Accident

[EPCOT Explorer]

I'll be on the system as soon as it reopens.. No doubt in my mind. I trust the system... I understand why you say you won't...... Hell, I'd love to be one of the first to ride on the newly refurbed purple or pink when they come back online..

This is early for this kind of talk, but we have to see what is wrong with the train first.. if the steel was mangled, or just the fiberglass bodies and windshields.., etc..

Either way, they'll look brand spanking new when they roll out of the shop..

I would expect that we won't see the trains again once they are rolled off the beam (if they haven't been already) and into the shop.....

Same here. Ride it as a salute to the CM.


Seeing that you are posting about repairs, do you think they will modify these trains? And the rest of the fleet?

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I hope you don't mean this literally. It really annoys me when people think Disney is some supernatural force that is immune to everything bad that happens in the real world. It's sad because people really think that...

No, I mean it's a place where you are supposed to loose your connection to the real world. Revel in your innocence...Not be shocked back to it.

I think what he means is Disney is supposed to be the place "Where Dreams Come True", "Where Magic Lives", and "The Most Magical Place on Earth". This situation doesn't fall into any of these categories...

Exactly, Matt...Thanks.

 

[jt04]

That video was eerie, especially with them calling into the cab hoping for a response from the driver. At that time nobody knew of any fatalities. It's common now for people involved in accidents to take pictures or video. In some cases, it may provide investigators with helpful information. It actually surprised me that the monorail attendant even bothered to ask the person to stop with all that was going on.

It's interesting too that one door on purple was open with several people crowded around as if they had just disembarked. A couple men even walked on for a second then walked back out.

I used to agree with others that taking a video is very poor taste, but I have softened on that because eyewitness testimony is so unreliable and it really can help investigators. But my first response would have been to drop everything and help not grab my camera.

Sad and tragic for the family. Let's hope they can figure out exactly what happened here so it never happens again.

 

[Desperad07]

I'll be on the system as soon as it reopens.. No doubt in my mind. I trust the system... I understand why you say you won't...... Hell, I'd love to be one of the first to ride on the newly refurbed purple or pink when they come back online..

This is early for this kind of talk, but we have to see what is wrong with the train first.. if the steel was mangled, or just the fiberglass bodies and windshields.., etc..

Either way, they'll look brand spanking new when they roll out of the shop..

I would expect that we won't see the trains again once they are rolled off the beam (if they haven't been already) and into the shop.....

The crazy thing is that you are more likely to get into a crash flying to WDW, taxiing or bussing to the resort, driving around the resort, and even ferrying or boating around the lagoons, then every get into a monorail accident like this. Yet people won't think about the risks in those other modes of transportation. I live right outside of NYC and there have been a pair of really bad Ferry crashes in recent years so I'd be more scared to get on one of those (even if Disney's ferry record is impeccable).

 

[hardcard]

Same here. Ride it as a salute to the CM.


Seeing that you are posting about repairs, do you think they will modify these trains? And the rest of the fleet?

Exactly.. Salute to the CM, and salute to a safety system that is in place.. I'm sure changes will come as part of this.. but 38 years of safety doesn't lie...

Having said that, I do respect anyone who does not want to ride the system for a while in respect for the loss of life..

Something crazy happened...... thats for sure.

 

[Monty]

I don't mean this to sound insensitive but the subject is up in the air, so I'll put my two cents in. I don't know how Disney could shut the monorail down for an extended period of time (some have noted a year or other long intervals). It was a one-time accident that should be investigated and fixed, but the concept of the ride should not be shelved unless the system completely failed. Nor should the practice of cockpit riders. I think another issue is the logistics of transportation for some top Deluxe resorts. Again, not to sound insensitive...i just think that would create such a massive problem that Disney would look to get this fixed and resolved immediately. People are sad and angry and confused right now. But in two weeks, some family is going to check into their $400-a-night Polynesian stay and not expect to have to take busses everywhere. That's not insensitive for them at that particular moment...but it's an unfortunate issue that Disney must deal with (and likely has with ride-specific accidents in the past, even if they were due to health issues) after the dust clears on this awful accident.

The time to conduct a proper investigation should be taken. I doubt it would be a year, but if the investigation reveals systemic safety problems that need to be corrected and tested before operations resume then it might be a long time. :shrug:

At this point it is unrealistic to guess. However, I doubt the system will operate at all until there are answers as to what happened [conceivably within hours or days, possibly months]. To do otherwise would be negligent.

Sorry everybody, I deleted the link to the post crash video (if anyone wants to see it I'm sure a web search will bring it up easily). That video shouldn't have been taken and although it is noteworthy I don't feel right about it being linked to from here. Sorry.

Thank you.

 

[Timekeeper]

It's common now for people involved in accidents to take pictures or video.

It's common now? It's been common for as long as cameras have existed. "News gathering" (whether by professionals or nonprofessionals) has always kept up with and taken advantage of modern technology.

On that note, I wonder if there are any "surveillance" cameras or footage that WDW positions at the monorail stations...?

 

[BalooChicago]

This is very sad.

Even once it reopens it seems they'll be down at least one train, possibly two.

Should they be able to use the other ends of each train to have one complete set until the these are repaired?

I wonder if this will speed up replacement plans.

I would not be surprised if they ended up driverless like the Vegas monorails eventually.

