Driver killed in monorail crash....
- Thread starter twalton
- Start date
). 
They have released the drivers name and age, he was 21.
Of course we don't know any of the details of the story yet and I hate to speculate but in Boston a month or go or so, there was a serious accident on the subway. The driver was young also, I believe 24 and they discovered he was texting at the time of the accident.
I don't know Disney's rules on cell phone usage at work, does anyone else?
Also, the time of day the accident happened is an issue. Any time accidents happen at that time of day "tired-ness" always has to be considered.
Thankfully there weren't more injuries....
I am sad reading this story.
I have always felt so safe riding the monorail and figured that there were safeguards in place to avoid such an incident.
MsA
Of course we don't know any of the details of the story yet and I hate to speculate but in Boston a month or go or so, there was a serious accident on the subway. The driver was young also, I believe 24 and they discovered he was texting at the time of the accident.
I don't know Disney's rules on cell phone usage at work, does anyone else?
Also, the time of day the accident happened is an issue. Any time accidents happen at that time of day "tired-ness" always has to be considered.
Thankfully there weren't more injuries....
I am sad reading this story. I have always felt so safe riding the monorail and figured that there were safeguards in place to avoid such an incident.
MsA
It wasn't EMH. MK closed at 1am last night. Epcot closed at ten, I think.
As stated many times in this thread, there are safety systems in place that causes in emergency braking to keep this type of accident from happening. The system is tested multiple times each day, but a driver override does exist.
BarleyJack
<font color=peach>And a pirin tablet? Why? Are you
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Hugs and prayers to the family of the lost CM. 
Feralpeg
Living and Loving Windermere!
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The monorails have a crash avoidance system to keep them from running into the back of another train. We were in the front of one when they were required to do a test of the system. The driver said they do them several times a day. 1 monorail sits in the station and the other creeps up on it until it detects the one in front and then it shuts down. I wonder if this system failed, or rather it would have had to fail in order for this to have happened. Very sad. I loved riding in the front and I am afraid that will never be allowed again.
On the local news, it said it is possible for the driver to override that security feature. I have no idea why he would have done that. I also wonder if fatigue didn't play a factor in this. Those guys work very long shifts.
/
flea1267
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They have released the drivers name and age, he was 21.
Of course we don't know any of the details of the story yet and I hate to speculate but in Boston a month or go or so, there was a serious accident on the subway. The driver was young also, I believe 24 and they discovered he was texting at the time of the accident.
I don't know Disney's rules on cell phone usage at work, does anyone else?
Also, the time of day the accident happened is an issue. Any time accidents happen at that time of day "tired-ness" always has to be considered.
Thankfully there weren't more injuries....
I have always felt so safe riding the monorail and figured that there were safeguards in place to avoid such an incident.
MsA
re:I don't know Disney's rules on cell phone usage at work, does anyone else?
My daughter is a seasonal employee and did 9 months through their College Program and they aren't supposed to use their cell phones at all while on duty...she would have to call me on her breaks/dinner times. She works over in AK at Dinosaur - so she's in "attractions" and they are pretty strict about the policy.
spatulaqueen27
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Wow My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, and they find out what really happened so it doesn't happen again.
Edited for spelling.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, and they find out what really happened so it doesn't happen again.Edited for spelling.
Feralpeg
Living and Loving Windermere!
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They have released the drivers name and age, he was 21.
Of course we don't know any of the details of the story yet and I hate to speculate but in Boston a month or go or so, there was a serious accident on the subway. The driver was young also, I believe 24 and they discovered he was texting at the time of the accident.
I don't know Disney's rules on cell phone usage at work, does anyone else?
Also, the time of day the accident happened is an issue. Any time accidents happen at that time of day "tired-ness" always has to be considered.
Thankfully there weren't more injuries....
I have always felt so safe riding the monorail and figured that there were safeguards in place to avoid such an incident.
MsA
Disney's policy is that cell phones must remain off during your shift. It is not a well enforced policy. I know most of the people I worked with at the Disney Florist had their cell phones on silent, but with them, all day.
Awhile back, I got on the monorail at the Contemporary. The CM at the station was texting while we were waiting for the train to arrive. Sad, but many people refuse to follow the rules.
cjb-nc
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According to some of the CMs on another board, the override does not permit the train to move at any kind of speed. It is used primarily when the train is switching tracks.
