Weston Lawyers: A Monorail Crash & A Mom

What do you think about when you hear the words “Disney World”? For most of us that have visited there several (or several hundred!) times those words likely bring a smile to our face. But for the mother of monorail driver, Austin Wuennenberg that is not the case. Recently, he lost his life when another monorail crashed into his. It was the first monorail accident in the 38 year history of Walt Disney World.

According to reports, 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg was killed when the driver of another train slammed into his. Friends say Wuennnenberg was a student at nearby Stetson University in Deland Florida and was studying computer science.

Just fifteen days after the accident, the driver’s mother indicated that she was expecting to sue Disney Parks. To us at Weston Lawyers this will be a case to watch. While there have been accidents on Disney rides in the past, none have received this much publicity. Over the years there have been incidents on rides such as Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, the People Mover and even the Skyway. The last ride on which anyone would expect there to be an accident or tragedy of this magnitude would be Disney's famous Monorail system.

Whenever there is an accidental death, defense attorneys immediately began looking at the character and conduct of the victim. While it is yet unknown how Disney attorneys will orchestrate their strategy, it is likely that they will look at the drivers habits and hang-ups. They will interview witnesses, bystanders and look at any video surveillance from the parks cameras or cell phone video taken by witnesses. The legal maneuvering in this case has only just begun.

One aspect of this case that can’t be ruled out is the public relations effect. For decades now, Disney has done a masterful job at spinning stories and keeping accidents out of the news. It seems that you hear about a story once and then it’s gone. But a search on the famous internet site Wikipedia shows the sheer volume of incidents that have been reported at Disney Parks over the years. The PR specialists at Disney clearly know what they are doing! How much more media attention will this story gain? Will it continue to develop or become yesterday’s news? One thing is for sure, as the trial looms and more information becomes available we at Weston Lawyers blog will pass it along.