7/7/2009
I originally posted about the Monorail tragedy Sunday morning after learning about it. Whenever a news story of any kind happens, baseless speculation angers me. So, I made it a point to only provide information I knew and had, and wait for details to be confirmed. As I suspected, Disney has not, and probably will not, discuss in detail what happened. They don't have to, and, to be honest, I probably wouldn't either. Stories like this are bad for business, so I see where they are coming from. Plus, when the entire concept of your business is providing an escape from reality, discussing very real topics such as mistakes and death can take away from the illusion, so to speak.
However, while we still don't know for sure what happened exactly, various sources have provided details, purported to be from former and current Cast Members, that seem to make sense. In their simplest form, either a track switch did not switch as intended, or human error(s) caused a train to move onto the incorrect track without the switch being made. While, again, I do not want to speculate about the people involved, I think the fact that OSHA allowed WDW to resume monorail operation so quickly shows that it was likely human, not mechanical, error. I've never had to deal with OSHA directly, but I know from owning and operating a printing company in the past that keeping up to their standards can be a daunting task at times. I've heard from other businesspeople that tell me once you're in their crosshairs, it's not easy to get out.
Regardless of the cause of this tragedy, there are people that will forever hold the burden of blame, whether it was really their fault or not. I cannot imagine that pain, so please take a few moments to remember those people in your prayers in addition to the family of the deceased pilot.
So, several days after the accident, monorails are running again with guest cockpit rides suspended "indefinitely." Can't argue with that. However, it now appears that the NTSB is going to investigate the accident, even after OSHA has deemed the monorail safe. I don't know what to think about this, really. I mean, government oversight can be a good thing if done properly and with certain limitations. However, how often does anything good really happen when the government gets over-involved? But, on the other hand, as much as we love Disney, they, like us, are not perfect, so they are prone to mistakes and short-sightedness as well, so perhaps a proper investigation could help prevent future accidents.
Many people were saying on the Internet after the accident how "Disney will make sure this never happens again." Well, with all due respect, if they could make sure it never happens again, they would have already made sure that it would never happen at all. Various news outlets reported that Disney added sensors to ensure that track switches had indeed been made when trains were switching tracks. Were there not any sensors there already, or were these additional sensors? I don't know. You would think that with all of the potential bad PR and litigation, and not to mention loss of human life, that WDW would always take every precaution possible. But, again, we as humans all make mistakes, and not even the grandeur of WDW can prevent that.
I guess my worry about the NTSB investigation stems from the fact that I'm afraid someone will come along with something to prove that "doesn't get" WDW, and will find lots of things "wrong" that need fixing. To avoid investigations in the past, it is my understanding that Disney has classified the monorail as an amusement ride, rather than a form of transportation. That is probably not the correct way to go about it, to be honest. Supposedly, the NTSB has never investigated an incident comprised of private transportation on private property, both of which WDW and the monorail fall within. However, what's next? The Admiral Joe Fowler Ferry? The WDW Railroad?
I'm trying to play devil's advocate here and look at both sides of the issue. If the NTSB can help keep us safer, then great. No complaints here. However, if it turns into a bureaucratic witch hunt, then no one wins, especially Cast Members.
And, one other thing. While we are talking Disney transportation safety, how in the world has Disney gotten away with not having doors on the parking lot trams for so long? Simply saying "children on the inside" is not going to prevent the inevitable disaster of an excited kid (keep in mind, these kids have waited their whole lives to get here!) jumping or falling off and being run over. Plus, if nothing else, it will keep people from ignoring "no more passengers, there is another tram RIGHT BEHIND US." I urge Disney to look into this and move forward ASAP. Trams need doors, and that's that.
What do you think? Is more investigation good, or has there been enough already? Please leave your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading!
By the way, a great site that has done some great reporting on this is etckt. Some of the information in this post is from there, so check out this great site.
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