Amusement Park Accident - Kids Train Ride
March 23, 2011 - A children's train ride derailed in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Saturday, March 19. A 6-year old boy was killed and 27 others were injured in the amusement park accident. Over thirty 911 calls were made describing a frantic and chaotic scene. One witness said the almost 60-year-old train fell off a bridge. The 42-year-old train operator told police he knew he was driving too fast just before the tragic accident occurred. Authorities have not yet reported on the cause of the crash. However, the statement made by the train driver seems to support eyewitness accounts that the train sped up on its third lap around the track. Many of the passengers on the train were members of a church where the deceased boy's father is a pastor. A church representative said that train riders told him the train "got faster and faster" and that it "felt like it was increasing in speed and something was wrong." The train ride was supposed to have been inspected last Wednesday. After the crash, a state inspector said he failed to check the speed of the train because the battery was dead. He admitted that he falsified his report. He was later fired. The train driver posted multiple assertions about the accident on a train blog. He said the train hadn't run in years; that it had a leaking transmission and broken brakes; that there had been no appreciable maintenance on the tracks since 2002; and, that the tracks were so bad they were causing derailments. County park officials disputed the claims. The train operator's mother said he was a train buff who relished driving the kids on the train. He was hired last year. She said he has been taking it really hard. A funeral is set for the 6-year-old victim this Thursday. Please call a trusted
Sonoma County Injury attorney if you or a loved one have been injured in an accident. We offer free consultations with an experienced attorney.