Disney Settles Lawsuit With Monorail Victim's Family

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A civil case between Disney and the family of a worker killed in a terrible monorail crash was dismissed because, WFTV learned, the company settled with the family of Austin Wuennenberg.

VIDEO REPORT: Victim's Family Settles With Disney

WFTV was on the phone all day Monday with the family of 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg and with Disney. One thing is certain; whatever money Disney paid they want to keep secret.

Wuennenberg's mother has settled her civil lawsuit with Disney over the death of her only son. In a statement, her attorney said, "She is satisfied with the terms of the agreement, but as any parent who has lost a child knows, it's a pain that never goes away."

Rick Foglesong is a professor at Rollins College and the author of a book about the inner-workings of Disney. He says the company is sued a lot, but he is not surprised it settled this one.

"This one seems to pretty clearly involve negligence," he said.

Austin Wuennenberg Disney monorail crash victim -- old, but added 032811 Austin Wuennenberg Austin Wuennenberg Wuennenberg was killed in July 2009 when the monorail he was driving crashed with another train. Investigators later discovered a supervisor was directing the trains from a restaurant off Disney property; that is no longer allowed.

"Disney, after the accident, made some changes and that's the beneficial effect of lawsuits like this in cases of negligence," Foglesong said.

Even if Disney was forced to pay millions as part of the settlement, Foglesong says, the company will benefit, not just because the terms will be kept secret but also because of the timing; the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has yet to finish its investigation into the crash.

"The Disney Company would not want to admit to guilt in advance to the completion of that investigation," Foglesong said.

Disney would not comment on the settlement, but the NTSB told WFTV they hope to have their investigation completed in the next two months.

Previous Stories: November 22, 2010: Documents Released In Deadly Monorail Crash September 30, 2010: Monorail Pilot's Family Fights Disney In Court September 2, 2010: Mother: Monorail Death Was Preventable January 25, 2010: Mother Of Dead Monorail Driver Sues Disney December 22, 2009: Manual Warned Against Driving Disney Monorail In Reverse July 30, 2009: Monorail Crash Investigators Focus On Training July 16, 2009: Disney Implements New Monorail Safety Rules July 10, 2009: NTSB Wraps Up Onsite Monorail Investigation July 10, 2009: Friend Issues Statement For Monorail Pilot Crash Survivor July 10, 2009: 3 Disney Workers Suspended Over Crash July 9, 2009: Sources: Monorail Workers Were At Denny's During Crash July 8, 2009: NTSB Releases Findings In Monorail Crash July 8, 2009: Ex-Monorail Pilot Gives Unique Perspective On Crash July 8, 2009: Home Video Shows Monorail Pilot's Love For Job July 7, 2009: Federal Agency Begins Monorail Crash Investigation July 6, 2009: Monorail Reopens After Young "Genius" Dies In Collision July 6, 2009: Aunt: Monorail Victim Was "The Perfect Son" July 6, 2009: Deadly Monorail Crash At Walt Disney World

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