As a Truck Driver, I HATE strange noises. Even at home when I hear an unusual noise, I have to find out what it is before I can relax. But in the truck, finding out what it is can save your life…
@Skynet It's not necessarily hiring kids that is the problem. Berating or punishing ride operators who call for interruptions and safety checks is a HUGE problem, no one regardless of age wants to point out a suspected issue.
I am retired from Disney corporate and was there the day of this incident. this was totally the fault of Disney maintenance and the ride operators. I've read the report and this video is spot on. Such a sad day it was.
I am a past cm from Disney World and while I do agree that it was maintenance at fault, I can't blame the ride operators. Coming from working at an attractions, we hear noises everyday that we call in but our coordinators and leaders usually blow it off and the noise problem doesn't get sent to maintenance. So I blame maintenance and who ever was the coordinator at the time of operation.
The operators fault 💀😂 all were responsible for is making sure you meet the height, weight requirements and getting you on/off the ride safely or calling maintenence if the ride stops and won't turn back on. But you probably work some cute safe job where you wouldn't know.
I am a ride operator at a small amusement park in WI. It's safety record has been spotless since 1992. I'm always listening to my ride in case I hear anything out of the ordinary, and I mean anything. There's no excuse for these things to happen, and be the fault of the park.
This is so important. I used to be a ride operator in one of the biggest amusement parks in my country, and every time I was training new operators I told them how important it is to listen. Listen to what a normal cycle sounds like, what it sounds and feels like when you put down lap bars etc. Two times I registered a problem just by listening. Once a multi-rotating ride was lacking oil in some part and begun making a scratchy sound, so the ride shut down for the day. The second time I felt the ride (a manual one, swing-like viking ship) was not sounding and feeling like it was supposed to. Told the mechanics, and they ignored it twice. The third time they found that one of the wheels had burst.
I was friends with Marcelo, his death was horrific. I still vividly remember Marcelo’s parents Carmen and Jaime at the funeral, the heartache was so palpable. Every time I pass Nativity church where his service was held, I think about his mother. 💔
RIP Marcelo Torres. After winning thr lawsuit against the park Torres' mother donated all that money to the graphic design school her son was accepted to
I know the family, they donated $500,000 of it to Brooks college for a memorial scholarship. There was an article that mistakenly said they would donate all of it.
What a killer. The last (and 13th) ride before they pulled the train from the tracks. If the operators weren’t sure about the noises then they shouldn’t have been letting passengers on that train in the first place.
@@MarriottLatino that's unfortunate. I'm a ride op, whenever anything is in question we disable it or have maintenance remove it. I'm sure it was a different case back then, and especially now after the accident.
I could see where people wouldn't want to just pull a train off the track just because of noises, but the fact that that same train was freshly back from service was a warning flag. If you get your personal vehicle back after the tires are changed and you hear noises, it's the same thing. Check, because maintenance crews aren't perfect. Notice that in most videos describing tragedy/ accidents the people involved all made mistakes and 3-4 or more things went wrong with nobody checking into it, closely. Imagine how many accidents DON'T happen simply due to one person taking the time to observe their enviroment, etc.
What's really amazing is how places like Disneyland have near perfect damage control methods to have incidents like this become forgotten very fast. But incidents like these all have the same very common core failings that trigger the incident. The fact they keep happening isn't helped by the way these avoidable accidents are swept under the carpet as if nothing ever happened.
Right I like how the guy said he the blacked out. I thought, “ how much money did Disney have to pay you so you wouldn’t relive the horrors of watching your friend and business partner get his face and chest smashed in sitting next to you to the press.”
“Keep happening” is a strong turn of phrase for something that’s happened a handful of times across hundreds of attractions all over the world. If anything, it’s shocking it has happened so little given how quickly these things are forgotten.
@@leokimvideo lol you’re acting like these are legal cover ups. Anyone can find any tragedy that has happened at Disney parks with a simple google search. Millions of people have seen these videos. Come off your high horse
It's pretty scary to think about how each time we get on a ride at any kind of amusement park, we're putting our lives in the hands of people (operators, mechanics, inspectors, etc) that may not truly be capable or qualified to keep us safe from harm.
I sued a small theme park because of their negligence. My ankle which was already broken in 3 places previously got stuck in when the ride operator released the bar without checking each rider first🤦🏽♀️ and yes I won my case but I didn’t win much
As an EX ride operations supervisor, most of our training steams from real events like this. I told crew every morning, "if you THINK you see or hear something, SAY SOMETHING, big or small". Manufactures also understand mistakes happen, and they do an outstanding job today with engineering and there are so many fail-safes on rides today including equipment use for maintenance.
The rider operators who heard strange sounds but didn't cycle the train off for inspection made the same mistake as the ones on the Mindbender at Galaxyland in 1986. It should be standard practice to remove a train if it is making strange sounds, even if it affects ride operations.
It's already standard honestly. Even by 2010 Remember Intimidator-305? The first person knew the rollercoaster keep destroying the wheel every, single, day is the operator. Hence the first season the coaster was open sporadically. Just to figure out and tested the stronger wheel.
@@AstralHiGH They still have a responsibility to cycle off the train if they can hear strange sounds. And as accidents like this prove, it should be done as soon as the noise is heard, even if it means one less train in operation.
@@JCBro-yg8vd ill repeat, if maintenance says to keep it moving we keep it moving lol. you cant remove a ski lift off the rope, same shit for the rides, the whole thing has to be shut down and worked on, but you know nothing.
My wife and I were on that ride the day before the accident. Eating at that restaurant beside the ride days after the accident, it was very quiet and had a sad vibe. You could see the ride from where you sit and eat but they had the view blocked with tarps after the accident for quite awhile
@@CuriosityVaultChannel Some of them are probably lying honestly but im at disneyland rn and i been watching ur vids on the way lol and i rode this ride yesterday and its one of my favs
@@CuriosityVaultChannel Nah i was scared of bobsleds but then i rode it and it was good and i have been to big thunder 10s of times and knew it was alright But ima big fan man love the vids
Great detail and pics explaining what happened - esp. the toy trains at 5:00. And showing the actual wheels of the coaster makes it so easy to understand what happened.
As a cast member I can vouch if anything strange is going on with the vehicles we don’t load it. If they were planning on inspecting it, they should not have been loading it. They could’ve sent it through without guests. So either they’re lying or they admit they were unsure of the vehicles safety but still comprised the lives of the guests anyway.
@@orangedjuices to a small degree this is true, but 99% of people that work for major corps like Disney will tell you the tried and true line of: Safety First! Now, whether people that day were just in the fog of the on/off/on/off procedure or what... a strange sound SHOULD have made them take it off, but they were probably not thinking about safety after all, accidents never happen at the happiest place on earth riiightt? (rolled my eyes hard on that). But what really happened was more like they weren't thinking about safety as much as... how will this affect the amount of passengers per hour if we let just one train go without passengers or if we have to go through the entire motion of taking a train off for a safety inspection. They were not in the proper mindset either way but... still... sad as it was and is, now it's a lesson I HOPE they learned and applied this to every attraction they operate world wide... only time will tell.
I'm with you on this, but ever gotten into that "operating fog" so to speak of load/unload at such a rate that it becomes ... "routine". It can happen to anyone. I have almost had my body parts crushed or ripped apart at a factory I used to work for so many times just putting my hands where they usually would be AFTER the major motions of the machine, otherwise I should keep them out... thankfully we had light-curtains that shut down the machine IMMEDIATELY if anything broke the inferred light beams. Still, it always happened because you get into a bit of a flow and that fog begins to settle in of just over and over and over... you know? I'm sure that's probably what happened, even with the strange sounds and actions of the vehicles, they were just moving through the motions, not thinking about it on the level that one should have been if they'd been more... alert and "awake" (not talking about sleeplessness just that... work day fog)...
@@orangedjuices Most of the time the workers DO care, they're just forced to do stuff in certain ways to not get fired..in this case I'm sure the operators tried to flag the train in for the sound to get fixed but maintenance was sure it was fine (maybe because they had to, to keep their jobs or just "work fog" where you get so into work you kinda blank out and make questionable calls).
I was there and rode the train just before the crash. As we were departing the ride Disney personnel swarmed in and started putting up walls etc to block any view of the ride. I was literally on the train immediately before the crash and sat in the front left spot. Still haunts me
The ride was closed for a very long time. My somewhat hazy recollection is, for about two years. They literally rebuilt it. They replaced all the track with new track and everything. It is a vastly improved ride now. As with almost all accidents, it wasn't caused by just a single thing, a series of events (and/or oversights) had to occur to get to the point of the accident! The part that never made sense to me is that they have six different trains. They easily could have just swapped out the questionable train!
