Terrifying WEDWAY (TTA) experience

[hpyhnt 1000]

Whew! Wow, I've always wondered if/when something like this would happen. With all the times we've been on the TTA, we've never had an experience like that. We've come close once, over at The Land coming out of Soarin on the escalator. A group of five decides to stop right at the exit of the escalator to decide where they want to go next. :hammer:I guess they didn't realize that they weren't the only ones on the escalator at the time. :brick:Thankfully, the screams of the people behind them (myself in cluded) about to step off got them to move out of the way before things got really dicey.

I can't believe the CMs did nothing about this; not knowing is not an answer, nor is it an excuse. Regardless of whose responsibility it is to monitor the conveyor belt, ALL CMs need to know how to perform an E-Stop and where an E-Stop button is located. I do hope that was an isolated incident, and that steps are being taken to fix it, because there was a real breakdown in oversight. *shakes head*

 

[Disney05]

Off topic: Why were the crowds huge in October?

I'm thinking the Columbus and Yom Kippur holidays. A lot of schools had off.

 

[marni1971]

A group of five decides to stop right at the exit of the escalator to decide where they want to go next. I guess they didn't realize that they weren't the only ones on the escalator at the time.

This is why humans have elbows.

 

[diddy_mouse]

...over at The Land coming out of Soarin on the escalator. A group of five decides to stop right at the exit of the escalator to decide where they want to go next. :hammer:I guess they didn't realize that they weren't the only ones on the escalator at the time. :brick:

I've experienced this to. My husband and I always end up taking the stairs as opposed to the escalator because of the group of "duh" that tends to congregate...not to say it hasn't happened at the bottom of the stairs too. Oh well, I guess its a loose-loose situation. :shrug: :hammer:

 

[EpcotServo]

"Irwin Allen's The Towering Speedramp Inferno Adventure"

 

[EdHi]

"Irwin Allen's The Towering Speedramp Inferno Adventure"

Do they have fast passes for this?

 

[EdHi]

Sorry, don't mean to make light of this. I was almost involved in one of these, myself. Don't really remember where though The Land does ring a bell.

 

[EpcotServo]

This is why humans have elbows.

Incident simulation:

People getting to top of Speedramp...

"OH NOEZ! Dude muv ur butt!"
"Ahhh!!!1 kkeep mofvin!"
"LEROY, KEEP MOVIN"
"We' cants moves!"
"Oh noez! The ramps is moving us, we can't possible stop it!"
"hi peoplez Im here!"
"Noob, we're totally stuck"
"KEEP MOVING YOU GUYS"
"We can't"
"Can't"
"Second"
"WTH? Somebosy stop it?
"CAN GET OFF SPEEDRAMP?"
"ROFL"
"Can't we just all squeeze in up there"
"(@_@)"
"REZ PLS"

 

[MyNameisStitch]

Are they ever warned to not stop the belt unless absolutely necessary due to the grade of the incline? Just wondering, because it seems like if CMs are told to act with any reservations that they become terrified to hit an E-Stop/System Stop/etc. when a situation arises.

I used to be a ride operator at Six Flags and this was how we were trained for E-Stops. An Emergency Stop was a complete shutdown of power to the entire attraction. It disengages any motors and all brakes are designed "fail safe" so if power is disconnected they automatically engage. It was only to be used in the event that a Guest or Employee was in immediate danger. Typically it gets engaged quickly so it needs to stand out on the panel, thus the large size and prominent color on the board which makes it easy to engage very quickly. I don't know if this is the case with Disney attractions (i'm guessing probably so) but an E-Stop would trigger an alarm both at the attraction and in the operations office. Also an E-Stop cannot be disabled once pressed without a maintenance employee because it was a complete shutdown of the entire system

Now, from the sound of this situation if people were piling up and being crushed I personally would have probably E-Stopped the attraction because there was the potential of people falling down the ramp from having their feet pulled out from under them. But you have to remember that this also inconveniences alot of guests on the attraction so its a decision you have to make very quickly but very responsibly.

I had to E-Stop a Roller Coaster one time because a kid had gotten away from his parents, climbed under the rail and was very close to the track. It was a very messy situation because with Roller Coasters they can't just be restarted. There's no way to get the momentum back. The ride had to be evacuated and was shut down for the rest of the day so that maintenance could remove the train from the track and move it back into the station. I had to fill out an E-Stop report with my manager detailing the situation and my manager agreed that I made the right decision.

 

[fernix]

This happened in March 2006 as well. Our family was at the top of belt and waiting for the gate to be opened. The CM was trying to help an old lady out of on of the cars and wasn't aware that the crowd was building at the barrier. We were shouting at her to open the barrier or stop the belt and my father had to lift a small child about three over the barrier as he was being crushed. When we approached the CM to ask how it had happened, she looked at us completely blank and didn't answer.

I don't think anyone was hurt, but certainly shaken.

