Update 2: Video Disney Monorail Crash Kills Driver

Update 2: 9:55 PM EDT 7/5/2009

Evidently this accident was either caused by human error when the safety system was shut down to allow storage of the trains at night, or a complete computer [MAPO] safety system failure.

Walt Disney World spokesman Mike Griffin said the crash happened at about 2 a.m. Sunday at the Transportation and Ticket Center, on one of the monorail's last runs of the day. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usdisney0606,0,1882508.story

According to a former Walt Disney World monorail driver, the vehicles were outfitted with a safety system called Mapo. The former driver, who said he drove the current Mark VI monorail trains, said as soon as the monorail train gets within two checkpoints of another train, it automatically stops.

The former driver said he believes there are about 150 to 200 feet between checkpoints. He said drivers whose monorail train had to be shut down three times were removed permanently from their position.


See Walt Disney World Monorail System for explanation of the Monorail safety system [MAPO].

Video links: Both of these are the same as the video posted below in update 1 -

http://www.clickorlando.com/video/19956043/index.html - Same as previous [see video below]

http://www.clickorlando.com/video/19959721/index.html - From news report [same as others with commentary from reporter]

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Update 1: 3:29 PM EDT 7/5/2009

The image [below] / images from News 13 are NOT from this incident. They appear to be from a 1974 crash in which A monorail train crashed into the train ahead of it, injuring a driver and two guests.

Eyewitness Video of the Current crash scene show it inside the Epcot Transportation and Ticket Center terminal. Earlier videos have been removed by YouTube / Due to terms of use violation. This ones still up at this time, I'm sure it will be removed shortly.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA -- News 13 has learned a driver of the Walt Disney World Monorail System was killed when two monorail trains collided early Sunday.

Witnesses who called the News 13 newsroom said the trains collided around 2 a.m. Sunday on the Epcot track of the Transportation and Ticket Center, located at the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom, as guests were leaving the park following a Fourth of July fireworks show.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office told News 13 the driver, identified as Austin Wenneberg, 21, was pronounced dead on the the scene, and another cast member onboard was taken to Florida Hospital Celebration.

Six guests onboard were evaluated by paramedics and released. No other injuries were reported.

There was no immediate word on what caused the wreck.

According to witnesses, one monorail train slammed into the back of the other.

Crews had to cut the driver who died out of the train.

Sunday’s wreck marks the first fatal accident in the Walt Disney World Monorail System’s nearly 38 years of operation.

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