The problem is: is that Disney is allll about park operations and making sure to get people on and off as quickly as possible. Safety is said to be first, but I bet just like most factories, the realities of it are way more complicated than that... even if they shouldn't be.
@Enzo Discovery nope, not in person. But I bet like any company they live to talk the talk about safety, and will show off safety in front of official cameras and bigwigs, then it goes out the door any other time to one degree or another.
I was at the park (well, DCA) with my dad and brother when this happened. We had annual passes so we'd been going regularly, and Thunder Mountain was my and my brother's favorite ride so it was a lucky coincidence that we didn't happen to go at that time. Not long after the accident a colleague of our dad's who knew we were at the park that day called to make sure we were okay, and that's how we found out about it. We were fine, of course, but it was spooky for me at such a young age to be so close to such an accident.
I was in DCA as well-we heard crazy close sirens we thought was weird- then shortly after all of our phones start blowing up when it hit the news to see if we were okay
Ride ops are trained nowadays to immediately stop the ride if there’s a weird noise; I can’t fault the 2003 ops for not knowing what to do, they probably trusted the procedures they were taught and the maintenance team to perform their jobs correctly
I was a ride operator at a different park from 96 to 2002 and we were trained to stop rides if we heard unusual noises and to let maintenance know as soon as possible
When I was a little kid I remember wanting to go to Frontierland and walking there with my grandma to a strange sight. As we approached there were white temporary blockades (the same type they used on parades) and a single cast member telling people the land is closed and to go the other way while purposely avoiding answering questions about it. It wasn't clear what happened, but it was obvious something went very wrong.
RIP. This is why when a ride is closed or shut down, I don’t complain. Better that than get on it and be injured or killed. There were several rides during our trip this past week that shut down a lot and I explained to my kids it is often to keep people safe and we can be thankful and choose another experience.
the youtube algorithm has brought us all here, surprisingly, to a rather good video didn't even know an accident happened at Big Thunder until this video, likely due to the fact it's almost 20 years ago, but nonetheless a bad accident.
I was at Disneyland that day, it was my birthday, September 5th. I’ve been to Disneyland many times before that and after. That day was really sad knowing someone was hurt, as we heard then heard the worst. So scary knowing it could have been us.
One of my fav rides, sad. A reminder how critical a seemingly small issue can become. If only that train had been pulled out of service when the noise was first heard
I was there with my nephew that day. Rode the ride that morning and noticed it was closed in the afternoon, but never knew there was an accident until getting home.
always used to be confused on why disneys rides are temporarily closed so often. im happy to know why now, i got on an emergency stop on rockin rollercoaater it was handled nicely
Damn, I never knew about this tragic accident until a few weeks ago when a friend showed me a video that supposedly Big Thunder Mountain is haunted by the spirit of a person who died there. Crazy to think I kept riding Big Thunder like nothing after all these years not realizing what had happened.
Actually that story goes way back, disney's major rides almost all have a ghost story attached... like space-mountain. None of them true and all explainable, like the space mountain one is just from the tape being recorded to over and over and over to the point that a person from a previous recording couldn't be completely erased (their section of the vehicle) and you see the man come in and sit down in the same spot time to time... yep, that's a tape especially seeing the exact same movements and expression every time... lol. BUT people still say good morning and good night to the ghost that supposedly haunts this and the haunted mansion from what I hear, or is that just the one at the haunted mansion. Heh.
You are correct. It is indeed haunted. I’m sensitive to these things. The tunnel where it happened, I feel unspeakable dread when rounding the corner into there and going through that one. I suspected that was the exact location and this video confirmed it.
As someone who works extensively with technicians, idk how this didn't happen more often. The typical technician is someone who barely made it out of high school, can't write a grammatically correct sentence to save their life, always think they're right, and treat everything as "just something that takes time until I can clock out and leave." And before people who jump on the manager, this should have been a 2 technician job with a lead tech who acts as the QA and a tech who does the work. With the manager going over the paperwork to make sure they signed off each step and to look in to any notes.
Years ago I was on a jet rollercoaster along a lake in the front seat going over major hill when a thunderstorm formed and lightning hit the track and the ride stopped. The middle of the coaster was at the top and we were halfway down the hill facing straight down! We sat there in that storm which seemed like forever when the fire department came and carried us one by one off that ride. Thankfully no one was hurt but the ride was torn down here and in another state because it derailed.
'Ride attendants heard a strange clanking sound but decided to let the car to continue to be used'...I bet these same ride attendants drive with the check engine light on.
@@MeowMeow_95_ Our old car would randomly flash it for no reason..not sure what was up but nothing wrong with the engine area? So we kinda ignored it. Our speed-dial was also broken, it often just stopped working (it sometimes worked just not often) showing we weren't moving so my mom had to guess her speed. Thankfully we have a new one! Mostly because the old one's heater was broken making winter drives cold..and the fact the glass fogged up so bad she couldn't see when it was cold; the speed-dial was an issue but seeing was the biggest problem.
When I was a kid I was on the Indiana Jones ride and the seatbelt flew off me when the car was over the fiery bridge, the car was jolting me all over the place and I was holding on for dear life. It was truly terrifying and I thought I was going to fly off and into the fire below. I told my parents when I got off the ride but they didn’t do anything about it. This was sometime between 1999-2001.
Disney move you behind the scenes take you off sight and have Anaheim or Orlando pronounce you dead at a hospital. All law suits against disney are usually hush and settled outside of court with a lump sum of money and have you sign a N.D.A so you cant talk about it afterwards. I had a Chef that worked for Disney world for 15 years and he told me this. It came up one day when he said he saw goofy get ran over by a parade float picked up took to the back, replaced by a new goofy. Guy ended up dying, but they wait till your off property to call it. Crazy stuff
Let’s not forget the Matterhorn decapitation that never shut that ride down. Although she stood up mid-ride…. Not sure how she thought that would go 🤷🏼♀️
@@jennyrebecca7243 They do a good job of covering up stories. Ive never even heard of that. There are a couple places on matterhorn where I could see that happening. How did she stand up, dont the belts lock?
We were there that day. We had annual passes. We went on the ride first thing in the morning. We didn’t even know what happened until we got home that afternoon. but for a long time after that the ride was closed down and the tunnel was closed off from view. it still feels so weird walking by that area and I still won’t go on that ride.
I'm a former ride operator for the defunct AstroWorld (Houston,TX) It stated in every ride manual to contact ride operations If you hear unusual noise. A ride supervisor will determine a car/ train removal with mechanics & electricians. This was in the 1980's. I got a "write up" as an assistant foreman for safety check list. The question was Did the mechanics check the ride prior to 3 run empty test. I didn't check the box. They'd checked the ride I just missed checking the box. How could Disneyland make such an egregious MISTAKE???!!!???? Trust me, there ARE some more. Columbia Sailing ship is another. Hard to believe this happend almost 20 yrs. ago. I do remember when it happened. They tried to blame the victim.
Michael, I would encourage you to look up mid 1990s-early 2000s Disneyland executive/president Paul Pressler. He is the reason why this accident happened.
@@mateomoreno6125 Easy. Live near an amusement park and be @ least 18 yrs. old. Some rides are simple, but still have tests to pass. Some are more complex and have 2 ride tests to pass. MCO & SCO. Main control operator & secondary control opt. Steam train operation is even more complex. These tests have to be retaken annually. Even supervisors.
@@michaeltaylor1603 thanks for letting me know how easy because I love to go to a theme park and since I love to spend some days at a theme parks I thought it might be fun to work at a Theme park
This actually made me cry. He was so young and was just having a wonderful day at the park just to have this happen? Thankfully, things like this rarely happen now as safety has been more of a priority.
I visited Disneyland for the first time last week. I didn't watch or read stories related to Disneyland because I wanted the entire trip to be a surprise and not worry about a thing. I feel so bad for the guy. Rest in peace
You forgot to mention that He was there to celebrate his Birthday .. and his family was those riding behind him .. I will never forget that day ... Hate myself to this day that I a regular cast member should have taken in charge and back up the train ..
Another incident was the Sternwheeler coming to dock, they used a synthetic mooring line instead of a regular line, the ship kept moving, pulled the mooring line beyond limits, it pulled loose a cleat that struck and killed a guest.
