Driver killed in monorail crash....

[Kurby]

i know there have been a few other accidents with the monorail but is this the first death?

i think disney should put a memorial plaque up of some kind. maybe on the lower level near the entrance.

i hope they do do it somewhere

 

[Notatourist]

i know there have been a few other accidents with the monorail but is this the first death?

i think disney should put a memorial plaque up of some kind. maybe on the lower level near the entrance.

i hope they do do it somewhere

My thought was sponsoring a scholarship at Stetson where Austin the pilot was going..

 

[JMD]

I haven't read through all 25 pages of this thread, but why was the monorail still running at 2am? Is that normal hours or was there EMH or something else going on? I would have figured the parks were long closed at that time.

Sorry if this has been discussed, just trying to get caught up on everyting.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I haven't read through all 25 pages of this thread, but why was the monorail still running at 2am? Is that normal hours or was there EMH or something else going on? I would have figured the parks were long closed at that time.

Sorry if this has been discussed, just trying to get caught up on everyting.

The parks were open late due to the holiday.

 

[aristocatz]

No flaming Lynn, but I really don't understand why you think this guy was a sicko? I am grateful to see all the people helping and don't understand why this had to be cut off. Just curious why you think he was sick. Others stated clearly they called the fire department and there were more than enough guests trying to help (in my opinion more than the Monorail CM whose biggest concern was to turn the camera guy away). I guess people see things differently. I certainly am thanful for the people who tape things on the scenes. Think of all the things we wouldn't know about with some of those home made videos. I mean we all watched the towers fall on live TV and what about the short videos of students fleeing the Virginia Tech shootings. These were tragic but we see heroism too.

My heart goes out to Austin's family. I hope Disney does right by them. That will be sicko if Disney doesn't do right by this family as the most preliminary reports seem that Austin was not at fault and mostly had to stand there and get hit. IT is very sad.

I agree, I do not think it was sick to film the video-there was no blood or gory scenes & actually, videos like this also often help in investigations. I also think it was so nice to see guests trying to help out the CM guy at the station.

i know there have been a few other accidents with the monorail but is this the first death?

i think disney should put a memorial plaque up of some kind. maybe on the lower level near the entrance.

i hope they do do it somewhere

That is a wonderful idea! I also hope they do this.

My thought was sponsoring a scholarship at Stetson where Austin the pilot was going..

Another great idea. I wonder what year in school he was?

I haven't read through all 25 pages of this thread, but why was the monorail still running at 2am? Is that normal hours or was there EMH or something else going on? I would have figured the parks were long closed at that time.

Sorry if this has been discussed, just trying to get caught up on everyting.

EMH for the 4th of July fireworks. I think it was the last train run of the night & there was only one family on board (family of 6) for guests.

 

[JMD]

The parks were open late due to the holiday.

EMH for the 4th of July fireworks. I think it was the last train run of the night & there was only one family on board (family of 6) for guests.

Thanks for replies.

 

[disneynut67]

on facebook, there is a page where they want to start a collection in his memory:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=100203833438

 

[Tinkerbell3014]

i know there have been a few other accidents with the monorail but is this the first death?

i think disney should put a memorial plaque up of some kind. maybe on the lower level near the entrance.

i hope they do do it somewhere

A great idea. I hope they do put up some type of memorial. It was a horrible, tragic accident. My prayers go out to the family.

 

[Beauty & the Best]

A great idea. I hope they do put up some type of memorial. It was a horrible, tragic accident. My prayers go out to the family.

I don't think they'll put up a memorial at WDW...from Disney's standpoint it will draw attention to something that they're ashamed of.

But I don't see why they couldn't do a scholarship or something in his memory....so young, it's very sad. I still wonder what circumstances caused the crash.

 

[disneysmiles]

That is so awful. I love the scholarship idea. It would be a nice gesture to help other students.

 

[fairestoneofall]

Austin must have been a bright young man to be chosen to pilot a monorail.

I am glad that the CM noticed the camera and told the guest to turn it off. I don't think that was his FIRST reaction though--he was obviously trying to get to the driver. But imagine if he hadn't noticed and the one taping it had gotten footage of the deceased driver. That is something that none of us needs to see, and that I think would be especially painful for Austin's family.

 

[monarchsfan16]

I have read the entire thread and I didn't read anything describing the point of impact location on the tracks.

I know it was at the TTC, but has it been confirmed if the collision took place inside or outside of the station? The video was obviously inside (to me it looked as if the point where pink an purple were sitting was nearly the center of the station) whereas the still photo I saw looked as if the rear of pink and nose of purple were outside of the station. Can anyone clarify at what point on the tracks did the collision happen?

Sorry for all involved.

