People should not die on vacation. As a cast member at the resort, even though I do not work the ride the news of today’s accident on Big Thunder hit me like a ton of bricks. I have heard all of the other death and injury stories in the two years I have worked there, but this is the first time it has happened while I was a Cast Member. Knowing how much I care about the safety of each guest on the rides that I work, and how hard I train CMs, I can only imagine what the CMs on that ride have gone through. Almost trivial is what is going to happen to their jobs? With the recent land-locking of CMs in a particular area, some only know Big Thunder and with reduced hours in the park since it is the offseason, finding a place for them on short notice is going to be a challenge. A tragedy like this not only affects the guests on the ride, but also the CMs who work it. They are all victims.
**sigh**
I have always had an interest in analyzing media reports during events like these. It was interesting to see how Disney-owned ABC was towing the line and only reporting the facts while CBS 2 and NBC 4 were already jumping to conclusions about what happened (Man thrown from train, person crushed, person died on the scene from heart attack, person died while trapped in car, etc.) Whatever the causes are, I will be watching to see how it all comes out.