I see a lot wrong with your comment. It makes it sound like the line wasn’t made fast to the bollard, but the nylon rope parted and struck a guest. Polypropylene or other synthetic lines are “normal,” but ships don’t usually have to worry about proximity to guests so in that case manila or natural-fibre lines are appropriate for small passenger vessels because they don’t store the same amount of potential energy and won’t violently snap when parted, usually falling down and each strand just breaking apart. In the case of any accident, there’s a lot of contributing factors, like the guest placement close the mooring area and the miscommunication between the crew and the (presumable) captain.
@@thomas1910 Nope. Just the wrong material chosen for the rope. Simple as that. There’s a correct explanation of this accident on a different TH-cam channel
It makes me so sad to know that the accident could have been EASILY avoided if they had either double checked the bolts after repair or taken the train back for repair as soon as they heard the sounds.
I always had season passes to theme parks growing since I live in LA county. I've been stuck on a coaster at least four times(over hundreds of visits). That includes Disney Land, Knott's and Six Flags.
Agree. This is one of few incidents/accidents at Disneyland where the park was at fault instead of the guest behaving foolishly. But I'm glad they significantly improved the maintenance so this is highly unlikely to occur again.
I ALWAYS GET STUCK ON THE STUPID RIDES ISTG ITS ALWAYS TGE SLOW ONES TOO LIKE I STOOT IN LIKE FOR 2 HOURS AT THE HARRY POTTER RIDE IN UNIVERSIAL JUST FOR IT TO STOP MID RIDE WHILE WE WERE UPSIDE DOWN FACING THE STUPID SPIDERS 😭 I got stuck on 2 rides at Disney and I was there for a singular day 💀
I remember that! I arrived in LA on a solo trip that very day. I was thinking of going to Disneyland that day but I arrived late. I went instead a few days later. Nearly all the roller coaster rides were ‘closed for refurbishment’ that day.
I think I remember the clanking sound - the ride was extremely shaky that time. i felt like it was too dangerous to ride that ride - even though the ride plays it off as being wild - it wasn't for me after that. Then I heard about the accident on the news - and then I realized I really should be no longer riding it. But I still went back a few times.
I remember getting home from Walt Disney World and seeing on the news that a monorail driver was killed when another monorail backed into the one he was driving. There were a few passengers on the monorail at the time as this was going to be the last run of the day.
I've heard of that I think? Though from what I remember it wasn't backed into..they ran head-head, the one who died tried to put in reverse to try and prevent the crash but it was too late (and people theorize it may of actually lessened the damage of the crash which is why only 1 driver died). They were a very well known and beloved person in the park..
It’s like 1982. My parents tell me that this is a slow train ride. I’m 6 years old. Needless to say this was my first roller coaster I ever went on in my life. This exact ride. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area, and we went to Disneyland like 3 times growing up
Yup I was there that day and in line when my school teacher did it was time for choir students to head towards the front of the park so I let a bunch of guys past us. Unfortunately it was his group of friends and I clearly saw him. Next thing I heard was police sirens and ambulance noises and got freaked out.
the odds of getting killed on a ride is so low but not zero. really feel for the family that lost a loved one. i would be furious at disneyland if it happened to my family.
I was on a roller coaster once and high winds were blowing a nearby tree across the track in a fast section and riders were being hit by leaves and twigs. When we pulled in I told the rider operators and they shut the ride down immediately without question. No one was hurt that I know of, but it could have gone bad at any moment. Speak up if you see (or hear) something!
Chuggaaconroy was actually there when this happened. He was about to get in the lead car when he decided at the last minute that he didn't want to ride. This tragedy caused him to have a fear of roller coasters from then on.
That’s how I learned about that incident. I was shook that such things like that would happen even in the happiest place on earth! Innocence is such a terrible thing to lose.
One of my favourite Let's Players was in the queue waiting for the next run when it happened. And was going to sit in the front where the death happened. Developed a strong phobia of coasters after that.
That's so freaky..I couldn't imagine being in their place, knowing if you got in line slightly earlier you may be dead or if the train lasted one more ride for you to get on.
Had similar thing happen to me with Fiesta Texas rollercoasters. All I wanted was to remember the experience I had, not get a bunch of videos about tragedies there!
I really love rides but I really struggled getting onto Thunder Rail Road, I was determined something was going to go wrong and I tried to leave the queue, my family got me on there in the end and my grandparents sat with me wedged in between them keeping me calm, my grandad joked I was so squished in they'd never get me off it. I got on and I loved it, anxiety went and I had a great time. 3 days later this accident happened and I haven't been on a ride since. I just can't justify pushing through the anxiety any more and have bailed out of multiple queues.
You kids have proof? Lol like literally you kids always try to make up stories as if you were there lol. I was there too but nothing happened until I decided to use the washroom, didn't feel like going on that Seay unless I'm empty handed lol. And what happens? That very seat was fatal. I have no proof, so you kids have no choice but to believe it lol.
I just rode this with my 5 yr old end of April (knew about this accident) and we were in the first row. Was definitely nervous but had to put on a brave face for the kiddo.
I was living there when this happened and went there almost every weekend with my parents at the time. My mother wouldn't let me and my father go on this ride because of it.
Looked this up because I heard a youtuber I watch was in this accident. was not expecting something so tragic. I can't believe the absolute neglect of several people agreeing something is wrong and still going "oh just one more then we'll take it off" instead of being responsible and taking it off the moment they noticed something weird
My Dear friend Marcelo. I remember exactly were I was when I heard about his passing. He was a High School friend. Great memories! We still remember you my friend!! 💗💗💗
When my daughter was 8 years old, we took them to Disney World. The two of us were on this ride. When it made the first part of the run and came to the first brake, my daughter slipped under the railing and went under the seat in front of us. I held her there until we came back into the station. When she stood up, the operator turned bleach white. I don’t know what happened after that, but that was the last time we went to Disney World.
@@jdssurf yes. I also drive cars when there is no traffic and I fly planes. They’re calculated risks. Just because I choose to drive a car in traffic doesn’t mean I’m going to go free-climbing El Capitan.
@@NavyDiver912 I just mean riding these rides at any park is also a calculated risk. Knowing the risks of flying and driving, they are actually much more likely and common to have accidents and deaths than park rides, but yeah I don’t ride a lot of stuff mostly due to nausea but also as a mechanic I know shit happens…………..
@@jdssurf When a place risks your childs life to stuff that shouldn't happen, you wouldn't go there again..lots of stuff happens at disney and considering their track record of stuff breaking so often it's become a goal for many to record a ride malfunction that's concerning. At least in your car you know you're not gonna fly out randomly then be crushed by another car after, as long as you stay aware you'll pretty much be alright! Though to be fair I'm scared of driving, always just feels more dangerous in the driver seat and I don't trust myself enough..I know, I'm a bit of a wuss but that's just how I've always been; the moment I realize how dangerous something can be is the moment I kind of stop doing it. However there are some risks you HAVE to take. Driving, flying in a plane, riding a boat, riding in a train..all can be unavoidable as we all have to go places and you can't really walk everywhere, can't exactly get across the sea without risking a plane ride! But a roller coaster isn't something you have to do, that's why people choose to avoid coasters even though they ride cars and other stuff; you avoid what you can to limit your risks and do what risky stuff you have to.
@@testerwulf3357 bullshit, in your car you don’t know shit, a giant truck can wipe you out at any second, it’s a million times mor likely and happens all the time compared to a theme park accident. I know about 10 ppl who died or lost their legs in riding their motorcycles perfectly, then they got hit by random cars. I don’t know anyone killed or hurt at theme parks unless I search the internet. Riding in a car in traffic is so much riskier than theme park rides it’s unreal. I’m still scared to die on rides tho soooooo
i was actually at disney *world* when this happened. we were so confused as to why they closed down thunder mountain, until we learned of what had happened at disneyland. of course since i was a kid i didn’t fully get it and was just pissed we couldn’t ride it.
That's so interesting that they called the other parks to shut down their version of thunder mountain, just in case it was a flaw in the manufacturing. Thanks for sharing that insight!
@@letmestudie yeah, at the time i didnt fully understand what was going on (again i was just upset we couldn’t go on it) but now that i’m much older it still surprises me that they shut down Disney World’s ride too.
This is like a smaller scale of the Old 97 derailment in 1903, 100 years earlier. Edit: Except the wreck of the Old 97 was due to excessive speed, not loose bolts.
