Tram Injury

[Luv2Roam]

Hey! Y'awl let me down! I was figuring on coming here and reading the inside scoop!
I saw it briefly on the news today. But have never heard any details.

From the Orlando paper:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...03006,0,4692215.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

Man conscious, alert after jump off tram at Disney

Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 30, 2006, 4:21 PM EST

A 49-year-old man who reportedly jumped off a parking lot tram at Walt Disney World fell and hit his head and was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center this morning.

The man, at Disney with his wife, daughter and grandchildren, leaped off the parking lot tram after a camera fell off in the Magic Kingdom parking lot, said Walt Disney World spokesman Jacob DiPietre. (An earlier version of this article said it was a stroller that fell off, based on information Disney provided.)

The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. The man was conscious and alert and taken to the hospital "as a precautionary measure" but did not appear have life-threatening injuries, he said.

 

[OKW Lover]

I don't know how much more "inside scoop" we can add. Do you want to know if the victim was wearing crocks? His hair color?

Maybe his hearing or IQ? I'd guess that one of them is below normal since he either didn't hear the warning not to get off a moving tram or that he didn't understand it.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I was curious if the tram was moving. Sounds like it must not have been.
Poor guy. Just seemed odd. Did he trip and fall? That is a Disney story to tell. I fell off the tram and was on the local news, including video from a local news 'copter!

 

[mitros]

Can't wait to see how the news media twists this into being Disneys fault, and the lawyers start coming out of the woodwork........

 

[YoHo]

Disney has been waiting for this to happen actually. In particular in Anaheim, but really everywhere. There have been plans to put doors on the trams for some time, but no money. Now, rest assured, the doors will be put on.

 

[Uncleromulus]

__and seatbelts as well. Plus helmets for all riders. Plus a waiver to sign before you get on, indicating that you saw and understood the 15-minute "pre-boarding" video.
Where professional stunt people demonstrate what happens when you jump from a moving vehicle onto concrete.

 

[mitros]

Now, in this mornings paper, it says that the guy jumped off to retrieve a camera........

 

[DiznEeyore]

Oh my gosh -- that must be what we saw yesterday a.m. as we were leaving WDW for the airport!

We left the WL and were driving past the MK lot ... there was a tram stopped by the fence and two ambulances there. A fire truck pulled up as we were going by. And of course there was a large crowd nearby, watching it all.

Can't believe the guy jumped off the moving tram ... hope he'll be okay.

 

[seashoreCM]

The large crowd nearby -- The people who were on the tram delayed as a result of the accident, of course.

On some transit systems, in case of an accident, all passengers are asked to fill out questionnaires.

A lot of insurance fraud occurs too. Sometimes after a bus accident, someone who was not even nearby at the time boards the bus and then claims to have been injured in the accident.

Recently, automatic swinging gates ahve been added to ride boarding platforms that did not have such gates for many years. I suppose that trams could be equipped with gates or doors or bars that keep people from falling overboard. Another rumor going around is replacing the MK parking lot with a multi story garage (similar to that at Universal Studios Florida) and eliminating the trams.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Luv2Roam]

I wish they would have built a multi story garage at DTD, where they REALLY need it.
I would like to see the WDW trams have the same system the DL trams do. They have large screens giving instructions in big letters. Hard to miss that!

 

[coasterj]

yes the doors should be on by nxt june i work in parking at mgm and we had to add some more stupid safety codes like walking the tram an extra time and playing the auto-spiel 3 times, all this cause some guy is an idiot looking 4 an excuse to sue disney
sorry for the rant and thanks for listening

 

[tmt martins]

__and seatbelts as well. Plus helmets for all riders. Plus a waiver to sign before you get on, indicating that you saw and understood the 15-minute "pre-boarding" video.
Where professional stunt people demonstrate what happens when you jump from a moving vehicle onto concrete.

Nope much easier to just take the trams away and make everyone walk the entire parking lots

 

[MELSMICE]

Nope much easier to just take the trams away and make everyone walk the entire parking lots

Personally, I wouldn't be heartbroken if they took the trams away. Sometimes it's quicker to walk anyway, which is what we usually do.

BTW - don't they always tell you that if you drop something to just leave it & not jump off after it?

 

[nyprincess]

I know I'm going to sound really insensitive, but I don't have a lot of sympathy for the guy. Everything that you all are saying is true.

I live in Tampa and my DH, DS, and I go quite often. I get so sick of hearing all those warnings every time I ride the tram, but I know its for most people's own good.

Apparently, he was having such a good time getting on the tram, he forgot to listen to what they were saying. Not only do they play the auto-spiel several times before even moving, but they also say if something falls off notify the operators and they will retrieve the item for you. Just a basic case of being too excited and not paying attention.

 

[YoHo]

I wish they would have built a multi story garage at DTD, where they REALLY need it.
I would like to see the WDW trams have the same system the DL trams do. They have large screens giving instructions in big letters. Hard to miss that!

Uh, there are no DL trams with video screens.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I did not write video screens.
On the DL trams we saw large black screens (?) with words that continually loop warnings. I don't know what the screens are called. But they are like the signs that businesses have showing hours or specials, etc. Like the signs advertising Pleasure Island in DTD -- only on a much smaller scale. The small lightbulb type dots. The type of boards they even use in Epcot to show ride waits. For lack of the real term, I could just call them a display board.

 

[Dznefreek]

Silent salesman or moving marquee are common displays you described.

 

[Mickey1122]

I think that it is entirely his fault, if the facts presented here are true. It certainly isn't Disney's fault that he jumped off a tram, when he was specifically warned against it, in multiple languages no less.