Bus accident at EPCOT

[Celestria]

what i want to know is WHY the charter bus was stopped on the road without the driver in the first place. yes it is bad, no one severly injured beyond repair, but still... what was the charter bus doing?

[faline]

what i want to know is WHY the charter bus was stopped on the road without the driver in the first place. yes it is bad, no one severly injured beyond repair, but still... what was the charter bus doing?

Perhaps it broke down?

[SBETigg]

My question was more how you could hit a bus that had been stopped in the lane. But things happen. I wonder if there was mechanical error. I haven't heard any updates on the driver's condition.

[Polynesian Dweller]

My question was more how you could hit a bus that had been stopped in the lane. But things happen. I wonder if there was mechanical error. I haven't heard any updates on the driver's condition.

WESH tv is currently reporting that the driver is in stable condition and there are no life threatening injuries.

[crltkcagle]

WESH tv is currently reporting that the driver is in stable condition and there are no life threatening injuries.

thanks for the update

[Aurora]

There are so many ways you can hit a parked vehicle, most of them having to do with limited vision.

For example, if the charter bus was parked just past a slight curve; if another vehicle was in front of the Disney bus and merged out of the lane too quickly for the driver to be able to see the charter bus until the last minute; if the Disney driver was checking a rearview mirror or if there was another driver or a passenger who took away his/her attention; if there were no hazard lights on the charter bus so it appeared as if it was in motion, etc.

Happy to hear everyone is recovering. I'll also take my chances with Disney transport drivers rather than the visitors who are not as familiar with the roads and who might not be as careful.

[Ed]

what i want to know is WHY the charter bus was stopped on the road without the driver in the first place. yes it is bad, no one severly injured beyond repair, but still... what was the charter bus doing?

The charter bus was disabled, and the driver was standing outside waiting for the service/tow truck.

Update on injuries from this morning's Orlando Sentinel:

A 5-year-old boy who authorities said was not hurt in a bus crash near Epcot actually broke his pelvis in two places, his grandmother said today.

Ivan Marriott went home to Arizona Wednesday with his mother, Heather, who took him to a doctor there after he complained of pain, said Ivan's grandmother, Ann Hackett. Ivan had a CT scan at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orange County because he had a bump on his head, but X-rays were not taken of his pelvis, Hackett said.

Eight people, including Ivan and a bus driver, were hurt in Tuesday's rear-end crash in which a Walt Disney World bus hit the back of an empty tour bus for Waldorf Astoria that had stopped because of mechanical trouble, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Ann Hackett and her husband, Tom, of Columbus, Ohio, had met their daughter and grandson in Orlando for a trip to the theme parks. Ann Hackett took Ivan to Disney's Animal Kingdom Monday. Their vacation was ruined Tuesday because of the accident, in which she and her husband were bumped and bruised. Investigators say the Disney bus driver never braked.

"It was awful," Hackett said. "One minute you're talking to each other. The next minute, you can't see. I was under people."

[LudwigVonDrake]

Perhaps it broke down?

Were their flashers on?

[Ed]

Were their flashers on?

TV reports locally say ~~~

1. The bus that was struck had mechanical problems that caused it to stop running;
2. It was in the far right-hand lane;
3. Its four-way flashers were on;
4. There were no passengers on the bus;
5. And the driver was standing outside the bus, apparently awaiting the arrival of a mechanic or tow truck.

[Celestria]

thanks for telling me why the bus was stopped. all i heard was disney bus hits mears bus. nothing else.

[eeyorepoohfan]

Prayers go out to all those involved! May they all have a speedy recovery. Very scary, but I still trust the Disney transportation to get me to and from all the parks any day!

[Joannelet]

the comment that the grandmother made about one minute I was talking and the next she couldn't see she was under people is really scary for me.

Last time I was there was in December, I made the announcement to my hubby no more buses for me!!! We had our 1 year old son with us. I can't tell you how many problems we had boarding the bus etc.
I did not feel safe. There were times when the bus was sooo crowded from back to front (all the way to the door basically) and there I am sitting with my 1 year old son on my lap. If anything was to happen and people fall on him....well lets just say he would be seriously injured if not more....

These buses have become way too packed....I think they need to rethink the capacity and seats on those buses. But having infants on laps with people standing in front of you....just isn't safe to me.

Has anyone heard how the driver of the bus is? I know they were in critical condition....but that is the last I heard of it.

[Puppy Mom]

The busses are definately a problem. I feel for Disney because they can't win either way.

If they let people cram onto the bus in order to move as many people as possible, it is uncomfortable and unsafe.

But if they limit the number of people that they let on the bus, people will be upset at having to wait for the next bus.