I am honestly surprised their is only supervision once by just one individual. If there were at least two supervisors, they would keep each other in check as well.
My daughter was on the ride when this happened. My neighbour was in the 2nd car from the front with his son and my daughter in car behind them with my neighbour's daughter. None of them were injured physically .
I visited recently and big thunder mountain repeatedly shut down throughout the visit to the point that I barely got any chances to ride it. While it was disappointing at the time, watching this video has made me realize that it was probably because they're taking safety much more seriously, and I'm glad to see that.
Holy moly, and I love to ride in the front. I usually ask to do so when arriving at the front of the line. This sucks when you’re at the mercy of others doing a good job. Blessing to the Torres family. 😢
The last time I went to Disneyland there were so many ride closures that day, even when we were waiting in line to get on a ride some got closed. Now I understand why. I'd rather have them get closed off then us get on and something tragic happen
I was on the train that crashed … 1 or 2 cycles prior to the incident. My brother was in the front row and made comments about a distinctly odd metal clanking sound. The ride was shut down shortly after we left the exit. We were quickly escorted out of the area and the big thunder mountain trail was closed off. This was before internet access so we had no idea there was an accident until later that night. I didn’t piece together that I was on the faulty train until I recalled my brothers report of the metal sound and reports such as this that validate the claim. Haunting.
@@CuriosityVaultChannel In the moment it wasn't. 35 years later, yeah it is. That whole trip to Disneyland was horrible. I got lost and turner myself in to the cast member at the StoryBook boat ride. Lol
This is really familiar, they used to let me on around the same age because my mom would flirt with the ride operators and they'd have to ride with me and ensure I didn't fly out. It was a real rough ride back then. Fun as hell though.
The crowds these days are horrendous. Disney is focused on making as much money as possible, not people’s enjoyment. I will never be going to the parks again, but there will always be the ‘idiot’s’ that will!!!
@@trevorhale8192 I’m glad I’m an idiot and do whatever to make even more money for my kids to enjoy Disney cause my kids are priceless I could careless about myself and what I hate and I’ll do what I’ll do for my kids to be kids and they enjoy and see magic in their own eyes fuck all you adults ruining it for the kids always thinking about the money when the kids think about the magic and Disney like every other companies wants to thrive and stay afloat to keep the kids happy not the adults who need to grow up and shit the fuck up about poor me…. Crybabies let the kids enjoy Disney and the people who want to still pay for their kids lol losers
Apparently- My dad was there on the day of accident, waiting in the line for the next ride and I remember him saying something about people screaming then him and his friends *had to leave* He didn’t understand why at the time but I honestly think that he still feels bad that this happened ;-; I do too
Yes I thought that too. But overall this guy does a great job at explaining and detail. But yea hopefully he sees your comment because he would probably be happy to improve it.
I was at Disneyland the day this occurred. About an hour after the accident, mom and I had just gotten off Matterhorn and we went to Frontierland. They had closed off that entire section of the theme park but did not tell us why (understandable. They did not wish to cause a panic). When mom and I got to our hotel room that night, we saw what happened on the news. Freaky! I still go on Big Thunder Mountain since Disneyland heavily tightened the maintenance, although there were times over the years I'd ride this attraction (I've been to DL many times since September/2003) and get a little queasy.
The draconian improvement over the all rides are just unbelievable is Ride Laws and any small noise unusual noise just shut the ride down 99% nothing wrong can be found but safely become draconian in Disneyland
The inspector didn’t “knowingly” put a defective train into service so it’s not murder. The inspector signed off on a repair without actually inspecting it - that’s negligence (involuntary manslaughter)
@@drdrew3 Still deserves to be charged with something, in this case involuntary manslaughter..or if the case ended bad for them possibly murder of the second degree (as it could be argued they knowingly let out a train that was acting different risking the chance it could hurt people, faulty normally means dangerous when it comes to rides..so if you know a ride is faulty/different you're knowingly letting it out so it can hurt someone); but, as I said, only if it goes really bad for them..a decent lawyer could get settled for manslaughter
And this is why Chuggaaconroy has a fear of roller coasters, because he was waiting in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when the derailment happened. On top of that, he was going to sit in the front row, where Marcelo Torres sat.
As a Truck Driver, I HATE strange noises. Even at home when I hear an unusual noise, I have to find out what it is before I can relax. But in the truck, finding out what it is can save your life…
My dad was a truck driver and he was the same way!
Better man than me I just put up the music lol
@Skynet It's not necessarily hiring kids that is the problem. Berating or punishing ride operators who call for interruptions and safety checks is a HUGE problem, no one regardless of age wants to point out a suspected issue.
Pre trip
I’m the same way
I am retired from Disney corporate and was there the day of this incident. this was totally the fault of Disney maintenance and the ride operators. I've read the report and this video is spot on. Such a sad day it was.
I am a past cm from Disney World and while I do agree that it was maintenance at fault, I can't blame the ride operators. Coming from working at an attractions, we hear noises everyday that we call in but our coordinators and leaders usually blow it off and the noise problem doesn't get sent to maintenance. So I blame maintenance and who ever was the coordinator at the time of operation.
The operators fault 💀😂 all were responsible for is making sure you meet the height, weight requirements and getting you on/off the ride safely or calling maintenence if the ride stops and won't turn back on. But you probably work some cute safe job where you wouldn't know.
All reports are true?😂😂😂 idk how you made it to corporate, probably why you "used to" lmao
@@AstralHiGH you’re really angry for no reason lmao
@@AstralHiGH like that crying emoji?
I am a ride operator at a small amusement park in WI. It's safety record has been spotless since 1992. I'm always listening to my ride in case I hear anything out of the ordinary, and I mean anything. There's no excuse for these things to happen, and be the fault of the park.
Bay beach?
This is so important. I used to be a ride operator in one of the biggest amusement parks in my country, and every time I was training new operators I told them how important it is to listen. Listen to what a normal cycle sounds like, what it sounds and feels like when you put down lap bars etc.
Two times I registered a problem just by listening. Once a multi-rotating ride was lacking oil in some part and begun making a scratchy sound, so the ride shut down for the day. The second time I felt the ride (a manual one, swing-like viking ship) was not sounding and feeling like it was supposed to. Told the mechanics, and they ignored it twice. The third time they found that one of the wheels had burst.
Hell yea another wisconsinite 🤙🏻
@@ryangibson1578 I LOVE House On The Rock in Spring Green, WI.!!
exactly even if you are not mechanicaly knowlegable. If you hear a weird sound stop it. Might be nothing but better safe then sorry.
I was friends with Marcelo, his death was horrific. I still vividly remember Marcelo’s parents Carmen and Jaime at the funeral, the heartache was so palpable. Every time I pass Nativity church where his service was held, I think about his mother. 💔
Very sad story for everyone involved.
Which Nativity church? The one in El Monte?
We were neighbors and friends of the family. Was heartbroken. My Son was close friends wit his younger brother.
What year this happen
@@pooooo52 2003 I think.
RIP Marcelo Torres. After winning thr lawsuit against the park Torres' mother donated all that money to the graphic design school her son was accepted to
I know the family, they donated $500,000 of it to Brooks college for a memorial scholarship. There was an article that mistakenly said they would donate all of it.
@Man of Culture he was Chilean
They did not win a lawsuit, there was a settlement from Disney so that this whole event didn't go public.
@@Mike__B I’d still call that a win,they didn’t lose.
@@Mike__B You’d think at this point, Disney would realize that every screw up they make *WILL* go public.
What a killer. The last (and 13th) ride before they pulled the train from the tracks. If the operators weren’t sure about the noises then they shouldn’t have been letting passengers on that train in the first place.
It was about numbers .. we weren't just allowed to take a train because of a train making noise
@@MarriottLatino that's unfortunate. I'm a ride op, whenever anything is in question we disable it or have maintenance remove it. I'm sure it was a different case back then, and especially now after the accident.
Seriously, that's just pure stupidity.
I could see where people wouldn't want to just pull a train off the track just because of noises, but the fact that that same train was freshly back from service was a warning flag. If you get your personal vehicle back after the tires are changed and you hear noises, it's the same thing. Check, because maintenance crews aren't perfect.
Notice that in most videos describing tragedy/ accidents the people involved all made mistakes and 3-4 or more things went wrong with nobody checking into it, closely. Imagine how many accidents DON'T happen simply due to one person taking the time to observe their enviroment, etc.
