Fourth of July Monorail Incident

[Driver_dylan]

I hate to say this, but we all know that Disney runs on ass covering paper, and the end result will be cited as human error. Being an ex-monorail pilot, I have experianced everything from a masive electrical failure which stopped my train and caused me to be towed from Rectofire 3, to a Main Air Tank blowout as I was pulling into the resort side TTC causing me to roll through the station and halfway through the next turn. I believe I was lucky to have failed safe every time a failure came my way, but we all know that 65 tons does not stop on a dime. That said I believe that this has to have been a "perfect storm" of failures and errors that led to this. There is only one person who knows what went on in that cab at that moment, and he lost his life. It is possible that we may never know what happened other than the technical failures if any.
Let us remember Aaron fondly, send out our prayers warmly, and seat blame only where and when it should be. I didn't know him, but my thoughts go out for his family.

[February]

I just read the news. I saw the thread title on another board, and half-laughed because I thought it must be a joke - someone doing an April Fools prank on 4th of July. How I wish that were true!

I only lurk here, but I lurk here regularly enough to have a soft spot for Big Wallaby and headed right here for news. Huge sigh of relief that it was no one I recognize from this board. But tears and prayers for Austin and family, as well as the other driver - regardless of how much at fault he was/wasn't, he will always carry this with him.

Blessings of peace to everyone tonight.

Hi Floundering, glad that you decided to un-lurk for this thread...hugs to you!

Zazu you said :

Disney seems to think they operate in a different sphere, one where the laws of physics work differently. The last revision of the OG was so bad I couldn't, in good conscience, sign off on it claiming I understood and would comply. Lost me a great job and wonderful source of fun, but when the rules make no sense and we're dealing with hundreds of tons and thousands of people, I just couldn't.

Wow, I had no idea that was the reason you left the railroad. I have heard you speak of the job with such fondness as have we all and I wondered...I have to applaud you for refusing to sign off on those OG. (((((Zazu)))))

You also said:

That said, let me add a bit of perspective: Even with all the things said above, Disney is safer that most places on the planet, and significantly more so than the other theme parks I've studied. I'm not about to stop visiting and riding, though my enthusiasm for monorail cab rides will be much reduced, if only for the bad memories now attached.

I agree with you, for me too it'd be thinking of what happened today and Austin and his family and not fear that would personally make me hesitate to get into a cab now.

With the millions upon millions of guests that the monorails have transported in 38 years it has to be the safest mode of transportation on the planet. Heaven knows it's got to be more dangerous to cross the street at a busy intersection odds wise, much more to worry about than worrying about riding on a monorail.

I think what's getting to me is just that the sight of the trains like that- with the Disney D on the panel by the door and the rest looking so wrong- it's just there's something completely unnatural about it.

Disney CMs do such a good job of making it all seem effortless, running the transportation system, the parks, the shows, all of it...that as lifetime guests we take it as read that it is always safe and pretty and fun (though I have seen monorail CM's freak out more than once when a small child ran through the railings and bolted for the tracks, I once saw one take off after a toddler and catch her by the dress. then he had a few words for her mother...)

Even though I was only a retail CM I already know that dealing with guests isn't always fun (hence the need for this forum).

It just doesn't seem like anything sad should ever happen on Disney property.

You know, guys I was thinking about Randy tonight too. We had our local fireworks display tonight (We have a clear view from our window and I could SEE it this year!) and we just cried thinking of Randy and Austin and their families. I even put on the Reflections of Earth music to go with the show, we had a moment in their honor here.

I just wish there was more we could do.

Bru

PS Holy cow, do monorails really weigh sixty five TONS???

[jerlove]

All though I am deeply sorry for the loss of one of your fellow CM's my first thought when I heard the news was. My God I hope we did not lose BW. I am so glad you are safe.

My sympathies to all.

[Honda Enoch]

CNN REPORT

"Authorities identified the driver as Austin Wuennenberg, a senior at Stetson University studying computer science. "

[dazyhill]

My sympathies to the family of the driver that lost his life. I heard about the accident this morning but was not able to get on the board until tonight.
I remember fondly from both visits to WDW riding in the front cab.

[justafigment84]

I just saw Austin's photograph. I knew him.

Not well, just to trade remarks about how bad Aramark food is, but that's one of the fundamental bonds all cast members share.

I was in the same boat this afternoon. I remember seeing him around Studios when he worked there.

I am still sitting here stunned and shocked.

Prayers out to his family and his monorail family.

[dazyhill]

Ok I just saw the video on the clickOrlando website and its very disturbing. Those poor kids in the video are going to have some bad memories of their WDW trip. I can't imagine what everyone in that video is going through.
Kudos to the platform CM for handling a very difficult situation professionally.

[SpeedFreak]

Damn, I was talking with him just last week. :( This is terrible, he really was a great guy with a lot of potential. Poor Eddie had to deal with that too... ugh.

As painful as it will make work for me tomorrow, I hope that they not only do a full mechanical check on the remaining 10, but suspend normal operations of the fleet until they determine the cause of the accident. If it was driver error, then they should take measures to make it harder for the drivers to err in that way again. Larger rear view mirrors, spotter in the station, nose light in the rear cab turning on automatically when the train in placed into reverse... whatever is needed.

I was reading on Click on Orlando a comment left by a former monorail pilot that said that all pilots in training are told that the cabs are designed to collapse- whereas the passenger cabins will not and so if there is an impact they are warned they will die to protect their guests and given the option to leave the program.

I wasn't told any such thing during drive training, but if you know anything about design, or even that metal is stronger than fiberglass, then it is pretty apparent.

[Rocrider]

To all the Disney Team Members, you have my Prayers in this very hard situation.

[EmptyCinema]

This is a tragic incident, but I think it's important to remember that through the hard work of cast members, the monorails operated for 38 years without such an incident. So I think our SGT monorail pilots deserve much credit for continuing to operate it in a safe manner.

The operating guidelines need to be revised. The computer system should be updated to be able to handle switching without having to disable MAPO. I don't think, however, that a CM needs to be in the rear of each monorail, or that cab rides should end. Cab rides are one of my favorite times at WDW, and I will continue to do this should Disney allow it.

There have probably been upwards of 1 Billion guests on the monorail, and with only the 1 fatality, it has a safety record that is unbeatable by any other form of transportation. You are about 5000 times as likely to be killed by an asteroid impact, in fact. I think it is to Austin's credit that he was helping to uphold that record, and it is for that he should be remembered -- how he lived, not how he died.