On the same day my husband had to grab a small child who fell between the cars on Big Thunder Mountain, nearly onto the tracks. My DS 8 at time was very upset and still does not like to talk about it

 

[pixel-dust]

Incident simulation:

People getting to top of Speedramp...

"OH NOEZ! Dude muv ur butt!"
"Ahhh!!!1 kkeep mofvin!"
"LEROY, KEEP MOVIN"
"We' cants moves!"
"Oh noez! The ramps is moving us, we can't possible stop it!"
"hi peoplez Im here!"
"Noob, we're totally stuck"
"KEEP MOVING YOU GUYS"
"We can't"
"Can't"
"Second"
"WTH? Somebosy stop it?
"CAN GET OFF SPEEDRAMP?"
"ROFL"
"Can't we just all squeeze in up there"
"(@_@)"
"REZ PLS"

LOLZ--
That "REZ PLS" got me! Maybe while we wait for the rez, the ramp will reset.

 

[the-reason14]

Yes something like this has happened to me before. It wasnt for very long but I think me and my brother were on the ramp for the tta, and there was a blockage of people at the top, but it wasnt that severe. I just had to push a few people to make sure I got on the platform safely and that everyone else behind me was ok, but it wasnt fun, but it also wasnt as bad as the op.

 

[marni1971]

As an aside, Space Mountain was designed to have a speedramp in the entrance tunnel from the base of the ramp all the way to the zig zag section. It was eliminated before it was fitted for this very reason.

 

[WEDisney]

Time to give answers


The greeter cast member at the entrance of TTA is responsible for keeping the load belt clear. They are supposed to stop groups from entering when the load platform backs up. They do not actually turn off the belt however. Load 1, who lets you get into your car is resposible for turning off the belt if needed. There is a small switch along the queue rail to turn off the belt. There is also an E-Stop on the control panel but that it not usually the method used to stop the belt.

When in August did you visit? There is a new batch of ICP and CP cast members that come in and chances are they were recently trained and did not remember the procedure for stopping the belt.


So please know there are procedures in place and they have been in place for a long time. The problem is making sure the CM is always paying attention to the queue and not daydreaming.

This is good to know that there are procedures in place and I really hope more training is implemented. This happened on August 16th at 4:43PM.

 

[coasterphil]

I used to be a ride operator at Six Flags and this was how we were trained for E-Stops. An Emergency Stop was a complete shutdown of power to the entire attraction. It disengages any motors and all brakes are designed "fail safe" so if power is disconnected they automatically engage. It was only to be used in the event that a Guest or Employee was in immediate danger. Typically it gets engaged quickly so it needs to stand out on the panel, thus the large size and prominent color on the board which makes it easy to engage very quickly. I don't know if this is the case with Disney attractions (i'm guessing probably so) but an E-Stop would trigger an alarm both at the attraction and in the operations office. Also an E-Stop cannot be disabled once pressed without a maintenance employee because it was a complete shutdown of the entire system

Now, from the sound of this situation if people were piling up and being crushed I personally would have probably E-Stopped the attraction because there was the potential of people falling down the ramp from having their feet pulled out from under them. But you have to remember that this also inconveniences alot of guests on the attraction so its a decision you have to make very quickly but very responsibly.

I had to E-Stop a Roller Coaster one time because a kid had gotten away from his parents, climbed under the rail and was very close to the track. It was a very messy situation because with Roller Coasters they can't just be restarted. There's no way to get the momentum back. The ride had to be evacuated and was shut down for the rest of the day so that maintenance could remove the train from the track and move it back into the station. I had to fill out an E-Stop report with my manager detailing the situation and my manager agreed that I made the right decision.

I know that they always stress that an E-Stop is only to be pressed when a guest or employee is in imminent danger, but some parks/attractions stress that more than others and are pretty effective in paralyzing their employees in the case of a possible emergency because of it. Obviously managers don't want to deal with a ride being down for hours/evacuating guests unless there was a problem, but it seems like a lot of employees won't ever hit a E-Stop because of their fear.

With the added danger of people possibly tumbling back down the incline if the belt is suddenly stopped, I was specifically wondering if CMs there are given the "don't touch this unless someone is dying otherwise you'll be reprimanded/fired" speech during their training.

 

[jmcdougall]

Yes you read the post right. This past August my family and I were heading to one of our favorite attractions, WEDWAY. We got on the conveyor belt that takes you to the top of the platform where you board. When we reached the platform there was a blockage. Something happened on the platform that caused the queue to stop but the conveyor belt continued to pour people up into the mob on the platform. People started screaming for the ride operator to stop the conveyor belt but both workers looked like a deer in headlights. I was holding my 8 month old daughter when I saw two little arms lying under a pile of adults. I still don’t know how I did it but I reached down (still holding my 8 month old) and pulled the kids (who had to be 3 and 5) out from under the pile of adults. They were crying and visibly shaking but seemed unhurt. The conveyor continued to pour people up onto the platform as parents and kids screamed and cried. My brother and I were pulling kids out of the pile left and right and giving them to people behind us who were placing them out of harms way. It was like something out of a disaster film. All this while the workers stood there not knowing what to do. Once it was over the mother (of the children I pulled out) came to me crying and hugged me. There was a language barrier so I don’t know what she actually said.

