On July 5, 2009, during a failed track switchover from the Epcot line onto the Magic Kingdom express line, Monorail Pink backed into Monorail Purple at the Transportation & Ticket Center station in Bay Lake, Florida. The collision killed Monorail Purple's pilot, 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg of Kissimmee, Florida.[1] One employee and six guests who were also on the trains were treated at the scene and released.[2] The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and park officials inspected the monorail line. The monorail reopened on July 6, 2009, after new sensors and operating procedures were put in place.[3][4]
Aftermath
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found no mechanical problems with the trains or track, but did find that the track used in the switchover was not in its proper place for the track transition. The NTSB also noted that Monorail Purple's pilot attempted to reverse his train when he saw that there was going to be a collision. Disney placed three monorail employees on paid administrative leave as a result of the incident.[5] On October 31, 2011, the NTSB issued its findings on this incident, citing the probable cause as the shop panel operator's failure to properly align the switch beam before the monorail train was directed to reverse through it. As a result of this incident, cab riding for guests was discontinued.[6] OSHA proposed a total of $44,000 fines against Disney for safety violations, but that amount was later reduced to $35,200.[7]
