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Disney World monorail collision kills driver; monorail closed
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Two monorail trains at Walt Disney World collided into each other, killing the driver of one of the vehicles.
The fatal accident occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday (July 5) on the Epcot track of Disney World's Transportation and Ticket Center, which was transporting guests to the Magic Kingdom stop. The pink monorail train rammed its head into the back of the purple train, which was immobile at the time of the crash.
The driver of one of the monorails died on the scene; according to the story from Central Florida News 13, crews had to cut through the monorail to recover his body. Disney identified the driver as 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg, but did not disclose how long he was employed with Disney or what factors could have caused the crash that killed him.
The driver of the other vehicle, though uninjured, was taken to the hospital because he was "emotionally shaken", according to Bo Jones, deputy chief of Reedy Creek Fire Department.
The Orlando Sentinel says there were six park guests on the train during the crash, but none of them were injured. A report from Associated Press says five guests were treated at the scene.
Mike Griffin, vice president of public affairs at Walt Disney World, released a statement offering his condolences to the employee's family and friends, adding that the monorail will be closed for the time being.
“Today, we mourn the loss of our fellow cast member. Our hearts go out to his family and those who have lost a friend and coworker," stated Griffin. "The safety of our guests and cast members is always our top priority. The monorail is out of service and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement to determine what happened and the appropriate next steps.”
The incident is currently under investigation by Orange County Sheriff's officials, as what exactly caused the crash is still not known at this point.
Although this is not the Walt Disney World Monorail System's first accident, it's the first to result in a fatality since the system was established 38 years ago, when the park first opened to the public in 1971.
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