@@matthewmosier8439 I wonder if operators are told in training about noticing certain noises and other warning signs
What's really amazing is how places like Disneyland have near perfect damage control methods to have incidents like this become forgotten very fast. But incidents like these all have the same very common core failings that trigger the incident. The fact they keep happening isn't helped by the way these avoidable accidents are swept under the carpet as if nothing ever happened.
Oh, hey Leo
Right I like how the guy said he the blacked out. I thought, “ how much money did Disney have to pay you so you wouldn’t relive the horrors of watching your friend and business partner get his face and chest smashed in sitting next to you to the press.”
“Keep happening” is a strong turn of phrase for something that’s happened a handful of times across hundreds of attractions all over the world. If anything, it’s shocking it has happened so little given how quickly these things are forgotten.
@@schmutzonya5659 Your reply is exactly the problem here. Made me sad how avoidable incidents are seen by just a few people
@@leokimvideo lol you’re acting like these are legal cover ups. Anyone can find any tragedy that has happened at Disney parks with a simple google search. Millions of people have seen these videos. Come off your high horse
It's pretty scary to think about how each time we get on a ride at any kind of amusement park, we're putting our lives in the hands of people (operators, mechanics, inspectors, etc) that may not truly be capable or qualified to keep us safe from harm.
I sued a small theme park because of their negligence. My ankle which was already broken in 3 places previously got stuck in when the ride operator released the bar without checking each rider first🤦🏽♀️ and yes I won my case but I didn’t win much
Couldn't agree more!
I clench my asshole a little whenever I hop on a rollercoaster ride.
You must be really afraid of your car then. Or public transportation. Or inside of a building. Or by a dam. Or doing literally anything in life.
Hey this is why in the Navy you do it have a QA watch you do it and then the QA signs off.
As an EX ride operations supervisor, most of our training steams from real events like this. I told crew every morning, "if you THINK you see or hear something, SAY SOMETHING, big or small". Manufactures also understand mistakes happen, and they do an outstanding job today with engineering and there are so many fail-safes on rides today including equipment use for maintenance.
The rider operators who heard strange sounds but didn't cycle the train off for inspection made the same mistake as the ones on the Mindbender at Galaxyland in 1986. It should be standard practice to remove a train if it is making strange sounds, even if it affects ride operations.
It's already standard honestly. Even by 2010
Remember Intimidator-305? The first person knew the rollercoaster keep destroying the wheel every, single, day is the operator. Hence the first season the coaster was open sporadically. Just to figure out and tested the stronger wheel.
Ride operators aren't responsible for mechanical issues you dunce. Maintenance takes care of that stuff we only call it in.
If maintenance says to keep the ride moving we keep the ride moving you clown.
@@AstralHiGH They still have a responsibility to cycle off the train if they can hear strange sounds. And as accidents like this prove, it should be done as soon as the noise is heard, even if it means one less train in operation.
@@JCBro-yg8vd ill repeat, if maintenance says to keep it moving we keep it moving lol. you cant remove a ski lift off the rope, same shit for the rides, the whole thing has to be shut down and worked on, but you know nothing.
I remember this, I was at Disney and rode this *the day before* the accident. Absolutely terrifying that can happen so quickly
oh my. What a miracle.
No you weren’t
@@Cessna152ful Stop trying so hard to be edgy.
@@Cessna152ful you're right! It's the internet, not like I have anything better to do than to lie to strangers for internet points. /s
@@wrytte it's the internet, of course we're going to assume you're full of shit even if what you say is true. it's like the boy who cried wolf.
My wife and I were on that ride the day before the accident. Eating at that restaurant beside the ride days after the accident, it was very quiet and had a sad vibe. You could see the ride from where you sit and eat but they had the view blocked with tarps after the accident for quite awhile
Very sad. It's so interesting getting to hear so many first hand accounts in some of the comments.
@@CuriosityVaultChannel Some of them are probably lying honestly but im at disneyland rn and i been watching ur vids on the way lol and i rode this ride yesterday and its one of my favs
@@WyaSlay I hope they haven't scared you too much 😬 enjoy your time at Disneyland 😎
@@CuriosityVaultChannel Nah i was scared of bobsleds but then i rode it and it was good and i have been to big thunder 10s of times and knew it was alright But ima big fan man love the vids
Great detail and pics explaining what happened - esp. the toy trains at 5:00. And showing the actual wheels of the coaster makes it so easy to understand what happened.
As a cast member I can vouch if anything strange is going on with the vehicles we don’t load it. If they were planning on inspecting it, they should not have been loading it. They could’ve sent it through without guests. So either they’re lying or they admit they were unsure of the vehicles safety but still comprised the lives of the guests anyway.
I do feel like most Disney workers and the leaders of the Disney parks don’t care if there are incidents, and instead they instantly cover it up.
@@orangedjuices to a small degree this is true, but 99% of people that work for major corps like Disney will tell you the tried and true line of: Safety First! Now, whether people that day were just in the fog of the on/off/on/off procedure or what... a strange sound SHOULD have made them take it off, but they were probably not thinking about safety after all, accidents never happen at the happiest place on earth riiightt? (rolled my eyes hard on that). But what really happened was more like they weren't thinking about safety as much as... how will this affect the amount of passengers per hour if we let just one train go without passengers or if we have to go through the entire motion of taking a train off for a safety inspection. They were not in the proper mindset either way but... still... sad as it was and is, now it's a lesson I HOPE they learned and applied this to every attraction they operate world wide... only time will tell.
I'm with you on this, but ever gotten into that "operating fog" so to speak of load/unload at such a rate that it becomes ... "routine". It can happen to anyone. I have almost had my body parts crushed or ripped apart at a factory I used to work for so many times just putting my hands where they usually would be AFTER the major motions of the machine, otherwise I should keep them out... thankfully we had light-curtains that shut down the machine IMMEDIATELY if anything broke the inferred light beams. Still, it always happened because you get into a bit of a flow and that fog begins to settle in of just over and over and over... you know? I'm sure that's probably what happened, even with the strange sounds and actions of the vehicles, they were just moving through the motions, not thinking about it on the level that one should have been if they'd been more... alert and "awake" (not talking about sleeplessness just that... work day fog)...
Are you a Disneyland cast member or a Walt Disney World cast member?
@@orangedjuices Most of the time the workers DO care, they're just forced to do stuff in certain ways to not get fired..in this case I'm sure the operators tried to flag the train in for the sound to get fixed but maintenance was sure it was fine (maybe because they had to, to keep their jobs or just "work fog" where you get so into work you kinda blank out and make questionable calls).
I was there and rode the train just before the crash. As we were departing the ride Disney personnel swarmed in and started putting up walls etc to block any view of the ride. I was literally on the train immediately before the crash and sat in the front left spot. Still haunts me
HELP WHAT
no way that's horrifying
damn i trust you
The ride was closed for a very long time. My somewhat hazy recollection is, for about two years. They literally rebuilt it. They replaced all the track with new track and everything. It is a vastly improved ride now.
As with almost all accidents, it wasn't caused by just a single thing, a series of events (and/or oversights) had to occur to get to the point of the accident!
The part that never made sense to me is that they have six different trains. They easily could have just swapped out the questionable train!
That was a decade after the accident, for a year in 2013-14. In the aftermath of the accident, it was closed 6 months.
@Enzo Discovery lol I know
No, it reopened in March 2004. Not a “very long time”
The problem is: is that Disney is allll about park operations and making sure to get people on and off as quickly as possible. Safety is said to be first, but I bet just like most factories, the realities of it are way more complicated than that... even if they shouldn't be.
@Enzo Discovery nope, not in person. But I bet like any company they live to talk the talk about safety, and will show off safety in front of official cameras and bigwigs, then it goes out the door any other time to one degree or another.
I was at the park (well, DCA) with my dad and brother when this happened. We had annual passes so we'd been going regularly, and Thunder Mountain was my and my brother's favorite ride so it was a lucky coincidence that we didn't happen to go at that time. Not long after the accident a colleague of our dad's who knew we were at the park that day called to make sure we were okay, and that's how we found out about it. We were fine, of course, but it was spooky for me at such a young age to be so close to such an accident.
I was on that ride the day before it happened
@@willoughby1888 That sounds horrifying..to see someone on the news you recognize and realize you could of died the day you met them..
I was at Disneyland the day this happened. Mom and I did not know about the accident until we got to our hotel room and turned on the news.
How is that a coincidence?
