Disney Monorail Crash Kills Driver

Disney monorail crash kills driver in head-on collision early Sunday morning. Early reports from Fox News said that the other driver was taken to the hospital but was ultimately not injured in the accident. Passengers of the monorail included two other employees and five guests that were also injured in the collision. The crash occurred when the monorail while guests were returning from the fireworks display on the Epcot track. CNN.com reports that a witness said one monorail train rammed into the back of a stationary train.

Disney's monorail first ran in 1971 with 2 routes throughout the park. In 1982 with the opening of Epcot, the monorail system was expanded to include a third track. A safety system in the tracks allow for appropriate spacing between the trains. If the Trains become to close they are automatically braked until sufficient spacing has been restored. According to CFnews13.com, there has been no indication of the cause of the monorail crash.

In the 38 years the Disney monorail system has been running, this is the first fatal accident. Other incidents have occurred, including a fiery car in 1985 when 7 passengers were hospitalized. A faulty side wheel caught fire in the rear car where 40 passengers were riding. Passengers were evacuated to the roof of the car.

According to many online media sources, Disney issued this statement in response to the crash: "Today, we mourn the loss of our fellow Cast Member. Our hearts go out to his family and to those who have lost a friend and co-worker. 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 approximate next steps"

Reports concur that the Disney monorail has been closed until investigations can determine the cause of the accident. However, the rest of the theme park is operating as normal.

Walt Disney World opened the monorail Monday afternoon. Preliminary reports have said the monorail train was not to a spur for maintenance. Instead it ran backwards into the train that was carrying the passengers. Most likely the safety system was on overide.