Mother of monorail driver killed in crash sues Disney World

[doconeill]

Money aside I don't know that many children will want to ride in the front if they have heard of the accident. My children had been in the front of the Monorail only five days before the accident and said they had no interest to do it again. I don't think it will return. The drivers are distracted - on that very day a few days before the accident we were riding along looking out the front and talking to the driver when the Monorail slowly came to a stop on the tracks. We asked if something was wrong - he giggled and said, "I was speeding - so it forces me to stop, if only our cars did the same thing." He thought it was funny that he was speeding in the Monorail - I didn't! I wish that boy's mom the best and I don't know what money can do for her, but Disney should compensate some how if they were wrong.

The Monorail has all sorts of safety systems in place such that distracted pilots really don't matter in general. As you saw, a safety system kicked in. If distractions were an issue, no one would have ever been allowed up front.

The safety systems can be overridden, and you will generally find that the pilots suddenly become more focused if they are told to override and proceed. This accident wasn't really due to distraction as it was a total failure to follow procedure - and definitely not on the part of the pilot who died.

That said, I don't know if guests will be allowed in the front again if only because the accident showed that in the event of a catastrophic failure the pilot cabs are NOT a safe place to be.