Louisville Zoo officials said tonight that the train that derailed yesterday and injured 22 people, including a toddler who was still in serious condition, had been through a required 35-point inspection that morning and no problems were detected.
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Officials refused to provide information about the driver of the train, but said she is an employee of the zoo and is taking a few days off. They would not say whether she was injured in the crash or how long she had been working as a train driver.
A zoo spokeswoman had said shortly after the crash yesterday that the driver was among the injured.
The daily inspection, which is required by state law, is done by the driver of the train before carrying any passengers.
Mark Zoeller, assistant zoo director, said all employees go through an internal training program to qualify as drivers. He said seasoned drivers monitor new drivers before certifying them to drive alone.
Kara Bussabarger, a zoo spokeswoman, said the average speed of the open-air train is 12 mph, but she could not say how fast it was going at the time it flipped onto its side while making a turn behind the zoo’s popular Gorilla Forest exhibit. There were about 30 passengers on board at the time.
Ted Sloan, a spokesman for the state Agriculture Department, which oversees amusement park rides, said it is too soon to say what caused the derailment, noting that it could be several days or weeks before a final report is issued.
Department inspectors, who went to the scene immediately after the accident, were back today.
At least two recent zoo visitors said today that they believe the train goes much faster than 12 mph.
Adam Galasso, 25, said he, his wife and their 2-year-old rode the train for the first time on Sunday and were frightened by the experience.
He said it went so fast that his wife nearly lost her balance on one of the curves and came close to falling out of the train’s open sides. The train is not required to have seatbelts.
Galasso said he held on to his daughter tightly, afraid he might lose his grip because of the speed.
“I’ll never do it again,” said Galasso. “It was definitely not safe.”
Zoo member Rod Mitchell said he has complained numerous times to zoo employees about the speed of the train. Mitchell said his 4-year-old daughter loves to go to the zoo, in part because she loves the train ride. But he said that several times over the past few months, he’s noticed the train going at speeds he felt were too fast and has complained.
Bussabarger said she did not have information about whether people have complained about the train’s speed in the past.
Twenty-two people, including 17 children, were taken to area hospitals with injuries after yesterday's derailment. Fifteen of the children were treated and released that day.
Tonight, a 21-month-old girl remained in serious condition at Kosair Children’s Hospital, said Brian Rublein, a hospital spokesman. Her condition had improved from critical yesterday. The girl’s brother, a 2-month-old, was in the hospital and listed in good condition.
Five adults were taken to University Hospital with injuries, and three were admitted, said David McArthur, a hospital spokesman. They were still hospitalized tonight.
Zoeller said zoo officials went to the hospital yesterday to check on the patients’ conditions, and have been trying to monitor them for any developments.
“Our thoughts are with the families of those involved,” Zoeller said.
By law, amusement rides, including the zoo’s train, must be inspected annually before they are opened to the public. Sloan said the zoo train’s seasonal inspection occurred on Jan. 22, and the train passed.
A new law passed in 2008 also requires that the zoo inspect the train daily before it begins operating. Sloan said the zoo provided the investigators with documentation that the daily inspection took place yesterday.
Zoo officials also said the rails for the train get an inspection at least once a month by the zoo’s maintenance staff. That same maintenance staff inspects the train weekly with an 18-point inspection to ensure it is sound.
The same new law requires the operator of the train be at least 18 years old, Sloan said.
While the zoo opened to visitors today, the train has been shut down by order of the state. It will remain closed until the investigation is complete, Sloan said.
Employees who drive the train have been reassigned to other duties while the ride is shut down, Zoeller said.
The zoo has had a train for about 40 years but the train that derailed was bought in 2000.
Zoo visitor Mitchell said today that he was frustrated because he complained to zoo employees about the train’s speed last fall, but felt he wasn’t taken seriously.
“This could have definitely been avoided,” Mitchell said. “It scared me to death.”
Reporter Jessie Halladay can be reached at (502) 582-4081.