I was in DCA as well-we heard crazy close sirens we thought was weird- then shortly after all of our phones start blowing up when it hit the news to see if we were okay
Ride ops are trained nowadays to immediately stop the ride if there’s a weird noise; I can’t fault the 2003 ops for not knowing what to do, they probably trusted the procedures they were taught and the maintenance team to perform their jobs correctly
I was a ride operator at a different park from 96 to 2002 and we were trained to stop rides if we heard unusual noises and to let maintenance know as soon as possible
When I was a little kid I remember wanting to go to Frontierland and walking there with my grandma to a strange sight. As we approached there were white temporary blockades (the same type they used on parades) and a single cast member telling people the land is closed and to go the other way while purposely avoiding answering questions about it. It wasn't clear what happened, but it was obvious something went very wrong.
RIP. This is why when a ride is closed or shut down, I don’t complain. Better that than get on it and be injured or killed. There were several rides during our trip this past week that shut down a lot and I explained to my kids it is often to keep people safe and we can be thankful and choose another experience.
the youtube algorithm has brought us all here, surprisingly, to a rather good video
didn't even know an accident happened at Big Thunder until this video, likely due to the fact it's almost 20 years ago, but nonetheless a bad accident.
Cheers for watching 😎
I was at Disneyland that day, it was my birthday, September 5th. I’ve been to Disneyland many times before that and after. That day was really sad knowing someone was hurt, as we heard then heard the worst. So scary knowing it could have been us.
One of my fav rides, sad. A reminder how critical a seemingly small issue can become. If only that train had been pulled out of service when the noise was first heard
The worst thing about tragedies like this is how preventable they were
I was at Disneyland last week and they kept shutting down Big Thunder for technical reasons. I'm glad they're taking safety concerns seriously.
I was there with my nephew that day. Rode the ride that morning and noticed it was closed in the afternoon, but never knew there was an accident until getting home.
always used to be confused on why disneys rides are temporarily closed so often. im happy to know why now, i got on an emergency stop on rockin rollercoaater it was handled nicely
Damn, I never knew about this tragic accident until a few weeks ago when a friend showed me a video that supposedly Big Thunder Mountain is haunted by the spirit of a person who died there. Crazy to think I kept riding Big Thunder like nothing after all these years not realizing what had happened.
Actually that story goes way back, disney's major rides almost all have a ghost story attached... like space-mountain. None of them true and all explainable, like the space mountain one is just from the tape being recorded to over and over and over to the point that a person from a previous recording couldn't be completely erased (their section of the vehicle) and you see the man come in and sit down in the same spot time to time... yep, that's a tape especially seeing the exact same movements and expression every time... lol. BUT people still say good morning and good night to the ghost that supposedly haunts this and the haunted mansion from what I hear, or is that just the one at the haunted mansion. Heh.
You are correct. It is indeed haunted. I’m sensitive to these things. The tunnel where it happened, I feel unspeakable dread when rounding the corner into there and going through that one. I suspected that was the exact location and this video confirmed it.
As someone who works extensively with technicians, idk how this didn't happen more often. The typical technician is someone who barely made it out of high school, can't write a grammatically correct sentence to save their life, always think they're right, and treat everything as "just something that takes time until I can clock out and leave."
And before people who jump on the manager, this should have been a 2 technician job with a lead tech who acts as the QA and a tech who does the work. With the manager going over the paperwork to make sure they signed off each step and to look in to any notes.
Nice and short. The moral of the story: Don't sit in the front seat.
Years ago I was on a jet rollercoaster along a lake in the front seat going over major hill when a thunderstorm formed and lightning hit the track and the ride stopped. The middle of the coaster was at the top and we were halfway down the hill facing straight down! We sat there in that storm which seemed like forever when the fire department came and carried us one by one off that ride. Thankfully no one was hurt but the ride was torn down here and in another state because it derailed.
'Ride attendants heard a strange clanking sound but decided to let the car to continue to be used'...I bet these same ride attendants drive with the check engine light on.
I do. I’m broke so sadly I can’t do anything about it now 😭😭😭
@@MeowMeow_95_ Our old car would randomly flash it for no reason..not sure what was up but nothing wrong with the engine area? So we kinda ignored it. Our speed-dial was also broken, it often just stopped working (it sometimes worked just not often) showing we weren't moving so my mom had to guess her speed. Thankfully we have a new one! Mostly because the old one's heater was broken making winter drives cold..and the fact the glass fogged up so bad she couldn't see when it was cold; the speed-dial was an issue but seeing was the biggest problem.
When I was a kid I was on the Indiana Jones ride and the seatbelt flew off me when the car was over the fiery bridge, the car was jolting me all over the place and I was holding on for dear life. It was truly terrifying and I thought I was going to fly off and into the fire below. I told my parents when I got off the ride but they didn’t do anything about it. This was sometime between 1999-2001.
Lmfao you kids Making up stories and sh*t without proof lol.
I can say I sat 2 seats behind you that ride and nah nothing happened lol.
Most rides close after fatalities like this and the park’s reputation is damaged. Disneyland seemed to come off unscathed somehow.
Disney move you behind the scenes take you off sight and have Anaheim or Orlando pronounce you dead at a hospital. All law suits against disney are usually hush and settled outside of court with a lump sum of money and have you sign a N.D.A so you cant talk about it afterwards. I had a Chef that worked for Disney world for 15 years and he told me this. It came up one day when he said he saw goofy get ran over by a parade float picked up took to the back, replaced by a new goofy. Guy ended up dying, but they wait till your off property to call it. Crazy stuff
This ride was closed for about 2-3 years after this happened. I remember it vividly because Big Thunder is one of my favorite rides.
Let’s not forget the Matterhorn decapitation that never shut that ride down. Although she stood up mid-ride…. Not sure how she thought that would go 🤷🏼♀️
@@jennyrebecca7243 They do a good job of covering up stories. Ive never even heard of that. There are a couple places on matterhorn where I could see that happening. How did she stand up, dont the belts lock?
@@azdesertrat7414 matterhorn didn't have seatbelts before or even seats it was like splash mountain where you just sat and grabbed the handle bars.
We were there that day. We had annual passes. We went on the ride first thing in the morning. We didn’t even know what happened until we got home that afternoon. but for a long time after that the ride was closed down and the tunnel was closed off from view. it still feels so weird walking by that area and I still won’t go on that ride.
That's a bit close for comfort 😬
They closed it temporarily in WDWorld in September/2020.
this channel looks promising
Cheers, I'm hoping so 😎
I agree where seeing it at 770 subs, sir you must keep going, you have your hands on something good
Thanks really kind 😁
I love that ride! Rode about 5 times straight one night when the lines were super short! So much fun!!
Was surprised to find out how new this channel is. Production quality is great!
Thanks, nice to hear 😎
I'm a former ride operator for the defunct AstroWorld (Houston,TX) It stated in every ride manual to contact ride operations If you hear unusual noise. A ride supervisor will determine a car/ train removal with mechanics & electricians. This was in the 1980's. I got a "write up" as an assistant foreman for safety check list. The question was Did the mechanics check the ride prior to 3 run empty test. I didn't check the box. They'd checked the ride I just missed checking the box. How could Disneyland make such an egregious MISTAKE???!!!???? Trust me, there ARE some more. Columbia Sailing ship is another. Hard to believe this happend almost 20 yrs. ago. I do remember when it happened. They tried to blame the victim.
Michael, I would encourage you to look up mid 1990s-early 2000s Disneyland executive/president Paul Pressler. He is the reason why this accident happened.
How do I become a theme park
ride operator I want to get a job at a theme park as a ride operator
@@mateomoreno6125 Easy. Live near an amusement park and be @ least 18 yrs. old. Some rides are simple, but still have tests to pass. Some are more complex and have 2 ride tests to pass. MCO & SCO. Main control operator & secondary control opt. Steam train operation is even more complex. These tests have to be retaken annually. Even supervisors.
@@michaeltaylor1603 thanks for letting me know how easy because I love to go to a theme park and since I love to spend some days at a theme parks I thought it might be fun to work at a Theme park
This actually made me cry. He was so young and was just having a wonderful day at the park just to have this happen? Thankfully, things like this rarely happen now as safety has been more of a priority.
I visited Disneyland for the first time last week. I didn't watch or read stories related to Disneyland because I wanted the entire trip to be a surprise and not worry about a thing. I feel so bad for the guy. Rest in peace
Well done Kiwi, very interesting documentary. Keep them coming. Seamy in Ireland
No matter how hard I try to hide the accent, keep getting found out 😎
@@CuriosityVaultChannel it's in your location setting under 'about' 😉
Indeed 😎
You forgot to mention that He was there to celebrate his Birthday .. and his family was those riding behind him .. I will never forget that day ... Hate myself to this day that I a regular cast member should have taken in charge and back up the train ..