Trinity524
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This is so sad... so many people including myself thought of the monorail as the safest way to travel.
Feralpeg
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That makes sense. I just heard about it on the local news. The whole thing is just tragic. Just one more example of why we should never take life for granted.
Somewhere here, I have read recently, about the extremely small #'s of accidents with the Monorail.
There could be a number of factors. He could have removed the safety and forgot to put it back on. He could have been tired from a long shift or maybe he went out the night before. I know at 21yrs old, I certainly did. He could have been texting or distracted by something else. It could have been a malfunction that had zero to do with him.
Considering the care Disney takes of the monorail, I would feel safe riding it when we arrive for our vacation. Accidents happen everyday. Cars, buses, trains, planes and any other transportation that you can think of break down and sometimes worse as we have seen all to often recently. I like to think that we learn from these tragedies to make things safer. I am sad for all of the families that have been affected in the recent tragedies.
There could be a number of factors. He could have removed the safety and forgot to put it back on. He could have been tired from a long shift or maybe he went out the night before. I know at 21yrs old, I certainly did. He could have been texting or distracted by something else. It could have been a malfunction that had zero to do with him.
Considering the care Disney takes of the monorail, I would feel safe riding it when we arrive for our vacation. Accidents happen everyday. Cars, buses, trains, planes and any other transportation that you can think of break down and sometimes worse as we have seen all to often recently. I like to think that we learn from these tragedies to make things safer. I am sad for all of the families that have been affected in the recent tragedies.
Feralpeg
Living and Loving Windermere!
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The local news is saying that the entire monorail system is shut down today. It will remain down until they determine the system is safe.
The monorail was making its final run of the evening dropping off guest from the MK at the TTC.
The passengers tried pounding on the window after the wreck, but the driver was non-responsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
cjb-nc
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World_Monorail_System#Train_safety
Safe train spacing is maintained via a moving blocklight system, referred to as MAPO, installed in the cab of each train.[4] MAPO appears in the top center of the pilot's console and looks similar to a horizontal stop light. There are three lightsgreen, amber, and redand a push-button labeled "Override". The term "MAPO" itself comes directly from Walt Disney, who formed a new company to deal with Disneyland's transportation system directly from the profits made by Mary Poppins.[9]
Each monorail beam is divided into blocks based upon pylon numbering. The currently illuminated MAPO color indicates how far ahead the leading train is currently located. A green MAPO shows that the leading train is 3 or more blocks ahead, amber means 2 blocks ahead, and red indicates that the next train is in the very next block. A block is roughly between 500 and 1000 feet (about 150 and 300 m) long, although this varies. The start of each block is called a "hold point", as pilots may need to hold their trains at that location until the train ahead moves away. Guests riding in the front cab of a monorail can identify hold points by the yellow reflective tape around a pylon's number and by two yellow reflectors attached to the top outside edges of the monorail beam at that pylon.
For safety, trains must be kept at least two blocks apart during normal operation. A red MAPO indicates that train spacing has become unsafe. When a red MAPO occurs, the train's on-board computer locks out the pilot's propulsion control and applies emergency brakes. The pilot cannot resume control of the train until either the MAPO clears or the pilot presses and holds the MAPO override button.[4]
It is the pilot's responsibility to avoid a red MAPO during normal operation. When the MAPO switches from green to amber, this indicates that the monorail is approaching the train ahead. The pilot must stop the train before crossing into the next block of beam way and hence before the MAPO switches to red. Should a pilot cross the hold point and receive a red MAPO, this counts as a safety demerit against the pilot. If the pilot ever has three demerits on their record, then they will be transferred out of the monorails department and into a different role at Walt Disney World.[10]
Safety tests are performed daily to ensure that the MAPO system is working properly on each train. At the direction of the monorail station conducting the test, each train will intentionally overrun a hold point to verify that a red MAPO occurs and that the emergency brakes activate. Pilots perform tests in forward and reverse when bringing a train onto the system for the first time that day, and a forward test is again conducted mid-afternoon. The indications are called into Monorail Central with the emergency brake pressures.