While I have no proof to support this, my guess is the collision occurred just outside the station, and then they were pulled into the station to evacuate the guests and pilot. If you look at the picture outside the station, the driver door on purple is still on. In some of the articles, pictures from the rescue attempts are posted, at which point you see the door has been removed. It was pretty clear in the video that the top priority after getting the guests out was trying to get to the driver of monorail purple.

 

[TJM1976]

Does anyone know if the monorail is open now????????????????

The monorail system is closed indefinitely until the investigation is completed.

 

[madge]

The monorail system is closed indefinitely until the investigation is completed.

it's being reported on another board that OSHA has released the monorail system back to operations, and it should be running today. I also saw a post from last night on the Theme Parks board suggesting it might be up today:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32575942&postcount=11

 

[TJM1976]

it's being reported on another board that OSHA has released the monorail system back to operations, and it should be running today. I also saw a post from last night on the Theme Parks board suggesting it might be up today:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32575942&postcount=11

I'll ask around to confirm. All local morning news channels were reporting that it was closed indefinitly until the investigations are completed.

 

[TJM1976]

UPDATE: Disney officials are testing all monorails currently and they should be back to normal operation by noon today.

 

[Jaxpiper]

Seriously, folks.

Step back a moment and put this in perspective. For instance:

1) "OMG!! That had to have been going MUCH more than 15 mph.!!"

Um, no it didn't. I spent nine years on the fire department and I have seen fatalities from collisions at low speeds. It boils down to momentum and moment of inertia. Idiots who fly down I-95 doing 90mph have no clue what's in store for them should a tire blow, etc.

2) Statements like "I am certain that...", "There is no doubt..."

Oh really? Were you there? Are you a qualified and experienced systems engineer specializing in mass-transit vehicles? Nope, none of the above. Back off. Opinions are one thing, but don't walk around like some expert unless you are.

3) "We have a RIGHT to watch the video!!"

No you don't. That video (more than likely) is still privately owned, filmed by a private party. Being on YouTube does NOT make it public domain. The DIS, being a privately-owned entity, has every stinkin right to not allow a link on its forum.

Yes, I watched the video. The first-on gentlemen were more than likely plain-clothes security, not guests. One was heard saying that this was being handled as a MCI (Mass Casualty Incident) and that the RCFD (Reedy Creek Fire Department) was on its way.

The media will put disturbing, graphic videos up for ratings. The whole "disclaimer" of saying "This may disturb some viewers" is nothing more than an attention getter saying "Watch closely, we have a really juicy tape for which we payed big money". Sick? Yeah, pretty much. I saw enough in person for nine years to last a lifetime...I normally don't watch these things, heck, I don't even like to watch CSI. I think a lot of people who thrive on this kind on thing are those who don't know the reality of being there. I watched this particular video from a "first-in responder" perspective to see what I could glean. My blood still ran cold because I knew what was waiting for the ladder crew inside that cab once they cut it open.


Bottom line:
A talented young man full of life, lost that life, and from preliminary descriptions, through no fault or error of his own. For reasons sincere or not, Disney will find out exactly what went wrong, correct it, and move on. Do we have a right to know that? Not really. I'm sure we all would, but don't count on Disney PR to issue a play-by-play of the accident. We only have to make the decision whether or not to trust that they have corrected what had to be corrected.

For myself, I will be looking forward to riding in the cockpit with my children again at the first opportunity.

 

[Lynn5700]

Austin must have been a bright young man to be chosen to pilot a monorail.

I am glad that the CM noticed the camera and told the guest to turn it off. I don't think that was his FIRST reaction though--he was obviously trying to get to the driver. But imagine if he hadn't noticed and the one taping it had gotten footage of the deceased driver. That is something that none of us needs to see, and that I think would be especially painful for Austin's family.

Yeah I agree. There is no reason to video tape something like that.

 

[WDWRyan]

News release...monorail reopening today....Disney confirms to cast.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I send my prayers out to all those involved in this tragedy. This is very sad and I know that Austin's family will never be the same or think of Disney the same way again.

As to the video and how could somone video this? I am not saying it is wrong or right, we all have varying levels of tolerance for these things. Many people have video cameras with them during every day events more have them with them all the time on vacation. Digital cameras are common posessions. People have cell phones that upload messages,photos, and videos instantly to the internet. All this technology literally at our fingertips lends itself to easily document triumphant and tragic events and then sharing them on the internet and with news stations etc. For many it is second nature to record what ever happpens to be going on at the time. Social sites and video sites like Facebook and YouTube lend to encouraging this ease of sharing media. Add to that peopele rarely think of the consequences positive or negative when they record events and share them. It is the world we live in