Another incident was the Sternwheeler coming to dock, they used a synthetic mooring line instead of a regular line, the ship kept moving, pulled the mooring line beyond limits, it pulled loose a cleat that struck and killed a guest.
Cheers, I should check the story out.
Actually it wasn't the Mark Twain sternwheeler. It was on the Columbia sailing ship.
There's already at least one video on TH-cam covering this. I think by fascinating horror
I see a lot wrong with your comment. It makes it sound like the line wasn’t made fast to the bollard, but the nylon rope parted and struck a guest. Polypropylene or other synthetic lines are “normal,” but ships don’t usually have to worry about proximity to guests so in that case manila or natural-fibre lines are appropriate for small passenger vessels because they don’t store the same amount of potential energy and won’t violently snap when parted, usually falling down and each strand just breaking apart.
In the case of any accident, there’s a lot of contributing factors, like the guest placement close the mooring area and the miscommunication between the crew and the (presumable) captain.
@@thomas1910 Nope. Just the wrong material chosen for the rope. Simple as that. There’s a correct explanation of this accident on a different TH-cam channel
It makes me so sad to know that the accident could have been EASILY avoided if they had either double checked the bolts after repair or taken the train back for repair as soon as they heard the sounds.
This is the only roller coaster I’ve ever been stuck on before. I’d never heard of this tragedy. So sad and so preventable ):
I always had season passes to theme parks growing since I live in LA county. I've been stuck on a coaster at least four times(over hundreds of visits). That includes Disney Land, Knott's and Six Flags.
Agree. This is one of few incidents/accidents at Disneyland where the park was at fault instead of the guest behaving foolishly. But I'm glad they significantly improved the maintenance so this is highly unlikely to occur again.
I ALWAYS GET STUCK ON THE STUPID RIDES ISTG ITS ALWAYS TGE SLOW ONES TOO LIKE I STOOT IN LIKE FOR 2 HOURS AT THE HARRY POTTER RIDE IN UNIVERSIAL JUST FOR IT TO STOP MID RIDE WHILE WE WERE UPSIDE DOWN FACING THE STUPID SPIDERS 😭 I got stuck on 2 rides at Disney and I was there for a singular day 💀
Big Thunder Mountain is based off of Thunder Mountain down in Sedona, Arizona. Cool that my state had a mountain that influenced such a popular ride.
It’s based off of the Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon, UT. Not AZ
@@centralcaliforniarail Why would they call it the exact same thing as a mountain in AZ tho?
I remember that! I arrived in LA on a solo trip that very day. I was thinking of going to Disneyland that day but I arrived late. I went instead a few days later. Nearly all the roller coaster rides were ‘closed for refurbishment’ that day.
I think I remember the clanking sound - the ride was extremely shaky that time. i felt like it was too dangerous to ride that ride - even though the ride plays it off as being wild - it wasn't for me after that. Then I heard about the accident on the news - and then I realized I really should be no longer riding it. But I still went back a few times.
I remember getting home from Walt Disney World and seeing on the news that a monorail driver was killed when another monorail backed into the one he was driving. There were a few passengers on the monorail at the time as this was going to be the last run of the day.
I've heard of that I think? Though from what I remember it wasn't backed into..they ran head-head, the one who died tried to put in reverse to try and prevent the crash but it was too late (and people theorize it may of actually lessened the damage of the crash which is why only 1 driver died). They were a very well known and beloved person in the park..
It’s like 1982. My parents tell me that this is a slow train ride. I’m 6 years old. Needless to say this was my first roller coaster I ever went on in my life. This exact ride. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area, and we went to Disneyland like 3 times growing up
Yup I was there that day and in line when my school teacher did it was time for choir students to head towards the front of the park so I let a bunch of guys past us. Unfortunately it was his group of friends and I clearly saw him. Next thing I heard was police sirens and ambulance noises and got freaked out.
Oh no…. That’s really sad, you were probably one of the last people to ever see him before the incident…
the odds of getting killed on a ride is so low but not zero. really feel for the family that lost a loved one. i would be furious at disneyland if it happened to my family.
I was on a roller coaster once and high winds were blowing a nearby tree across the track in a fast section and riders were being hit by leaves and twigs. When we pulled in I told the rider operators and they shut the ride down immediately without question. No one was hurt that I know of, but it could have gone bad at any moment.
Speak up if you see (or hear) something!
Chuggaaconroy was actually there when this happened. He was about to get in the lead car when he decided at the last minute that he didn't want to ride. This tragedy caused him to have a fear of roller coasters from then on.
He’s a splatoon TH-cam right?
oh damn
That’s how I learned about that incident. I was shook that such things like that would happen even in the happiest place on earth! Innocence is such a terrible thing to lose.
@@princesspixel3151 Yeah, I remember him bringing it up during Super Paper Mario 10 years ago.
This is why I freak out when there is really weird noises on rides :( Rip everyone who lost there lives on a rollercoster 🕊
One of my favourite Let's Players was in the queue waiting for the next run when it happened. And was going to sit in the front where the death happened.
Developed a strong phobia of coasters after that.
Gee, I wonder who this could be...
That's so freaky..I couldn't imagine being in their place, knowing if you got in line slightly earlier you may be dead or if the train lasted one more ride for you to get on.
Chugga
Poor man, he just want to have fun 😭😭 RIP Marcelo Torres 🥺
Wow, the TH-cam algorithm is amazing. I just went on this ride about 3 hours ago, and here is TH-cam suggesting this video to me
Fate 😬
Had similar thing happen to me with Fiesta Texas rollercoasters. All I wanted was to remember the experience I had, not get a bunch of videos about tragedies there!
I'm surprised that the new nylon locking nuts came undone because even when not fully tightend they remain fixed. Must have reused the old ones.
I really love rides but I really struggled getting onto Thunder Rail Road, I was determined something was going to go wrong and I tried to leave the queue, my family got me on there in the end and my grandparents sat with me wedged in between them keeping me calm, my grandad joked I was so squished in they'd never get me off it. I got on and I loved it, anxiety went and I had a great time. 3 days later this accident happened and I haven't been on a ride since. I just can't justify pushing through the anxiety any more and have bailed out of multiple queues.
Wow…that is psychic intuition. Listen to it.
You kids have proof? Lol like literally you kids always try to make up stories as if you were there lol.
I was there too but nothing happened until I decided to use the washroom, didn't feel like going on that Seay unless I'm empty handed lol.
And what happens? That very seat was fatal.
I have no proof, so you kids have no choice but to believe it lol.
I love the background music this guy uses. Video makes me fearful of roller coasters lol
I’ve know about this accident for years now, we visited Disneyland a couple weeks ago and every time I rode big thunder I was terrified of derailment.
I just rode this with my 5 yr old end of April (knew about this accident) and we were in the first row. Was definitely nervous but had to put on a brave face for the kiddo.
I was living there when this happened and went there almost every weekend with my parents at the time. My mother wouldn't let me and my father go on this ride because of it.
Looked this up because I heard a youtuber I watch was in this accident. was not expecting something so tragic. I can't believe the absolute neglect of several people agreeing something is wrong and still going "oh just one more then we'll take it off" instead of being responsible and taking it off the moment they noticed something weird
My Dear friend Marcelo. I remember exactly were I was when I heard about his passing. He was a High School friend. Great memories! We still remember you my friend!! 💗💗💗
Imagine how the people felt (if they somehow found out) that rode the 12th cycle of that train, or the ones that would've got on it next.
When my daughter was 8 years old, we took them to Disney World. The two of us were on this ride. When it made the first part of the run and came to the first brake, my daughter slipped under the railing and went under the seat in front of us. I held her there until we came back into the station. When she stood up, the operator turned bleach white. I don’t know what happened after that, but that was the last time we went to Disney World.
Do you still drive in a car in traffic and on freeways, or ride in planes
@@jdssurf yes. I also drive cars when there is no traffic and I fly planes. They’re calculated risks. Just because I choose to drive a car in traffic doesn’t mean I’m going to go free-climbing El Capitan.
@@NavyDiver912 I just mean riding these rides at any park is also a calculated risk. Knowing the risks of flying and driving, they are actually much more likely and common to have accidents and deaths than park rides, but yeah I don’t ride a lot of stuff mostly due to nausea but also as a mechanic I know shit happens…………..