After this happened we demanded to see a manager because if this happens again the cast members HAVE to know what to do. We spoke with a manager who apologized and told us to head to city hall to log a report. At City Hall the nice woman behind the desk tried to handle the situation by offering us fast passes. We informed her that we were not doing this to receive something but because there was a failure of the system. She kept using the term a “potential threat” and finally we demanded another manager because there was nothing “potential” about it. It happened. It was a threat. Maybe because no one was seriously injured or died they considered it a “potential threat”. We waited about 10 minutes and the senior manager in charge of all the attractions came to meet with us. He took down all the information and was very helpful. We assured him that we wanted nothing out of this and that our main concern was that it didn’t happen again. He assured us that steps would be taken but because of unions and rules he was not allowed to approach the cast members directly but will be allowed to once the incident was logged. We talked to him for over an hour as calls came across his radio that he ignored. We have no idea if anything was done or safeguards were put in place but I was a little upset about the way Disney handled it all. Until we got the senior manager we were being bought off as if that’s all the people want (unfortunately most do). In the end the manager seemed like he was on the ball and even offered to take us around the park as his guests the next day. We declined.

Has anyone seen anything like this? We are annual pass holders for the past 15 years and I have been to Disney World over 100 times (not bad for living in NY) and this was the first time I feel like they really dropped the ball. I was there on Sept. 11th and I was so amazed at how calmly they handled everything and I even found out about the safeguards they had in place in case it they were a target (room for every guest and cast member in the utilidors if needed, not sure if it could be done but I bet they would try). Something like this one of the most tame rides in the park was overwhelming. I have to say that it took me a couple of days to recover from the fear and adrenaline rush. We did ride WEDWAY during the trip again and the ride went off without a hitch. It is still one my favorite rides but I will never forget the screams of the parents as their kids were being squashed.

A few years ago we rode Haunted Mansion with my adult children and my 79 year old Dad. My dad was to ride with my 16 year old daughter. My husband and I got pushed back by the crowd trying to board the doom buggies and we were in line and saw my Dad falter (the dark) and go to step between the 2 cars. I screamed and my 20 year old daughter leaped out of her car and grabbed him and helped him into his car. We did not blame anyone as at his age we need to stay close (we have fixed this by one of us in front and back of him) but we were shocked at the cast members. When I screamed he realized he was in the wrong place and he sat back on the lap bar behind him. My daughter safely got to him and placed him in his car but at NO time did the conveyer belt stop. The cast member hardly glanced at him. I guess I should have notified disney that this could be a problem but we are used to taking care of each other. You were right to report it. Janine

 

[marni1971]

^ That is still an issue. White marks have been added on the Doombuggie step edges (not by upper management) to assist guests in seeing where they should step. It took an injury (and several years) before SSEs load was modified to prevent a similar mess happening between the load turntable and the time machine vehicles. Accidents do happen. Remember when PotC had a duel load setup? No? That`s why.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

^ That is still an issue. White marks have been added on the Doombuggie step edges (not by upper management) to assist guests in seeing where they should step. It took an injury (and several years) before SSEs load was modified to prevent a similar mess happening between the load turntable and the time machine vehicles. Accidents do happen. Remember when PotC had a duel load setup? No? That`s why.

Okay, you can't just go saying something like that and expect me to go quietly. :lookaroun What is this "dual load setup" you speak of? :veryconfu

 

[marni1971]

Okay, you can't just go saying something like that and expect me to go quietly. :lookaroun What is this "dual load setup" you speak of? :veryconfu

It`s no secret but not exactly common knowledge. When Pirates opened, there were originally 2 load channels, like the BTM setup. Remember the old boat and assorted props next to the present load channel? That is a bridge deck over the original channel. The 2 channels would merge half way around the turn into the waterfalls. A single submerged guide fin would swing back and forth to make the appropiate channel open and close as the next boat was dispatched. Not long after opening, a guest did not keep his hand inside the boat as the fin, under pressure of the passing boat, trapped his fingers between the fin and the underwater track guidewall.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

It`s no secret but not exactly common knowledge. When Pirates opened, there were originally 2 load channels, like the BTM setup. Remember the old boat and assorted props next to the present load channel? That is a bridge deck over the original channel. The 2 channels would merge half way around the turn into the waterfalls. A single submerged guide fin would swing back and forth to make the appropiate channel open and close as the next boat was dispatched. Not long after opening, a guest did not keep his hand inside the boat as the fin, under pressure of the passing boat, trapped his fingers between the fin and the underwater track guidewall.

Ooooh! That had to hurt! *sigh* You gotta love stupid people. :brick:Okay, thanks for sharing. :wave: Incidentally, when was that second channel discontinued?