A 21-year-old operator of the monorail at Walt Disney World died recently when the monorail he was piloting crashed into another train. Reports say the accident happened at the Transportation and Ticket Center, where Disney patrons catch the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and several Disney hotels.
The operator, reported as Austin Wuennenberg, 21, of Kissimmee, was pronounced dead at the scene. Six patrons were also evaluated at the scene and released.
The two trains crashed on one of the last runs of the night, but the exact cause was still unknown.
The crash happened as monorails were still carrying park guests out of the Fourth of July celebration. But some reports say that one train broke down just after leaving the station and was backing up or was about to switch tracks when it crashed into another train that had stopped at the Transportation and Ticket Center.
Reports also say that safety tests are performed daily to ensure that the systems are working properly. The monorail transports approximately 150,000 guests a day.
Workers in machinery and transportation systems know there are risks on the job. But adding to those risks by individual negligence or under-training employees increases the on-the-job danger tremendously. If you or someone you love has been injured on the job or in a transportation-related accident, The Doan Law Firm, P.C., led by Houston Personal Injury attorney Jimmy Doan, has extensive experience in both auto injury or wrongful death as well as worker's compensation and employee litigation. Contact The Doan Law Firm, P.C. today.