As a bit of a Disney-holic, I was very saddened by this news. (We were just there a week ago, too.)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-disney-world-monorail-crash-2-070509,0,4851944.story
FROM THE ORLANDO SENTINEL:
A witness painted a hectic picture of the deadly collision of two monorail trains at the Walt Disney World resort early Sunday morning.
The crash that killed 21-year-old monorail pilot Austin Wuennenberg "was the most horrific thing I have ever personally experienced," said Gary Vinson, Jr., who was standing in line waiting for a tram when the accident occurred.
"You could tell from the sound it was going faster than normal, then came the impact which sounded just like a terrible automobile accident," said Vinson, in an email. "I could see a passenger banging on the window....All of the bystanders kept yelling, 'Don't jump' and 'Stay in the train.' Then the train backed up toward the bay, tearing off more pieces that were protruding."
Walt Disney World spokesman Mike Griffin said the crash happened at about 2 a.m. Sunday at the Transportation and Ticket Center, on one of the monorail's last runs of the day.
Walt Disney World officials said they are working with law enforcement officials to find out what happened.
"Our heart goes out to the cast member and the family," Griffin said.
Wuennenberg, a Kissimmee resident who was piloting the one of the monorail trains, was pronounced dead 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.
Wuennenberg, who attended Celebration High School, was studying computer science at Stetson University, according to a profile on the social networking site Facebook.com. He began working as a monorail pilot at Walt Disney World in October, according to the profile.
Anyone with information about the incident or snapped photos can e-mail the Orlando Sentinel here.
* WESH.com photos of the scene:
http://www.wesh.com/slideshow/news/19956082/detail.html
* ClickOrlando.com video, shot by a guest:
http://www.clickorlando.com/video/19956043/index.html
The trains were transporting guests leaving Epcot. Six park guests were on the train during the crash, and were evaluated by paramedics at the scene according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
The park was operating normally Sunday, except for the closure of the monorail. Guests, who were being directed to buses instead, did not seem deterred by the accident.
Park guest Scott Shea, of Winter Springs, had already heard about the accident when he arrived at the park Sunday morning.
"I heard it happened at 2 a.m.," said Shea, who was visiting Walt Disney World with his family. "Just must have been due to tiredness."
The wreck is the first fatal accident in the Walt Disney World monorail system's almost 38-year history. However, at Disneyland in California, there has been at least one death on the monorail system, according to park historians.
According to a former Walt Disney World monorail driver, the vehicles were outfitted with a safety system called Mapo. The former driver, who said he drove the current Mark VI monorail trains, said as soon as the monorail train gets within two checkpoints of another train, it automatically stops.
The former driver said he believes there are about 150 to 200 feet between checkpoints. He said drivers whose monorail train had to be shut down three times were removed permanently from their position.
In a video of Saturday's incident obtained by WKMG-Local 6, several guests gathered on the platform as riders exited the monorail after the crash.
A man who appears to be a Walt Disney World employee told bystanders there were guests and a driver still in the monorail cars.
"Is there somebody in here?" one guest said, referring to the smashed front of one Monorail.
"Yes. The driver," the apparent employee said.
The video shows park guests attempting to get to the trapped driver, banging on the windows of monorail. When the apparent employee realized the incident was being taped, he forced the cameraman to stop filming.
Walt Disney World released the following statement from Griffin regarding the incident:
"Today, we mourn the loss of our fellow cast member. Our hearts go out to his family and to those who have lost a friend and co-worker. The safety of our guests and cast members is always our top priority. The monorail is out of service and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement to determine what happened and the approximate next steps."
Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/19954891/detail.html
