1 Dead In Disney Monorail Crash
No Magic Kingdom Guests Injured, Officials Say
POSTED: Sunday, July 5, 2009
UPDATED: 10:15 am EDT July 5, 2009
One person is killed when two monorails collide at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Walt Disney World employee was killed when two monorails carrying several guests collided at Magic Kingdom, emergency officials said.
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VIDEO: Guests Try To Help Driver
IMAGES: Deadly Disney Monorail Crash
According to Reedy Creek Emergency Services, the monorails collided at about 2 a.m. Sunday, killing one of the train operators.
The name of the driver has not been released. The operator of the other monorail was not injured.
Eight other people were evaluated after the crash, but no other injuries were reported.
A witness told Local 6 News that he heard a loud crashing noise when the monorails collided. Video obtained exclusively by Local 6 News shows guests trying to help the driver who was killed in the crash.
The monorail has been closed, and an investigation into the fatal accident is under way.
Walt Disney World vice president of public affairs Mike Griffin issued a statement offering condolences to the employee's family.
"Today, we mourn the loss of a fellow cast member. Our hearts go out to the family and fellow cast members who lost a coworker and a friend. Safety of our guests and cast members is our top priority. We will work with law enforcement to determine what happened," Griffin said in the statement.
A Disney spokeswoman declined to discuss details of the accident.