 

[wdwfan100]

I am only suggesting this simply because it has not been brought up yet and as a technical query for those that are far more knowledgeable than I in how the monorail works.

From what I am gathering from the information already in this thread it would take either a combination of operator error and mechanical failure (MAPO and the driver not paying attention) or a double mechanical failure (MAPO and the dead mans switch if the driver was incapacitated). While both scenarios are plausible neither seem all that probable.

Is it possible that this was intentional? Is that even possible? Can a driver simply disable the safety systems and hit another monorail?

To tell you the truth this thought did cross my mind. I would hope and pray that was not the case. It is very sad regardless of the cause. I too offer prayer for all involved.

 

[mpaul32001]

I'll be on the system as soon as it reopens.. No doubt in my mind. I trust the system... I understand why you say you won't...... Hell, I'd love to be one of the first to ride on the newly refurbed purple or pink when they come back online..

My reasoning is that this CM, loaded us onto the Epcot Monorail about 2 hours before the crash. Just the fact that we saw him several hours before is enough to add a huge emotional attachment to the situation.

 

[jeopardyfish]

How awful this is...fortunately so few people were involved. The death of the driver is a terrible loss. The ages of these systems may be working against them...the recent Metrorail crash in Washington involved stock of similar age, I believe. How very shocking...I'm not sure what to say.

 

[mpaul32001]

The Orlando Sentinel has released a name:

Austin Wenneberg, 21, a Disney employee who was piloting one of the monorails died at the scene of the accident, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. One other employee was transported to Florida Hospital Celebration. The second driver's injuries were not serious, Griffin said.

It is in fact the CM who loaded us in the wheelchair section last night at Epcot onto Monorail Purple...

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Exactly.. Salute to the CM, and salute to a safety system that is in place.. I'm sure changes will come as part of this.. but 38 years of safety doesn't lie...

Having said that, I do respect anyone who does not want to ride the system for a while in respect for the loss of life..

Something crazy happened...... thats for sure.

Right.


I am wondering...Will they close it?

My reasoning is that this CM, loaded us onto the Epcot Monorail about 2 hours before the crash. Just the fact that we saw him several hours before is enough to add a huge emotional attachment to the situation.

Did you happen to catch his name? I am wonderig and praying it is not someone I know.

 

[wickedfan07]

Same here. Ride it as a salute to the CM.


Seeing that you are posting about repairs, do you think they will modify these trains? And the rest of the fleet?

It's way too soon to speculate about that. Let's give them a chance to figure out what happened first. No one at Disney wants to have to deal with this, and I am sure they will fix this the right way, no matter how long it takes.

I never know what to say in these kinds of threads, whch is why I don't usually reply to them. (What can I do or say on a message board that will help or change whatever has happened?) I just hope this can get sorted out soon and that everyone involved finds some kind of comfort eventually.

Let's give Disney a chance to figure it out. The world will keep turning if the monorails are down for a week or two. There are ferries and buses to get people to MK.

 

[hardcard]

My reasoning is that this CM, loaded us onto the Epcot Monorail about 2 hours before the crash. Just the fact that we saw him several hours before is enough to add a huge emotional attachment to the situation.

not to criticize you, but do you know for sure it was the same CM? The drivers on the trains are swapped out VERY regularly.. Just because John Doe was driving Pink or Purple 2 hours prior, doesn't mean they were driving it then.. Doesn't mean there were driving it 10 minutes after you left it....

Again, either way, I still understand your position..... Just curious as to whether or not you KNOW it was the same CM

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

The Orlando Sentinel has released a name:



It is in fact the CM who loaded us in the wheelchair section last night at Epcot onto Monorail Purple...

I'm sorry.

 

[mpaul32001]

not to criticize you, but do you know for sure it was the same CM? The drivers on the trains are swapped out VERY regularly.. Just because John Doe was driving Pink or Purple 2 hours prior, doesn't mean they were driving it then.. Doesn't mean there were driving it 10 minutes after you left it....

Again, either way, I still understand your position..... Just curious as to whether or not you KNOW it was the same CM

I know for a fact it was him. Same name on the tag as Disney released. He was a very sharp guy, and one of the nicest monorail CM's i've met.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

It's way too soon to speculate about that. Let's give them a chance to figure out what happened first. No one at Disney wants to have to deal with this, and I am sure they will fix this the right way, no matter how long it takes.

I never know what to say in these kinds of threads, whch is why I don't usually reply to them. (What can I do or say on a message board that will help or change whatever has happened?) I just hope this can get sorted out soon and that everyone involved finds some kind of comfort eventually.

Let's give Disney a chance to figure it out. The world will keep turning if the monorails are down for a week or two. There are ferries and buses to get people to MK.

Oh, of course!


I was just wondering more of long term.:shrug:

 

[browns99df]

The Orlando Sentinel has released a name:



It is in fact the CM who loaded us in the wheelchair section last night at Epcot onto Monorail Purple...

I kind of doubt that you actually remember that, but let's pretend for a second it's true. Tell us about him... was he... nice?

 

[LivingtheDream]

I can tell you from personal experience, being in the public transportation sector, that Disney will not have the final say as to when the monorail will be put back into service ... both the NTSB (due to the fact that the area involved is public transport) and OSHA ( due to the death of an employee) will not allow the system to be put back in until an initial cause can be determined (human, mechanical, or a combination of both) ...