@@jdssurf When a place risks your childs life to stuff that shouldn't happen, you wouldn't go there again..lots of stuff happens at disney and considering their track record of stuff breaking so often it's become a goal for many to record a ride malfunction that's concerning. At least in your car you know you're not gonna fly out randomly then be crushed by another car after, as long as you stay aware you'll pretty much be alright!
Though to be fair I'm scared of driving, always just feels more dangerous in the driver seat and I don't trust myself enough..I know, I'm a bit of a wuss but that's just how I've always been; the moment I realize how dangerous something can be is the moment I kind of stop doing it. However there are some risks you HAVE to take. Driving, flying in a plane, riding a boat, riding in a train..all can be unavoidable as we all have to go places and you can't really walk everywhere, can't exactly get across the sea without risking a plane ride! But a roller coaster isn't something you have to do, that's why people choose to avoid coasters even though they ride cars and other stuff; you avoid what you can to limit your risks and do what risky stuff you have to.
@@testerwulf3357 bullshit, in your car you don’t know shit, a giant truck can wipe you out at any second, it’s a million times mor likely and happens all the time compared to a theme park accident. I know about 10 ppl who died or lost their legs in riding their motorcycles perfectly, then they got hit by random cars. I don’t know anyone killed or hurt at theme parks unless I search the internet.
Riding in a car in traffic is so much riskier than theme park rides it’s unreal.
I’m still scared to die on rides tho soooooo
i was actually at disney *world* when this happened. we were so confused as to why they closed down thunder mountain, until we learned of what had happened at disneyland. of course since i was a kid i didn’t fully get it and was just pissed we couldn’t ride it.
That's so interesting that they called the other parks to shut down their version of thunder mountain, just in case it was a flaw in the manufacturing. Thanks for sharing that insight!
@@letmestudie yeah, at the time i didnt fully understand what was going on (again i was just upset we couldn’t go on it) but now that i’m much older it still surprises me that they shut down Disney World’s ride too.
I’m shook you don’t have more subscribers than you do. Great video ☺️
😀 Thanks
This channel is going to blow up
Cheers and welcome aboard friend.
This is like a smaller scale of the Old 97 derailment in 1903, 100 years earlier.
Edit: Except the wreck of the Old 97 was due to excessive speed, not loose bolts.
Interesting, I'll look into that.
I am honestly surprised their is only supervision once by just one individual. If there were at least two supervisors, they would keep each other in check as well.
My daughter was on the ride when this happened. My neighbour was in the 2nd car from the front with his son and my daughter in car behind them with my neighbour's daughter. None of them were injured physically
.
I visited recently and big thunder mountain repeatedly shut down throughout the visit to the point that I barely got any chances to ride it. While it was disappointing at the time, watching this video has made me realize that it was probably because they're taking safety much more seriously, and I'm glad to see that.
That ride clanks and is super loud already! How can they hear two bolts. Scary
I was at Disneyland 3 weeks before this happened and remember hearing something about it. Crazy.
Holy moly, and I love to ride in the front. I usually ask to do so when arriving at the front of the line. This sucks when you’re at the mercy of others doing a good job. Blessing to the Torres family. 😢
Completely disassembled the train for inspection, but didn't inspect the reassembled train.
Oh the irony.
The last time I went to Disneyland there were so many ride closures that day, even when we were waiting in line to get on a ride some got closed. Now I understand why. I'd rather have them get closed off then us get on and something tragic happen
Wow. Foods content. Subscribed. How tragic 😢. I've been on that ride a long time ago
I was on the train that crashed … 1 or 2 cycles prior to the incident. My brother was in the front row and made comments about a distinctly odd metal clanking sound.
The ride was shut down shortly after we left the exit. We were quickly escorted out of the area and the big thunder mountain trail was closed off.
This was before internet access so we had no idea there was an accident until later that night.
I didn’t piece together that I was on the faulty train until I recalled my brothers report of the metal sound and reports such as this that validate the claim.
Haunting.
When I was five years old, I got on this ride with my parents. I damn near flew out of it and my dad had to grab me and hold me down. True story.
That's scary. 😬
@@CuriosityVaultChannel In the moment it wasn't. 35 years later, yeah it is. That whole trip to Disneyland was horrible. I got lost and turner myself in to the cast member at the StoryBook boat ride. Lol
Nah
This is really familiar, they used to let me on around the same age because my mom would flirt with the ride operators and they'd have to ride with me and ensure I didn't fly out. It was a real rough ride back then. Fun as hell though.
Same omg
The fact that the ride of death was fhe 13th run of the day is creepy as hell
Well done.Thanks.
I've been to Disneyland once in 1967 when I was 6yrs. The thing I remember most is crowds, crowds, crowds.
I don't like crowds.
Sucks to be you
The crowds these days are horrendous. Disney is focused on making as much money as possible, not people’s enjoyment. I will never be going to the parks again, but there will always be the ‘idiot’s’ that will!!!
@@trevorhale8192 I’m glad I’m an idiot and do whatever to make even more money for my kids to enjoy Disney cause my kids are priceless I could careless about myself and what I hate and I’ll do what I’ll do for my kids to be kids and they enjoy and see magic in their own eyes fuck all you adults ruining it for the kids always thinking about the money when the kids think about the magic and Disney like every other companies wants to thrive and stay afloat to keep the kids happy not the adults who need to grow up and shit the fuck up about poor me…. Crybabies let the kids enjoy Disney and the people who want to still pay for their kids lol losers
@@trevorhale8192 I’m one of those idiots. I love going to Disney World.
Apparently-
My dad was there on the day of accident, waiting in the line for the next ride and I remember him saying something about people screaming then him and his friends *had to leave*
He didn’t understand why at the time but I honestly think that he still feels bad that this happened ;-;
I do too
6:24 you could have highlighted the bolts that where loose n what wheels fell off
Yes I thought that too. But overall this guy does a great job at explaining and detail. But yea hopefully he sees your comment because he would probably be happy to improve it.
@@dianecelento4974 agreed he did a great job.
I was at Disneyland the day this occurred. About an hour after the accident, mom and I had just gotten off Matterhorn and we went to Frontierland. They had closed off that entire section of the theme park but did not tell us why (understandable. They did not wish to cause a panic). When mom and I got to our hotel room that night, we saw what happened on the news. Freaky!
I still go on Big Thunder Mountain since Disneyland heavily tightened the maintenance, although there were times over the years I'd ride this attraction (I've been to DL many times since September/2003) and get a little queasy.
Very interesting, good video 👍
Cheers, glad you liked 😎
The draconian improvement over the all rides are just unbelievable is Ride Laws and any small noise unusual noise just shut the ride down 99% nothing wrong can be found but safely become draconian in Disneyland
I remember when this happened. I went to disney with my family shortly after and it was still closed down
I was a ride operator at a different park for a few years while in college and was trained that you stop a ride that is making unusual sounds.
Subscribed 06/12/22 👍🏼 Great video!
Thanks, Welcome aboard 🎉
The inspectors and staff who knowingly put this defective train back into service should be charged with murder.
The inspector didn’t “knowingly” put a defective train into service so it’s not murder. The inspector signed off on a repair without actually inspecting it - that’s negligence (involuntary manslaughter)
@@drdrew3 Still deserves to be charged with something, in this case involuntary manslaughter..or if the case ended bad for them possibly murder of the second degree (as it could be argued they knowingly let out a train that was acting different risking the chance it could hurt people, faulty normally means dangerous when it comes to rides..so if you know a ride is faulty/different you're knowingly letting it out so it can hurt someone); but, as I said, only if it goes really bad for them..a decent lawyer could get settled for manslaughter
ITT: tell me you don't know what "murder" means without telling me what you don't know what murder means.
@@testerwulf3357 if it wasn't "intentional", then no matter how you argue it, it's not murder. in any sense of the word.
This is one of my favorites but every time I ride it now I remember the accident and I kinda do it with a little fear.
And this is why Chuggaaconroy has a fear of roller coasters, because he was waiting in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when the derailment happened. On top of that, he was going to sit in the front row, where Marcelo Torres sat.
Great voice and research! Hope to see many more videos!
Cheers, appreciate the feedback 😎
I can't believe there isn't safety redundancy. 2 loose bolts can cause a fatal accident.
Incompetence is disgusting to me and it is everywhere. It is a killer in so many ways.