Monorail Accident

[joel_maxwell]

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.

fine with me.

thanks

 

[Crazy4WDW1]

After viewing the video that was posted, I was surprised to see only one Monorail driver around. I guess at that late time most other cast members were already off the clock? Also, where was security? To see those guest milling around, video taping, was surprising. It would seem that there were guests maybe hurt/stunned or whatever in the purple train and that is why they were still there. :shrug:

 

[PlutoInOrlando]

While I understand the thoughts here about "not letting guest's return to the front of the Monorail"...
IMHO, I don't really see how that has any bearing on THIS crash as there were no guests up front with the driver, distracting him, or otherwise. With that said, "guest's" were not the cause of this accident (as it stands with what we know right now).

Guest's have been riding 'up front' for the past how many years now?...and there hasn't been a "distraction" accident. While the crash would have been much much much worse had there been guest's up front, it just doesn't make sense to say that they will 'ban' all guest's from up front.

I know, I know, it's all fun and games till someone gets hit in the eye - but still, that's like saying, no one can sit in the front or back of a roller coaster each time there's been an accident, or, well, you know what I'm trying to get at.

 

[hardcard]

I agree. Ridership in the billions. Who can boast such a safety record? Disney will fix this.

They will/are likely performing safety checks on the system to insure MAPO didn't have a breakdown last night after 38 years of service.. Once that is done, and law enforcement releases the 'scene' (the 2 trains) the trains will likely come back on line....


remember, this is a transportation system, not a 'ride'... NTSB may get involved at some point..

 

[browns99df]

Speaking of overriding the system then - do the monorails have some sort of 'black box' that they can check the sequence of events leading up to the crash?

I thought about that too and will bet that the computer logs everything the pilot does. Not only that, I'm sure there's a security camera pointed right where the monorail enters so they would be able to see if the pilot was at the controls. I have a feeling everything will be known... they just need time to get all the information and put it together.

 

[hrcollectibles]

Wow just wow.. My prayers are with the family ....

 

[Timekeeper]

 

[Master Yoda]

That was not an intentional train crash. The engineer attempted suicide after the accident out of grief. That accident happened because the engineer disregarded the signals and Metra did not have anything to prevent such human error.

UHhhhhhhh Wow... that is such a piece of garbage article. :dazzle::hurl:

My apologies. I did a quick search for an incident of recent memory. I did not go past the title. I'll find the correct article when time allows for it.

It still does not diminish the possibility that this could be the cause. It is highly unlikely but still a possibility.

 

[hardcard]

So let me get this straight since I have never driven one nor been trained too. Is this the sequence of events:

-monorail in motion
-Alert on controls of obstruction on track etc
-Driver can override alert (which if done incorrectly and they have to E-Brake they get only 3 of those mistakes)

If so...

What would set off the alert where the Driver would have the choice to override and the obstruction be false. What would a scenario be for that.

'False' alerts can occur at the spur line switches if the switch is swung to the spur, during e-brake testing, and in a few other instances.... The ONLY issue is if the driven believed they were recieving a red mapo light from the spur switch on the other side of the TTC, but thats kind of a long distance considering the accident occured on the parking lot side of the TTC..

 

[doop]

Just woke up and went to CNN.com and saw this news story. I couldn't believe my eyes! Very sad.

 

[Desperad07]

While I understand the thoughts here about "not letting guest's return to the front of the Monorail"...
IMHO, I don't really see how that has any bearing on THIS crash as there were no guests up front with the driver, distracting him, or otherwise. With that said, "guest's" were not the cause of this accident (as it stands with what we know right now).

Guest's have been riding 'up front' for the past how many years now?...and there hasn't been a "distraction" accident. While the crash would have been much much much worse had there been guest's up front, it just doesn't make sense to say that they will 'ban' all guest's from up front.

I know, I know, it's all fun and games till someone gets hit in the eye - but still, that's like saying, no one can sit in the front or back of a roller coaster each time there's been an accident, or, well, you know what I'm trying to get at.

I 100% agree with you but i think the issue is not of what HAPPENED but the sensitivity of what might happen, which typically comes from parenting (and I don't speak as a parent). All it takes is one thing to happen to make a lot of people fear that it will happen with their family or their child next. That's the outcry I'd be concerned about. It really is foolish because life is unpredictable but people want to control their fate and for a while may envision this could happen to them.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

That was my first impression. Although, he/she probably didn't realize there was a fatality. If in fact they did and kept filming, search there basement for dead kittens and dogs.

That's horrible...I feel bad for the poor CM trying to get him to stop.


And the poor kids there, too....Things like this shouldn't happen at Disney.

 

[tomm4004]

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.

 

[mpaul32001]

I admit as well, I'll be taking the ferry for a while, even after the monorail system opens back up. It would be too emotional for me to get onto a monorail right away...

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

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.

Thanks...I think it's a bit too much...

 

[donsullivan]

Speaking of overriding the system then - do the monorails have some sort of 'black box' that they can check the sequence of events leading up to the crash?

I heard a phone interview on a local news station this morning with a woman who claimed to be a 13 year Disney veteran who used to train monorail pilots. In that interview she noted that many of the events are logged but if the over-ride is ever pressed (which they use regularly for beam swaps, etc.), all the details are immediately recorded much like the 'black box' we all hear of in airplanes. She certainly gave the impression that if the safeties where over-ridden there would be a pretty detailed record of what happened. Certainly it will take some time to sort out the details of that.

She also noted that the over-ride is an active effort that requires significant force on behalf of the pilot to hold the button down for the duration of the over-ride. If the button comes back up, the over-ride is immediately cancelled.

 

[browns99df]

Things like this shouldn't happen at Disney.

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...

 

[hardcard]

I admit as well, I'll be taking the ferry for a while, even after the monorail system opens back up. It would be too emotional for me to get onto a monorail right away...

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.....

 

[mpaul32001]

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...

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...

 

[radiohost]

I was a Transportation Cast Member in 2007 in Watercraft, and still I was trained in the basic operations of monorails.

THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN!

The monorail computer goes nuts when it gets to close to another monorail. It does not happen, impossible. This driver was asleep or worse did somthing I pray would not be the case.


Prayers for his/her family!!