A red MAPO will also occur when the pilot approaches a section of un-powered beam, a spur line, or a switch beam thrown in the direction of a spur line. Pilots must engage the MAPO override when moving trains through a switch to the spur line. MAPOs occurring due to safety tests, switching, or beam power loss do not count as demerits against the pilot.
Safe train spacing is maintained via a moving blocklight system, referred to as MAPO, installed in the cab of each train.[4] MAPO appears in the top center of the pilot's console and looks similar to a horizontal stop light. There are three lightsgreen, amber, and redand a push-button labeled "Override". The term "MAPO" itself comes directly from Walt Disney, who formed a new company to deal with Disneyland's transportation system directly from the profits made by Mary Poppins.[9]
Each monorail beam is divided into blocks based upon pylon numbering. The currently illuminated MAPO color indicates how far ahead the leading train is currently located. A green MAPO shows that the leading train is 3 or more blocks ahead, amber means 2 blocks ahead, and red indicates that the next train is in the very next block. A block is roughly between 500 and 1000 feet (about 150 and 300 m) long, although this varies. The start of each block is called a "hold point", as pilots may need to hold their trains at that location until the train ahead moves away. Guests riding in the front cab of a monorail can identify hold points by the yellow reflective tape around a pylon's number and by two yellow reflectors attached to the top outside edges of the monorail beam at that pylon.
For safety, trains must be kept at least two blocks apart during normal operation. A red MAPO indicates that train spacing has become unsafe. When a red MAPO occurs, the train's on-board computer locks out the pilot's propulsion control and applies emergency brakes. The pilot cannot resume control of the train until either the MAPO clears or the pilot presses and holds the MAPO override button.[4]
It is the pilot's responsibility to avoid a red MAPO during normal operation. When the MAPO switches from green to amber, this indicates that the monorail is approaching the train ahead. The pilot must stop the train before crossing into the next block of beam way and hence before the MAPO switches to red. Should a pilot cross the hold point and receive a red MAPO, this counts as a safety demerit against the pilot. If the pilot ever has three demerits on their record, then they will be transferred out of the monorails department and into a different role at Walt Disney World.[10]
Safety tests are performed daily to ensure that the MAPO system is working properly on each train. At the direction of the monorail station conducting the test, each train will intentionally overrun a hold point to verify that a red MAPO occurs and that the emergency brakes activate. Pilots perform tests in forward and reverse when bringing a train onto the system for the first time that day, and a forward test is again conducted mid-afternoon. The indications are called into Monorail Central with the emergency brake pressures.
A red MAPO will also occur when the pilot approaches a section of un-powered beam, a spur line, or a switch beam thrown in the direction of a spur line. Pilots must engage the MAPO override when moving trains through a switch to the spur line. MAPOs occurring due to safety tests, switching, or beam power loss do not count as demerits against the pilot.
Sandy Fisher
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No matter how it occurred, it's a shame for the driver and his family. But like someone else mentioned, the way Disney is about checking and double-checking and having redundancies to prevent this sort of thing, it had to be something very unusual.
I wouldn't think that driver inattention or incapacity would be enough.
We've stopped numerous times when there was other "traffic that needed to clear" and you couldn't even see the one that was ahead on the track. We've never been at any of the parks that late at night, even if they were open late. We've also never ridden in the front, but it might make me consider not doing that.
Frankly, in all the years we've been going to Disney, since 1982, I've never feared for my safety. The way the parks are run leaves very little room for dangerous errors. Most of the errors have been on the part of people attending the parks. People will do things they shouldn't, thinking that "it won't happen to me".
But in this case, something had to go wrong. I doubt the driver could have done anything to keep the safety features from operating.
Sad.
I wouldn't think that driver inattention or incapacity would be enough.
We've stopped numerous times when there was other "traffic that needed to clear" and you couldn't even see the one that was ahead on the track. We've never been at any of the parks that late at night, even if they were open late. We've also never ridden in the front, but it might make me consider not doing that.
Frankly, in all the years we've been going to Disney, since 1982, I've never feared for my safety. The way the parks are run leaves very little room for dangerous errors. Most of the errors have been on the part of people attending the parks. People will do things they shouldn't, thinking that "it won't happen to me".
But in this case, something had to go wrong. I doubt the driver could have done anything to keep the safety features from operating.
Sad.
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